Death penalty for child rape? The Supreme Court of America is weighing the constitutionality of awarding the death penalty for a child rape case. In this case, a step father in Louisiana has been found guilty of raping his 8 year old step daughter. Some states are considering enacting laws for this and are waiting to see if the Supreme Court gives the nod for the death penalty in this case.

There is generally public outrage when people hear of horrific cases as this one. But some social workers are cautioning that it could discourage young children to report these crimes, because often, and as in this case, the rapist is a family member. Also in this case, the girl originally reported that some neighborhood boys had attacked her, until police found blood and evidence in her room that pointed to the stepfather.

What do you think? Should these crimes get the death penalty?

For babies - less sleep can lead to obesity. There is a link between the amount of sleep infants get and the possibility of obesity as a toddler and older. Studies show that infants who get less than 12 hours of sleep per day have a bigger risk of being overweight in preschool. And there also seems to be a link to TV - the more TV a small child watches, the less sleep they get.

These two things in combination have shown to increase weight. When a person is sleep deprived, they produce less hormones to signal fullness and more hormones to promote hunger. And as for the TV - there are too many tempting food commercials to be seen, and sitting at the TV does not permit the physical activity necessary.

Of course, some children are better sleepers than others. Don’t fret too much if you have a child that does not like to sleep. As long as you are limiting the amount of TV they watch (and discouraging them “resting” in front of the TV), and being sure they eat healthy and get sufficient physical activity during the day, all should be fine.

Speaking of TV’s. Having one in your teen’s bedroom can cause problems too. Many teens with TVs are “heavy” TV watchers, more than 5 hours a day. And many report lower grades, less physical activity, eating fewer vegetables, not eating with the family at the dinner table, and drinking more sugary beverages. I don’t know about you all, but I do not want my teens to grow up like that. Think twice about putting a TV in their rooms!