I couldn't imagine being romantically involved with someone whose beliefs were diametrically opposed to my own, let alone plan on raising children with them. Sure, my own parents were a mixed Catholic/Jewish couple, but my dad wasn't as adamant about practicing as my mother, so it worked out. But even so, Judaism and Catholicism at least share a common basis. Heck, we even attended a few Jews for Jesus gatherings.

Christianity and Satanism, however, are so different that one wonders how a follower of each would meet, let alone decide to marry. And yet, Kristie and James Meyer not only got married, they had three children together. Now, however, they are separated and are at odds over the religious upbringing of the kids. He, the Satanist, has custody of the kids on the weekend, but she, a Christian, wants to curtail that so she can take the kids to church on Sundays.

Now it's up to a judge to decide. The judge, of course, cannot render a decision that favors one religion over another. Mr. Meyer may be asked to prove that Satanism is a real religion -- easy enough: the IRS says it is -- while Mrs. Meyer would have to show that his beliefs are more harmful to the kids than her own.

Wow. I'd say it's one big mess. I'm not sure what the right answer is, other than that he should get to do what he wants with his time with the kids just as she is free to take the kids to church on her time. Sadly, I don't think it's really that simple and the ones that lose out are, of course, the kids.

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When it comes to divorce rumors, it's not like Madonna can blame us for speculating. First there was that meeting with the high-powered divorce attorney. Then there were those late night visits from friend Alex Rodriguez, which apparently put A-Rod's wife over the edge.

Cynthia Rodriguez is blaming Madonna and Kabbalah (in a straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back sort of way) for ending her five-year marriage to the Yankees star. Family friend Dodd Romero recently said of A-Rod, "Alex, God bless him, is lost. I think he got pulled in by the dark side, if you can say that nicely. He's totally brainwashed."

Though usually mute on rumors and speculation, the whole messy affair apparently got to be too much for Madonna over the weekend. In an exclusive statement to People, she denied both the allegations of an affair between her and Alex Rodriguez and that there were any marital problems between her and Guy.

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Often when a family splits up, the children suffer financially as well as emotionally. I can't speak for the emotional state of Ming Lee and Aoki Simmons, but their parent's divorce sure isn't hurting their little pocketbooks. According to an agreement filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the daughters of music and fashion mogul Russell Simmons and his estranged wife Kimora Lee will each receive $20,000 per month in support payments until they reach the age of eighteen.

You may recall that the fabulous Ms. Lee filed for divorce earlier this year after nine years of marriage. In return for his hefty child support payments, Simmons will receive "reasonable child visitation ... accompanied at all times by the children's nanny and security personnel."

It's not like these girls aren't already living in the lap of luxury, but that additional $480,000 a year will allow them to line that lap in fur and trim it in gold.

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Christie Brinkley's divorce proceedings aren't even underway yet and already the spectacle has begun. You may recall that the 54-year-old Brinkley filed for divorce from hubby Peter Cook after catching him cheating with a 19-year-old office assistant two years ago. If that wasn't humiliation enough, Brinkley now has to deal with Cook's new love inserting herself into the sure-to-be messy divorce proceedings.

After Brinkley kicked him to the curb, Cook began dating single mom Suzanne Shaw. She's the former lover of a Park Avenue dentist who dumped her when she was six months pregnant. Because of that experience, she says she sympathizes with Brinkley. "I've been there, and I feel for her," Shaw said.

However, Shaw is concerned about the public beating she is sure Brinkley has planned for Cook and would like the former supermodel to back off her boyfriend for the sake of the kids. "He obviously made a mistake," she says. "But one mistake doesn't erase years of being a good person.

"She's doing this to publicly flog him," she continues. "This shouldn't be about her. It should be about their kids, [and] it will mean long-term, protracted damage to them."

I understand Shaw wanting to protect her man, but I think she is way out of line here. This is about Christie Brinkley, her kids and her cheating ex-husband. Shaw is entitled to her opinion, but should seriously consider keeping her mouth shut. If I were Brinkley, Shaw's comments would infuriate me.

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Gee, I hope my kids don't read this story -- I don't need to show up in court every time I send them to sit on the stairs. You see, a twelve-year-old girl in Quebec, Canada didn't like being grounded -- and missing a graduation trip with her elementary school mates -- so she filed a lawsuit. Just over a week ago, Quebec Superior Court Judge Suzanne Tessier ruled that the father's punishment was out-of-line.

At first, the punishment was simply that the daughter was not allowed to go online because she had posted pictures of herself on an internet dating site, but then, when she got into a fight with her stepmother, the dad brought the hammer down -- "OK, it's final. You're not going," he told her, referring to the school trip. The girl took off and went to stay with her mother. She filed a motion asking the court to overturn the punishment.

