When you hear that the mother of a missing toddler has been arrested, what's the first thing that pops into your head? That the mother was somehow involved in the disappearance of her child? Well, the mother of missing 2-year-old Myra Lewis has indeed been arrested, but as far as cops in Madison County, Mississippi are concerned, Ericka Lewis' arrest has nothing to do with her daughter's disappearance.

In fact, the only thing mom is charged with is a probation violation, completely unrelated to her missing toddler. But is that really something the cops need to deal with now? Even as the FBI is so worried about the little girl that they've set up a national call for information and issued a $20,000 reward for anything that gets little Myra home to her family?

Cops in Madison County are chalking it all up to bad timing coupled with a need to follow the law. You see, while they were investigating the little girl's disappearance from outside her home on March 1, they say they found weapons in the Lewis home. Because Ericka Lewis has a felony welfare fraud charge on her record, that's a violation of her probation.

Fair enough. It sounds like she deserves some sort of comeuppance in a court room. I'm not excusing a felon living in a home with firearms by any means. I certainly don't think justice should turn a blind eye here.

But I'm with the Lewis family: I think this could have waited.

It's been nearly two weeks since this woman has seen her 2-year-old! The little girl was last seen outside her home, playing with a sibling, and then, poof, she was gone.

It's a mother's worst nightmare, and this poor woman is living it. If you think about it, she's already being punished, in a way far worse than anything a court can throw at her. Life in prison has nothing on not knowing where your child is or what might have happened to her. At the very least, the cops could have told mom there will be hell to pay down the road ... and then backed off and let her deal with the hell she's already living in.

Because let's be real: this is hell. The FBI seems to be holding out hope that Myra is still alive -- the agent speaking to the press about the reward even used the words "Myra's return" -- but until someone comes forward, the Lewises just have to wait.

Want to help mom? Share Myra's photo! Anyone with information can call the FBI at 601-948-5000 or the Madison County Sheriff’s Department at 601-859-2345.

What do you think should have been done here? Should the cops have held off on the arrest or did they do the right thing?

Image via FBI

Do you ever look at your baby and think, "You'd be absolutely perfect if you'd just go to SLEEP"? Don't feel guilty! Been there. Done that.

Baby sleep -- or the lack thereof -- may be the great equalizer among parents rich, poor, and middle class. None of us really understands it, but we're all desperate for the secret to getting our babies to sleep, safely, through the night. So why isn't it happening? Well ... maybe because of us!

The Stir turned to baby sleep experts to find out what parents commonly do wrong when it comes to baby's bedtime:

1. Expecting infants to sleep through the night. This isn't a "mistake" so much as a "misperception," says Dr. Stephen H. Sheldon, DO, FAAP, a member of the National Sleep Foundation board of directors. "It's a misperception that babies can sleep like adults," says Dr. Sheldon. "Adults can sleep like a baby, but a baby can't sleep like an adult! It's like asking a 6-month-old to go to the grocery store and get you a gallon of milk!" According to Dr. Sheldon, it isn't until a baby is between 8 and 12 weeks that their longest sleep period will be at night, their longest wake period during the day. Expecting it earlier is just putting too much pressure on a baby!

2. Using a drop-side crib. Joyce Davis, the president of non-profit Keeping Babies Safe, is surprised how many parents don't realize new federal standards went into place for cribs in 2011 -- and aren't following the new law. "Drop side cribs do not meet the new standard and are therefore banned from the marketplace," Davis explained. "Cribs prior to this date are mostly deemed unsafe, and when in doubt, parents should purchase a new crib." Davis also recommends parents check their crib regularly for loose or missing parts, and check any crib they're using in a hotel or motel as these establishments should be following the regulations (but might not be). If you can't afford a new crib, Keeping Babies Safe can help get you a safe one.

3. Using a supplemental mattress in a play yard. Davis founded Keeping Babies Safe after her own son died during the use of a supplemental mattress that she says was advertised as suitable and safe for a play yard. Since then, she's been on a mission to prevent other parents from dealing with this same devastating loss. Says Davis, "Parents should only use the mattress provided by the manufacturer that is sold with the play yard. Most parents feel that the hard, thin play yard mattress is not comfortable for the baby, but this is not the case. Most injuries and deaths occur due to supplemental mattresses in the play yard. NEVER purchase this product for the play yard."

