"Open up! Baby police! Put your hands above your womb! Breathe! Breathe!"

You won't even think about giving birth at home, if a leading medical journal has its way.

Editors of The Lancet say women should not be allowed to give birth at home, claiming in the latest issue of the specialty journal on oncology, neurology and infectious diseases that home births are too risky. The journal cites research reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology which "provides the strongest evidence so far that home birth can, after all, be harmful to newborn babies."

They also argue home births are three times riskier for newborns than hospital births.

Even bombs and armed conflict can't dampen the innate, beautiful spirit of children.

More than 6,000 kids taking part in a summer program run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency came together this week on a Gaza beach to fly a kite, in an attempt to break their own record for the number of kites flown at the same time in one place, the BBC reports.

John Ging, the Gaza director of UNRWA, says the event touched the hearts of everyone in the war-torn Gaza area, despite the fact that the record has not yet been confirmed by Guinness World Records. Last week, he adds, 7,000 kids gathered to bounce basketballs simultaneously for five minutes, in an attempt to double that previous world record.

"Surely, two world records in a week would be another world record," Ging tells the BBC. "Like children anywhere in the world, children here must have a sense of normalcy."

"Casablanca" was a good movie, but you know what would have made it great?

Lesbians!

Imagine if Warner Bros. had simply cast Katharine Hepburn or Barbara Stanwyck as Ingrid Bergman's lover instead of Humphrey Bogart. Not that would have sizzled.

Apparently, all you have to do to make a great movie is toss in a couple of lesbians.

That explains all the Oscar buzz surrounding "The Kids are All Right," the new movie that follows Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a same-sex couple grappling with teenage children, marital fidelity, midlife crises and more.

You know, just like heterosexual couples. But they're not heterosexual. They're a couple of women. Get it? That's what makes it so darn interesting, even revolutionary.

Psst, not really.

We know you keep your loved ones close to your heart, but now you can recognize them there for the world to see.

Jewelry line dalla nonna, known for its vintage-inspired calendar necklaces and bracelets that mark an important date with a sapphire, has expanded to offer "the little letters," perfect for recognizing your little loved ones.

Letter pendants come in 14k rose or yellow gold or sterling silver and can be worn alone, paired to create initials or words or layered with a calendar necklace. Dalla nonna means "from the grandmother" in Italian, but we think these necklaces would make a perfect gift for a grandmother.

Prices start at $110, at dallanonnajewelry.com.

There's nothing quite like spending 16 days straight with six family members and an additional guest to throw your parenting skills into stark relief.

Turns out, I'm a yeller short on patience who likes to bribe her kids with sugar and gives in to ridiculous demands from those under 4-feet tall in order to SHUT THEM UP ALREADY.

Good times.

Every summer I travel 3,000 miles round-trip with my family in tow from Flyover Country to the Very East Coast to spend time with my siblings, their kids and my mom. It's always great fun -- obviously, because I've made that insane road trip four times now -- but it's also very humbling from a parenting perspective.

Usually, I'm pretty good for about three days: I calmly issue time-outs, I say please and thank you when correcting naughty behavior, I tell my kids they have to sit and stay at the dinner table if they want to eat, thank you very much.

Then things start to devolve. Quickly.

Here is a look at what's new this week in family entertainment as adapted from reviews and ratings by Common Sense Media. Click on the links to read the reviews in full.

In Theaters: "Charlie St. Cloud"
Teen heartthrob Zac Efron stars in "Charlie St. Cloud," the story of a young man overwhelmed with grief after the tragic death of his little brother. Older teens and adults may shed a few tears, but this emotionally charged film is too mature for Efron's younger fans. Rated PG-13, OK for kids 13+


DVD: "Repo Men"
Artificial body parts are available to those who are willing to pay for them in "Repo Man," a futuristic thriller starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker. Once in charge of repossessing unpaid organs, Law's character becomes a fugitive when he himself becomes delinquent on his payments. It's gory, violent and full of explicit sex scenes and rough language. Rated R, iffy for kids 16-18

TV: "Plain Jane"
Average girls get glammed up in order to catch a man in "Plain Jane," a new reality series on The CW network. While the stated goal is to make over the women inside and out, most of the work seems to be happening on the outside. Host Louise Roe is likable enough, but it's hard to love a show that literally gives a girl an electric shock for not flirting properly. Rated TV-14, iffy for kids 14-18

The new Eloise suite at The Plaza in New York City? Oh, it's rawther fabulous.

Designed by Betsey Johnson, the 18th floor suite features zebra-print carpet, pink-striped walls and a closet full of poufy skirts and other dress-up clothes. Hanging on the walls are original prints by "Eloise" illustrator Hilary Knight, and the pillow shams and chairs feature Johnson prints.

Oh, and in case you have an urgent room service request, there's a phone in the bathroom.

Johnson says she loves hanging out at The Plaza, so she was thrilled to be asked to design the suite.

"I just kind of live Eloise," Johnson tells ParentDish.

The designer says her granddaugthers Layla, 4, and Ella, 2, are Eloise fans, and they can't wait to stay in the new suite. As for Johnson, she says she loved designing the room and wants to do more home design.

Reading a good book can be an emotional experience. Here's a selection of new picture books that can run you through the full gamut.


"City Dog, Country Frog" by Mo Willems, illustrated by Jon J. Muth (Hyperion, $18)
We all know Mo Willems from his comedic kids' classics like "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! " and "Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale," but never before have we seen him tug those heartstrings the way he does here. This sweet and warm story, told over the course of five seasons, recounts an urban dog's visits to his human family's bucolic vacation house. With no canine companions to be found, the pooch bonds with an affable frog who teaches him the ways of the country. The ending --aided by the wonderfully realistic paintings of Jon J. Muth ("Zen Shorts") -- packs quite an emotional wallop. Adults and kids alike can expect to get weepy.

PINE CITY, Minn. (AP) - Cindy Hickey was sitting in her home office last summer, preparing a receipt for a client of her animal physical therapy business when the phone rang. She picked up, then nearly hung up, thinking it was a sales call.

"Then I heard 'Baghdad' and 'embassy' and that got my attention," Hickey said. "And she told me, 'Your son Shane is believed to have been taken by Iranian authorities. That's all the information we have, we will call you as soon as we have more information.' My adrenaline peaked. My heart sank. And I immediately went into a mode of, what are we going to do to take care of this immediately?"

A year later, Hickey and the other mothers of three Americans detained in Iran since July 31, 2009, are still in that mode. They have put their own careers on hold and turned to what's become a full-time job for them: attempting to secure their children's release from Tehran's Evin Prison in the face of espionage accusations by the Iranian government.

What you need: You need resealable plastic bags and buckets of water.

How to play: Dip each bag into a bucket of water to fill it up and then seal it. Make enough bags for each player and to have back-ups. Establish a line, which players can toss the bags across at each other. Divide the children into two teams, and put each team on opposing sides of the line.

The rules: Players will throw the bags at each other. If a player gets hit, she is out of the game. Play continues until only one player remains.