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Tag: father

  • Older Dads Study Produces Interesting Results

    A new study shows that men who wait until they are older to have children have a higher chance of having children with a psychiatric problem such as bipolar disorder, autism, or ADD. The study included more than 2.6 million Swedish men who were born between 1973-2001. The study showed that men who were older than 24 were much more likely to have children with personality or behavior problems and men who were over 45 faced an even greater risk.

    The study also took into the consideration several other factors that could have had an impact on a child’s mental health, including mothers’ age at conception, parents’ education and history of psychiatric problems, and the mental health of each child’s siblings.

    Although women can only get pregnant throughout a certain amount of years and are unable to do so after going through menopause, it was once thought that men were capable of making children at any age. Since men continue to produce sperm throughout their lives, it was believed that these sperm were healthy regardless of the man’s age.

    The study suggests that as men age, their sperm could possibly become damaged, mutated, or weakened, leading to such problems. Researchers insist that this is just a suggestion and there is no guarantee that a man over the age of 24 or 45 will have a child with psychiatric problems.

    Although the study is shocking, researchers believe it will be useful in determining what other genetic mutations linked with older parents can contribute to certain health problems. It will also open the door for more similar studies.

    How old were you when you fathered your first child and do you think the study is accurate?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Missing Michigan Baby: Father Facing Murder Charges

    A man from western Michigan has been charged with killing his daughter, after she went missing over two years ago. The young girl was last seen in northern Michigan in the Ludington area, which is about 80 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Her name was Katherine Phillips and she was only four and a half months old at the time that she was last seen. In a very sad story, hopefully the conviction will give the rest of the girl’s friends and family some closure on the case. Katherine went missing in June of 2011.

    Sean Phillips, the girl’s father has been charged with the crime and according to Attorney General Bill Schuette, the filing of the open murder charge “moves us one step closer to securing justice for baby Kate. Sean is only 23 years old and was convicted previously in 2012 of unlawful imprisonment in the disappearance of his daughter, according to ABC News. Now that new evidence has been unearthed, they are able to up the charge to murder, and finally solve the case once and for all.

    Ariel Courtland, Katherine’s mother, claimed that she last saw her daughter in a car seat in the back seat of Phillips’ car. The attorney general involved with the case announced that there has been new evidence discovered supporting a murder charge, but did not give details as to what that evidence is. Paul Spaniola, the Mason County prosecutor said “This continuing investigation has included review of biological evidence, site visits, and the enlistment of experts from all over the world who are preeminent in their fields.”

    With the charge being an open murder, it means that the jury is able to consider both first and second degree murder in the case. CBS Detroit mentions that Phillips abducted the baby he feared that a court-ordered paternity test would confirm that he was the father. The mother has said that Phillips wanted to put Katherine up for adoption but she had refused. He is currently trying to appeal the charge that will have him serving a sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison.

    It is incredibly sad that he would have to go to such drastic measures in this type of a case, but hopefully this conviction will give Katherine’s family some closure and her body will turn up as well.

    Image via Yotutube

  • Father, Sons Die Hiking In The Ozarks

    Father, Sons Die Hiking In The Ozarks

    A family hiking trip turned tragic over the weekend when a father and two of his sons got lost on the Ozark trail and were subjected to freezing temperatures.

    36-year old David Decareaux and sons Dominic, 10, and Grant, 8, were found on Sunday morning. Decareaux was pronounced dead at the scene; the boys were airlifted out of the woods but later died at a Missouri hospital.

    “They took my babies and worked on them for more than two hours,” wife and mother Sarah Decareaux said. “We are a Christian family. I know where they are now.”

    Decareaux and his boys got caught out in the elements after freezing rain swept through the area, and apparently both their flashlight and cell phone lost power. A large search party was called in, but roads and trails became impassible due to flash flooding from nearby creeks and the party had to be called off until daylight came. Despite the tragic ending, Sarah Decareaux said she wanted to make sure those involved in the search knew how much their help was appreciated. She is now left a single mother of three other young children.

    The Ozarks are a tricky place to hike, especially at this time of year, when temperatures can plummet quickly. Authorities say that when the Decareaux family set off, the temps were in the 60s. They dropped dramatically into the 20s with all the rain the area received.

    Image courtesy of the family. Dominic and Grant are at the far left.