Best Of The Web: November 30-December 6

Contributors: Veronica
Torok and Briehn Trumbauer

Here’s a weekly roundup of parenting articles that piqued
our interest. Enjoy! —

How was your Thanksgiving? One mom blogger’s was perfectly
imperfect, reminiscent of so many Thanksgivings past. Variety show, anyone?
(Mom-101)

Even Santa is taking the economic slump into consideration.
Santas-in-training are being taught to gauge
Christmas morning expectations—with children requesting everything from
high ticket gifts to jobs for their unemployed parents. (NY Times)

Ready for some mama drama? From the folks who brought us Jersey
Shore comes a TV show about
party-loving moms and their daughters…and the debauchery that ensues. (Babble)

Like Occupy Wall Street, Occupy
Seattle has been getting violent. A pregnant woman who was hit by police
and blasted with pepper spray says she had a miscarriage days after the
incident. (The Stranger)

People read parenting news! Does that surprise you? Facebook’s list of most frequently shared articles for 2011 includes quite a bit of parenting coverage, along with natural disasters and other hot topics. (TechCrunch)

Is technology
ruining the magic of Santa Claus? With St. Nick tracking apps, websites to
submit a letter to Santa and even a Twitter account for the jolly guy, the Internet
just might give away the secret. (HuffPo Parents)

Does risk always trump reward? Lenore Skenazy has had enough
of overly
cautious parenting. From riding the rails to inflating balloons, seems like
kids these days aren’t allowed to do anything…at all. (Wall Street Journal)

The recent SAT cheating
scandal should have New York Education Commissioner John King reconsidering what
to do about testing security and punishment. How can we discourage students
from trying to simply beat the system? (Democrat and Chronicle)

Labradors make great family pets, but
Lisha the South African Labrador retriever takes puppy love
to a whole new level. Check out these adorable photos of some of the
animals she has “mothered.” (Mother Nature
Network)

Studies show that drinking several cups of coffee a day may help keep women
healthier, so bring
on the java! (Washington Post)

When is a book more than a book? When it’s a slam-dunk
first birthday present. (Mom Filter)