The recession has taken its toll on families in varying ways. From lost wages and jobs, changes in spending habits, and decisions to delay expanding the family are just the tip of the iceberg in some homes. The stress can be overwhelming and, according to a new report, appears to have lead to a sharp increase in the number of babies affected by Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) since the economic bubble Read more

Can you imagine neglecting your own child in favor of a virtual one? A South Korean couple did exactly that, and their 3-month-old daughter died of malnutrition. The dad, 41, and mom, 25, both unemployed and depressed, spent long periods of time at an Internet cafe preoccupied with their online child and only fed their human preemie once a day. A report said: The couple had become obsessed Read more

Yesterday, we discussed some of the challenges children of immigrants face trying to deal with clashing cultural values, but the following case is extreme. Police are still looking for a Peoria, AZ, man originally from Iraq who allegedly ran down his daughter and her friend with his SUV to punish her for becoming "too Westernized." Faleh Hassan Almaleki ran down his daughter Noor and her friend Read more

What would you do if a stranger slapped your toddler across the face? Atlanta-area police arrested a 61-year-old man this week after he allegedly smacked a 2-year-old who wouldn't stop crying. According to witnesses, the man told the little girl's mother, "If you don’t shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you." When the little girl continued to whimper, the man – who did not know the Read more

The average weight for a 14-year-old boy is roughly 112 pounds. When a child packs on a score or two more than that, most people start to notice the thicker waistline. So when a South Carolina boy tipped the scales at 555 pounds, it wasn't just friends and strangers that noticed — local authorities did, too. The teen's mother, Jerri Gray, was taken into custody for child neglect and may face Read more