4. Ignoring the bedtime routine. Even with infants, you need to be consistent, says Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, board-certified pediatrician and author of MAMA DOC MEDICINE: Finding Calm and Confidence in Parenting, Child Health, and Work-Life Balance. "However basic it sounds, consistency is the secret sauce in sleep training and sleep support," says Dr. Swanson. "Make a plan and do your best to support each other doing the same thing from one night to the next."

5. Putting baby to bed with a bottle. Sure, your parents did it with you, but that doesn't mean it's right! "In general you want to establish great sleep associations for your baby," explains Dr. Swanson, who also writes the Mama Doc blog for the Seattle Children's Hospital. "That means you want to avoid having a baby’s dependency on feeding to drift off to sleep. In addition, we never want infants self-feeding with a bottle to bed. Not only do we worry about choking, we know that having a bottle in bed with a baby significantly elevates the risk for cavities as toddlers!" Tired of getting up to feed the baby at night and hoping the bottle will help? Well, according to Dr. Swanson, babies rarely need to eat at night after 9 months of age anyway, so skip the bottle!

More From The Stir: The Biggest Baby Sleep Mistake You're Probably Making Right Now

6. Getting babies 3 months and older to sleep before putting them to bed. It's tempting to rock a baby to sleep before putting them in the crib, but Dr. Sheldon, who is also a professor of Pediatrics and Neurology Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and director of the Sleep Medicine Center Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, warns against it. "Babies should be put down awake; they may be drowsy, but awake," he said. "If they learn to fall asleep under circumstances that are not there when they wake up in the middle of the night, they won't be able to self-soothe themselves back to sleep." Dr. Sheldon advises parents to think of rocking or cuddling a baby to sleep the way they do their own pillow or blanket. If you wake in the middle of the night and your pillow is gone, you won't be able to go back to sleep until you find it. The same goes for a baby; only where an adult will simply get up and find that pillow, then settle back to sleep, a baby won't be able to go "find" that state of being rocked or cuddled and will end up crying.

7. Using blankets, crib bumpers, etc. You're bound to get a lot of cute stuffed animals and blankets at your baby shower, but Dr. Swanson says save them for when baby's older -- at least 6 months or even older. "I want parents to feel that they’ve created the safest sleeping arrangement they can; we should all feel we’ve done everything we can," Dr. Swanson says. "That means bare and boring! The ideal sleeping environment for a new baby is on their back in a bare crib (no bumpers, pillows, loose blankets, stuffed animals, etc.) in their parents’ bedroom." Got that? Just because they're sold in the stores doesn't mean you should use them!

8. Allowing newborns to sleep in a car seat. Most babies will fall asleep on a car ride, but Dr. Sheldon warns that this can be a problem for the youngest babies who don't have control over their necks. Although rare, what's known as "neck flexion" can occur, in which a baby's head falls forward, and their chin is on the chest. This can obstruct a baby's breathing. For that reason, the doctor warns that parents should stick to putting newborns to sleep in a crib or bassinet.

9. Following the "never wake a sleeping baby" rule. You've probably heard it time and again, but Dr. Sheldon says not to believe it. "Never say never," he says. "There is no hard and fast rule." If your older baby (between 6 months and a year) is waking extra early, you may have to adjust their circadian rhythms, which means holding off bedtime by a few minutes at night -- waking them when they really want to go to sleep. And while most babies will wake themselves when they're hungry, Dr. Swanson warns that during the first two weeks of life, babies may try to sleep through feedings. "If they have prolonged naps that span more than 3 hours, they miss a feed and miss gaining the weight they do. During this time, I recommend waking the sleeping baby," she says.

10. Letting babies get "overtired." If a baby is wound up, they're not ready for bed, right? Wrong! "Some children show fatigue not by yawning but by getting hyper and a bit wild," warns Dr. Swanson. "Learn to follow your babies’ cues for fatigue and get them to bed prior to their fatigue winding them up tight like a top."