The Judge's reasoning was that the girl had already been sufficiently punished and that, since she was currently living with her mother, the punishment wasn't really applicable. The father does have custody, but in Quebec, parents do have "joint parental authority," according to Miriam Grassby, a Quebec family lawyer, regardless of who has custody.

I don't know all the details of the situation, and it does seem that everyone considers this to be an anomaly, but I'd hate to see the already over-worked courts dealing with disgruntled teens on a regular basis. What do you think?

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Kate Hudson has it all. She's an actress with a good track record in Hollywood, she has celebrity parentage, she was married to a rock star and had his baby, and her kid is as cool as she is. Not content to just enjoy that success, Kate has taken it upon herself to save the world, one beautiful tress at a time.

Hudson and long-time hairstylist, friend and probably co-conspirator in all things fabulous, David Babaii, have created a haircare line that promises to be kind to the environment as it cleans and beautifies your hair. The products will also be cruelty free. More than just putting her money where her mouth is, Kate also served as the test subject for all the ingredients in the products.

The line will be called David Babaii for WildAid and is set to be affordable as well as conscious. Ten percent of the profits will be donated to the WildAid animal conservation group. While on the surface a link to parenting might not seem apparent, I would go so far as to say that she is making the world a better place for her son.

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Has success gotten to Alec Baldwin? Is he ready to throw in the sweaty, tear-soaked towel of Hollywood and make a go of it elsewhere? Quite possibly. Recently Alec, the eldest of the famous Baldwin brothers, took stock of all that has happened to him over the course of the last several years and feels he might be ready to say hasta la vista to Tinsel Town.

Between Alec's never-ending divorce from actress Kim Basinger, the ensuing very ugly custody battle, and some behavior Alec is ashamed to call his own regarding his daughter Ireland (he, uhm, referred to her as a selfish little pig, in case you don't remember), Alec has still found time to act and basically steal a show away from Tina Fey. Now, though, he is reconsidering what it's like to deal with the media non-stop and getting through it all just to act.

According to Alec, who recently spoke to the New York Post (which, by the way does nothing to ease your troubles in the media zealousness area), said that if you have four bad days in four years that is essentially all the public gets of you from the media. He also feels the business has changed and that there are other things outside of acting he'd like to get into. Alec also has repaired his relationship with his daughter and is looking for someone to love. Sounds like someone is having an epiphany!

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According to a recent report, actress Bridget Moynahan recently admitted she feared being a single mom and motherhood. Moynahan found out she was pregnant nearly moments after she split with her ex--football superstar Tom Brady. Brady began dating supermodel Gisele Bundchen and Bridget gave birth to their beautiful son, John Edward Thomas Moynahan.

Moynahan says she is "...a traditional girl" and that she always figured she'd settle down and get married. She did not ever see herself going through parenthood alone. She was also candid about having a newborn, for which we get no real training, and how scary that is. I find this kind of honesty from celebrity parents so refreshing. Most of the time they make it look so easy to have a large lifestyle and kids.

I think Bridget--and any parent who goes through parenthood alone--is extremely brave for what she's doing. I admire that she and Tom are still on decent terms (at least that is how the media is presenting it) and trying to get along for the sake of their son. Could I do it? I don't know. I think it's amazing what single parents accomplish. My husband is out of town on business for a week and I am finding it very challenging to get anything done! Still, if that's the way things were, I would gladly sacrifice washing those dishes in the sink for taking full responsibility for my son. Moynahan basically agrees with that sentiment and says she wouldn't trade the role of motherhood for anything, though, and doesn't appear to be looking for anyone's pity.

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In a sign that we really are approaching the End of Days, Kevin Federline has been award the title "Father of the Year."

The good news is that honor was bestowed on Popozao by the Las Vegas nightclub where the former Mr. Britney Spears is scheduled host a party, at which time the unofficial honor will be awarded. (You know, because that's where all the great dads hang out, in Vegas at a club in the wee hours of the morning.)

In case you aren't up to speed on what Vegas finds a prize specimen of fatherhood, here's a brief recap:

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Even though Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards split up, oh, 100 years ago, they're still duking it out in the press. The relationship between the two is so contentious, they recently received the honor of named one of Hollywood's nastiest divorces.

The most recent issue surrounds an email that Richards allegedly sent to Sheen's current girlfriend, Brooke Mueller. Sheen contends that Richards asked him for a sperm donation, so that she could have another child and that all three children would have the same father.

