Raison D'etre

This first post I wanted to be an extension of the blog description in the header. Specifically, I want to expand on the things that led to my conclusion that there was a niche in skepticism, parenting, that needed filling.

I like to consider myself fairly active in the skeptical community. I am, at the time of this writing, a graduate student studying chemistry, I am an administrator of a local skeptical community's Facebook page where I am partly responsible for setting up meetings, demonstrations, etc. Finally, I work tirelessly to apply skepticism to my everyday life.

So why parenting; why not a broader topic; why not focus on academia? There are a couple reasons. First, I have noticed that a fair amount of the fear and uncertainty that leads people into pseudoscience comes form wanting to do right by our children; do give them their best possible start in life. The sad irony is that many delve into pseudoscience and end up putting their children in unnecessary danger. Second, my wife is a reader of many so-called mommy blogs and Facebook groups. Through our nightly conversations, I've picked up on the fact that there is no safe refuge in parenting advice that is safe from pseudoscience.

Though it certainly won't be the limit of what will be posted here, some of the things I'd like to cover will include:

• Vaccines - It has been abundantly shown that vaccines are safe and effective. Science Based Medicine (a site I'll likely be referencing frequently) has a great reference page on the topic. Additionally, they go over a number of myths that anti-vaxxers commonly spread.
• Psychology - From bogus cures for various mental conditions to anecdotes promoting corporal punishment rife with survivorship bias, nurturing a child's mind has become a playground for charlatans.
• GMOs - Feeding our children is important; hopefully this goes without saying. But teaching our children to fear food can have potentially dangerous implications.
• "Alternative" Medicine - I'm sure everyone remembers the homeopathic teething tablet fiasco. This serves as a prime example why the only safe, effective bet is to go with scientifically backed treatments. Though it may be tempting, and understandable, to try everything to help your child, you always run the risk with heavily adverse reactions with untested treatments.

This is what I want to accomplish here. I want to be a resource for parents; to empower them with the tools of critical thinking, science, and skepticism.