11. Listening to too much outside advice. Feeling overwhelmed? That could be because you're listening to other people instead of your gut. "Stop listening to Grandma and Grandpa who say you should be doing this thing and don't do that thing. Stop listening to friends who say their baby is sleeping through the night from day one," says Dr. Sheldon. "In otherwise normal children, parents are really not doing the wrong thing!"

Have you been making any of these mistakes? What's the most confounding part of putting baby to bed?

Image via Jamie Grill/Tetra Images/Corbis

All right, Gleeks, how many hankies did you soak through during tonight's episode? The writers at Glee might have dubbed the 99th episode "City of Angels," but it might as well have been dubbed tribute to Cory Monteith take two. The New Directions returned to nationals tonight for their second try at the top trophy, but they had a lot more at stake than just holding onto their title.

Not only was Sue Sylvester threatening to can the program if they didn't repeat at nationals, but Finn Hudson's mom and stepdad were invited to join them as chaperones ... and watch the New Directions finish what he started way back at the beginning of the school year (hard to believe that was actually a whole season ago).

The writers tried to keep the episode from getting too melancholy, what with some bizarre choices for judges -- really, the Prancercise woman? -- and a face-off with this year's big competition, Throat Explosion (fronted by Pitch Perfect star Skylar Astin).

But, come on, how much could they really do? The last of the original cast were at their very last nationals competition. As Finn's mom, Carol, said, seeing them go is like saying goodbye to him all over again.

Every moment was emotionally charged -- from Tina whining about her last competition only to have Carol blurt out that at least she's lucky to be alive to Mr. Schue telling Sam it was time he take on the mantle of being team leader in Finn's place.

Sam carried Finn's picture all the way out to LA so he could "really" be there to see the team he'd coached make it all the way. They even sang his favorite songs, including U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

Alas, in true Glee fashion, it didn't work out the way the kids planned. Even doing it "for Finn," they ended up with a second place trophy, losing to Throat Explosion.

It was another two-tissue moment, but really, it seemed just right. Giving it all and not quite making it was often Finn's style. He was Mr. All-American, but he was far from perfect ... and that's what the other kids loved about him.

Of course now that the New Directions have gone to nationals ... and lost ... Sue Sylvester is officially pulling the plug on the glee club. That ought to make for one interesting 100th episode next week!

What did you think of the second Finn tribute? Was it appropriate to bring Cory Monteith's character back up again?

Image via Adam Rose/FOX

Well, that didn't take long! Nathan Griffith burst onto Teen Mom 2 this season as Jenelle Evans' savior, the first guy with a real J-O-B and a clean rap sheet who actually made Barbara Evans feel like her daughter was making smart choices on the dating front. Consider all that old news.

The new hotness? Bah-brah is so over Nathan Griffith. And I don't think we've seen her this worked up since her infamous "hope ya have fun livin' on the street with your boooooyfriend" speech!

Yup, the honeymoon is over. Jenelle's back on Barbara's bad side thanks to yet another guy.

First we got to see -- or rather hear -- Barbara lose it on a bed-ridden Jenelle. Mama Babs was supposed to be calling to check on Jenelle after surgery to remove her appendix, but it quickly devolved into Jace's grandma ranting about how Nathan is a control freak and her worries that Jenelle is paying his bills. Naturally Jenelle doesn't exactly make things better, telling her other she's "f---ing dumb" before hanging up on her, but then again Barbara doesn't give her a chance to really say much to defend herself ... or Nathan.

But the feces really hit the fan when Barbara swings by chez Jenelle and Nathan. In no time flat Barbara and Nathan are fighting with Babs warning Nathan that fresh-out-of-jail Courtland will run him off the road if he dares drive Jenelle's car, and it will be just like every other boyfriend who has destroyed one of her vehicles. Quick to take offense, Nathan lashes back at Barbara for assuming he's just like all of Jenelle's past boyfriends ... and it is ON like Donkey Kong.