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I have always found Shania Twain's life story to be quite inspiring. Raised by her mother and stepfather, Shania and her siblings grew up poor in Timmins, Ontario. She was well on her way to a singing career when both parents were tragically killed in a car accident in 1987. 22-year-old Shania put her career on hold to care for her younger siblings and supported them by performing for audiences at a resort near Huntsville, Ontario. She got noticed there and eventually landed a recording contract. Her first album wasn't terribly successful, but it did catch the attention of producer Mutt Lange, who took her under his wing. Together, they made Shania a star.

Twain not only found success with Lange, she found a husband. The two married in 1993 and had a son, Eja, in 2001. Sadly, their 13-year marriage has hit a rough spot and yesterday Twain's record label announced that the couple is separating. "This is a private matter and there will be no further comment at this time," said Twain's spokesperson at Universal Music Group Nashville.

We all love fairy-tale endings and it sure looked like Shania had found hers. For Eja's sake, I hope these two can work out their differences and continue to make beautiful music together.

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Back when my daughter was in high school, she went through a school-skipping phase. Blissfully unaware, I would send her off to class and she would immediately head in the other direction. This situation was brought to my attention by the helpful folks in the truancy office, who informed me that if she didn't get her butt into class, they would arrest me! Fortunately things didn't go that far and nobody went to jail.

But for a father in Fairfield, Ohio, his wayward daughter's refusal to complete her education did land him in jail. Brian Gegner is serving a six-month sentence because his daughter Brittany failed to get her General Equivalency Diploma (GED) after dropping out of school. But here's the twist - Brittany is 18-years-old and a legal adult.

Juvenile Court Judge David Niehaus ordered Gegner to jail on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor because he failed to follow a previous court order requiring him to ensure his daughter got her GED. Court administrators admit this type of punishment is rare, but say that despite the fact that Brittany is an adult now, her case remains active because she was a juvenile when the problems began.

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There are many who believe that the marriage of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey was doomed the moment they let a camera crew into their home. During a time when most young couples are quietly and privately settling into their newly acquired domestic bliss, these two were starring in Newlyweds. The whole point of that show was to invade their privacy and it makes sense that the presence of cameras would create some strain on the relationship. In the end, the marriage failed and the couple sadly went their separate ways.

There is at least one person who doesn't see a connection between the failed marriage and the intrusion of the cameras: Jessica's dad, Joe Simpson. As Jessica's manager, Joe was the man responsible for making Newlyweds happen and sources say he's now seeing dollar signs when he looks at his younger daughter, Ashlee. Ashlee recently became engaged to Pete Wentz and rumor has it that she is with child. Kaching!

In my opinion, another reality show featuring a Simpson marriage sounds like a snooze-fest, but apparently Papa Joe thinks otherwise. "He knows that no one cared about Jessica before her reality show, and he's hoping a show for Ashlee will have the same effect," a source says.

By "same effect", I am sure he means popularity and ratings, not divorce. At any rate, a publicist for Ashlee and Pete says it isn't true and that the couple have no plans to star in a Newlyweds 2. But that same publicist says Ashlee isn't pregnant, so who knows.

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Having finally reached a settlement in his rather long and nasty divorce, you would think the last thing Paul McCartney would want to do is hang out with ex-wife Heather Mills. But according to reports, Paul has invited her to join him on his upcoming world tour.

What in the world would possess him to do such a thing? You can bet it isn't Heather's sweet disposition and smiling face he's looking forward to. Rather, it is the opportunity to spend more time with daughter Bea that has him considering what some feel is a risky proposition.

"He realizes he has to do some kind of deal with Heather, and to keep disruption to a minimum he has come up with this idea," a source told the News of the World. "He feels that letting Heather fly to him where they are touring could be the best way."

Paul's friends are wary. "Many of those close to him are not sure this plan will work. Heather is so unpredictable that anything could happen."

Divorce, like marriage, requires compromise - especially when there are children involved. For the sake of Bea, I really hope these two can work it out. But based on what has gone on in the past, I am not holding out much hope.

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So what do you do if your wife can't provide you with kids? Well, if you're in Bulgaria, it seems, you trade her for a goat. It seems that Stoil Panayotov felt it was his wife's fault that they had no children, he struck a deal with a farmer at a livestock market -- the farmer got the girl and Panayotov got the goat.

What's perhaps most surprising about the whole situation is that the wife agreed to be part of the deal. That must have been one heck of a farmer (or Panayotov was no catch to begin with.) As for me, it's a little too late -- my wife has already popped out two kids and has another on the way. Too bad, because having a goat could be kinda cool.

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