Next thing you know Nathan is yelling at Barbara for letting Jenelle get hooked on heroin because she didn't "keep her on a short enough leash," and Barbara is cursing and screaming at the top of her lungs.

I do have to say this Nathan; it was nice to have someone FINALLY tell Barbara that cursing and screaming at Jenelle is just as harmful to Jace as anything Jenelle has done. Barbara's done a lot stepping in to be the parent to that little guy, but there's a reason she ended up having to do it ... because she wasn't such a stellar parent herself!

By comparison, the rest of tonight's episode was pretty tame. Leah and Corey's daughter had her first day of school, and other than getting a little tired -- what toddler wouldn't -- she had a blast.

Kailyn's getting closer to her wedding, and closer to her due date, and on top of everything else going on in her life, she now has to find a new OB/GYN in her new home state.

As for Chelsea, Adam finally filed the court papers he's been threatening to file for months now. She's now facing court ... and an actual custody agreement.

Who did you think was right? Barbara or Nathan?

Image via MTV

It is a big week for pregnant women in America. A BIG week. A court in one of the nation's biggest states (by population anyway) has ruled that moms can now ban dad from the delivery room!

Got that? No matter what he says; if you don't want him in there watching you push his baby into the world, he doesn't get in.

Greatest court ruling ever? Not so fast.

The first-of-its-kind-in-the-nation ruling comes out of New Jersey where a mom named Rebecca DeLuccia got pregnant and engaged only to split with fiance Steven Plotnick before the baby was born. Plotnick felt he was being kept out of the loop on the happenings with his baby, so he sued for access, and the feces hit the fan. Things went down to the wire -- with a court hearing on the very day the mom-to-be went into labor!

She won. She got to keep her ex out of the delivery room.

The judge called the dad's desire to be there for baby's first moments "laudable" but sided with mom's right to privacy.

A part of me feels for the mom here. Would you want your ex around on one of the most stressful days of your life? You're in pain; you're worried about what's going to happen. The last thing you want is the guy you can't stand sitting there annoying the pants out of you.

And yet ... I feel for the dad here too, and for every dad who will be affected by this ruling -- and those like it that are sure to come down the pike in other states.

I remember my husband in the delivery room. I don't think I've ever seen an expression of such love and devotion on his face. I know he loves me, but the moment he saw his little girl? I'll waltz over into cornytown and admit it was magical.

I can't imagine denying a father that moment, no matter how mad I was at him ... not if he really wanted to be there, not if he was really devoted to his child.

More From The Stir: The Day My Daughter Was Born Was NOT the Best Day of My Life

Are there circumstances where a guy shouldn't be allowed in? Of course. A rapist shouldn't get to further victimize his victim by forcing his way into the delivery room. A domestic abuser shouldn't get to barge in on the birth. But those are far and away the exceptions as men, not the rule.

Oftentimes there are men who, for whatever reason, are not good boyfriend or husband material but can be perfectly good, committed dads. Isn't that what we all want for our kids? A committed, involved father? A man who loves his children so much he WANTS to hear their first cry of life? Who wants to be there the moment they enter this world?

I'm all for a mom's right to privacy, and I can see forcing your ex to stand at your head so he doesn't get another look-see at your private parts. I'm even for setting up a rule that if he can't just shut up and be respectful, then he's outta there.

But I fear a ruling like this will be used less by moms who are truly trying to protect themselves and more by women who are shortsighted, women who are thinking more about themselves than about the person they are bringing into this world. Because that's the thing about labor and delivery ... suddenly life isn't all about you anymore, honey. It becomes what's best for your child.

What do you think of the new rule? What would it take for you to ban a guy from watching his own child be born?

Image via David J LaPorte/Flickr

It was horrifying watching the video that went viral over the weekend of a mom who seemed to be a drug addict nodding off on a Philadelphia city bus while her young daughter tried desperately to wake her up. The little girl got no help from bus passengers, including the person who shot the video ... and many of us (me included) were bothered by their indifference. But if you were just as bothered by the mom, get ready to get even angrier at her.

Philadelphia authorities tracked her down and -- thank goodness -- took her daughter away as they investigate what really went down on that SEPTA bus. So how did the mom cops have alleged was doing what's known as the "heroin nod," a passing out common among addicts, respond to what happened? 

She's not taking any blame! In fact, look what Philadelphia media found on the mom's Facebook page: 

I f------ hope all you skumbags [sic] out there are f------ happy. I just lost the best thing in the world to me all because ppl [sic] think before they open there [sic] mouths!

Um, what? First off, wouldn't it be "people don't think" rather than the other way around? And exactly how is a CPS investigation the fault of OTHER people?

OTHER people were not on that bus passing out while her child was trying to wake her up. OTHER people did not yell at her kid for daring to try to hold her head up ... and then pass right back out.

I noticed a few people sticking up for the mom when the video first broke, trying to come up with possible reasons -- aside from drugs -- why she might have been nodding off. I give people credit for not jumping to conclusions, but after this, I'm afraid the only conclusion is that this mother is just plain not fit to parent.

A good mom who was having a reaction to some medicine or maybe was diabetic and having blood sugar issues that day would not be going off on a rant about how other people ruined her life. She'd be screaming her mea culpas and doing her darndest to get her kid back! 

Sadly -- but not terribly surprisingly -- the 26-year-old mom has been found to have a rap sheet including convictions for retail theft, disorderly conduct and promoting prostitution while being an inmate in a house of corrections. This bus incident, and her reaction, seem to be part of her MO.

I'm still bothered by the lack of caring shown by the people on that bus, but that doesn't get this mom off the hook. She's got to answer for what went down.

Haven't seen the video? Here it is:

See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.

What do you make of her reaction? Should CPS have taken her child away?

Image via Ded Hed/YouTube

In further proof that Hollywood can be tough on a marriage, there's sad news to report out of TLC's wildly popular series Little People, Big World. Stars Matt and Amy Roloff are splitting up after 26 years of marriage.

The reality stars announced a separation this week, just as TLC is set to air a special about the family later this month.

The Portland, Oregon farmers were picked for the reality show because they have dwarfism, a condition defined as reaching an adult height of 4 feet, 10 inches or less. They let the public in on what it's like to live with their particular disability, but also what life is like raising four kids -- twins Jeremy and Zack, 23, Molly, 20, and Jacob, 17 -- and farming.

The split isn't one that will really surprise fans -- after all, the Roloffs have been pretty open about their marital strife, even letting TLC cameras film their "marriage saving" trip to Costa Rica with the kids last year and their pretty constant bickering about their family farm and day-to-day life. Divorce rumors have been flying since at least 2010.

Of course, it's hard to say how much of the stress was due to having the cameras around; this could happen to any couple (and frequently does). But surely being in the spotlight when you're going through something like this doesn't make it any easier.

According to a release from the couple, Matt will remain in the family guest house while they figure out what they'll do. The Roloffs issued the following statement to fans:

We sincerely appreciate the unwavering support, understanding and prayers from our family, friends and many fans. May God bless you.

Here's hoping they can work it out, but if not, that things remain amicable ... even though their kids are grown, it's still going to be tough on them.

Are you a fan of Little People, Big World? What did you think of the Roloffs' dynamic on the show?

Image via TLC

Every parent asks themselves the same old question: how do I make sure my child is a good person? To be honest, the answer is usually pretty boring. The experts will give you a long list of talking points on charity and selflessness and OMG, was that a yawn? You can try to teach your kid to be charitable by spending the day going through their closet to find stuff to donate to the local shelter ... or you could try what a school in Washington state is doing. They're torturing their students into being good citizens. Torturing them with Justin Bieber that is. 

How, exactly, does one torture a bunch of teenagers into being better people?

Simple! The folks at Tenino High School play the Biebs' "Baby" during every break between classes, even at lunchtime. And they will continue assaulting students' eardrums with the Canadian's crooning until the kids make a $500 goal to help a school for orphans in Africa.

It's ... well, it's GENIUS!

The Biebs is torture to most sane people. My 8-year-old was a fan a few years ago when her hip hop class did a routine to one of his songs, but even she's come around to the point where she gags at the very mention of his name (she's a hardcore Selena fan, naturally). The first "You know you love me," and I know I'd be all, "Who do I write the check out to?" 

So why not inflict this kind of torture on teenagers?

At the very least, it injects a little bit of fun into raising money ... which is exactly how you get kids involved.

More From The Stir: Giving Back: 3 Ideas for Charitable Giving

Listen, we play games with our kids for everything else, don't we? When they're toddlers, we sit in their playroom playing "who can put the toys away fast enough," and when they're 7 and can't stop jabbering, we play the "quiet game" to teach them sometimes it's better to just be silent, and when they're in school, teachers are always trying to turn learning into something fun to keep kids engaged.

Making charitable enterprises fun is simply another way to engage our kids ... and hopefully make lifelong givers out of them.

And it doesn't hurt to make high school a little more interesting. 

What do you think of this high school's challenge for the kids?

Image via David Jones/Flickr

Ah, coffee. The magical elixir from the gods. Did you know more than half of American adults drink coffee every single day? Actually, it's about 54 percent of folks 18 and up.

Surprised by that number? Me too. I thought it would be higher. Which got me wondering ... if they're not drinking coffee, what could people be doing with it? Turns out there are plenty of uses for coffee -- beans, grounds, even the liquid -- that have nothing to do with slurping up the sweet, sweet nectar.

Check them out!

1. Exfoliate the Body -- Did you know you could use coffee to scrub the skin? All it takes is 1 cup grounds, 1/2 cup white or brown sugar, and 1 cup coconut oil to make a homemade scrub with a wake-me-up smell. 

2. Hide Furniture Scratches -- Have some wooden furniture that's seen better days? Well, don't throw out your wet grounds! Dip a Q-Tip in them and run it over the scratch. This will help minimize the look of the nasty scratch!

3. Keep Ants at Bay -- I've always used a vinegar spray to keep these little pests away, but a friend shared recently that coffee grounds spread near your doorway (on the outside) will do the same trick! 

4. Enrich Soil -- My master gardener mother-in-law swears by coffee grounds to help feed nutrients into soil. Flowers such as roses and hydrangeas really love some grounds around the roots, and if your house plants are looking a little on the bedraggled side, throw some grounds in the soil to feed them.

5. Make Craft Sand -- Worried about possible dangers from playground sand? A friend recently shared a pre-school's recipe for mixing coffee grounds with flour and cornmeal for a "sand" that doesn't carry all those health risks.

6. Dye Your Hair -- Avoid the harsher chemicals of most commercial dyes and try this trick for a natural brown that uses instant coffee.

7. Deodorize -- A friend puts coffee beans down her sink disposal for a fresher scent. You can also put a bowl of fresh grounds in your fridge as a deodorizer; it soaks up the smells just like a box of baking soda.

8. Clean Your Hands -- Have a scent that's clinging to your hands (this often happens to me after I cut onions)? Try washing your hands with soap, water, and some coffee grounds. This doubles as an exfoliant but will also help get rid of that nasty smell.

9. Wash Stuck Food off a Pan -- Need a little extra grit to get rid of grease and grime on a pan? You know what I'm going to say by now, right? Yup, coffee grounds.

What do you do with coffee (besides drink it!)?

Image via Chichacha/Flickr

Let's be honest: there's one section of the newspaper you expect to make you giggle, and it's not the obituaries. But then US Marines are known for exceeding expectations, aren't they? Walter George Bruhl Jr., a Marine who served in Korea, decided to write his own obituary, and what an obituary it is!

The veteran who died the other day at the ripe old age of 80 managed to pull one last prank on his family in what might just be the funniest obituary you'll ever read.

Posted to Reddit by his grandson, Bruhl's obituary covers everything from how he entered the military "because of Hollywood propaganda" to the fact that there will be no viewing because his wife refuses to honor his request to "have him standing in the corner of the room with a glass of Jack Daniels in his hand so that he would appear natural to visitors."

Take a look:

Now THAT is the kind of obituary I'd like to leave! My favorite part might be his poking fun at his ailments:

Walt was preceded in death by his tonsils and adenoids in 1935, a spinal disc in 1974, a large piece of his thyroid gland in 1988, and his prostate on March 27th 2000.

But his joke about being cremated and his family keeping the ashes in an urn "until they get tired of having it around" really made me grin. I could have seen my own (proud Navy veteran) grandpa saying something of the like.

In fact, reading Bruhl's obit, I couldn't help think of my grandpa, who passed away a year and half ago, and I had a huge smile on my face the whole time. It's nice to think of him that way instead of the usual tears rolling down my face. 

I wouldn't mind reading MORE obits like this!

Death is a hard time for most people, but Bruhl's last prank is a nice little reminder that what we love most about people remains with us -- their personality, their spirit. As requested by this proud Marine, I say we all hold up a glass in his honor. Semper Fi!

Who did you have in mind as you read this obituary?

Image via Reddit

Ever heard the phrase "don't mix business with pleasure"? A New Jersey dad might want to brush up on the concept. He's facing charges after employees at his toddler's daycare called to report the tot had shown up that morning with 48 envelopes of heroin!

Forty-eight? One would be bad enough, but how the heck do 48 packets of a hardcore drug end up at a daycare?!

According to cops in Paterson, New Jersey, the envelopes were all packed in the jacket of Phillip Young's 2-year-old daughter. And no, this doesn't seem to be a case of a little kid picking up something that looked interesting and putting it in her coat to show off to her friends. Cops say the toddler had no idea she was daddy's alleged drug mule.

That part did make me feel a little bit better about this whole debacle, but honestly I think dad just got lucky here. If the charges against him -- which include endangering the welfare of a child -- are true, he didn't just put his own daughter at serious risk, but he put an entire daycare full of children in danger. Can you imagine what would have happened if a kid saw one of those little envelopes, got curious, and put it in their mouth?

That is, after all, what kids do at that age! And that much heroin could kill a child quite easily.

It would be a much better world if parents actually thought about what their actions could do, not only to their kids, but to every kid their kid comes in contact with. If only ...

What do you think the punishment should be if this dad is found guilty?

Image via Paterson Police

The most anticipated episode of the fifth season of Glee is almost here. Ok, maybe the 100th episode of Glee is the second-most anticipated -- after the tribute to Cory Monteith -- but the reunion of the show's original cast, save for Cory, is all Gleeks have been buzzing about for months. What's going to happen when everyone comes back to the choir room?

We've got some spoilers coming at you ... along with pictures from the actual episode! From a Brittana reunion to the return of Quinn Fabray (yes, Dianna Agron is finally back) and the debut of a new character played by Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford, the 100th episode is going to be huge.

Songs are expected to include a cover of Pharrell's "Happy" and P!nk's "Raise Your Glass," and there will be plenty of star power for the special episode on Tuesday, March 18. Check out all the pictures for the scoop!

Number #6 shocked us, how about you?

Image via Frank Micelotta/FOX

"My mouth was watering, I was starving, and the lunch lady took my lunch away and threw it in the garbage." That's what Alex Coan told his mom when he came home from school in tears this week. The 9-year-old with special needs just became the latest kid in America to deal with school rules that will let a child go hungry while his perfectly good food is thrown in the garbage.

It turns out Alex had been charging lunch, and his lunch account was overdue. The only problem? His mom happens to be my aunt, and she told The Stir this week that no one at his school bothered to tell her that her son had charged too many lunches ... until after they took food way from the child and threw it in the garbage.

How could this happen? And to a kid on the autism spectrum no less?

When The Stir called the Kennett Consolidated School District in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Assistant to the Superintendent Mark Tracy told us that district policy allows kids to run up to a $20 charge on a lunch account. Once they hit that point, kids are not allowed to eat a regular school lunch; they are given a cheese sandwich.

According to district policy, at $5 over, the child is told they owe the school money. At $10, the district makes a phone call to the parents, and a letter is sent home. The Coans should have received at least two calls and a letter, according to district policy, Tracy said.

More From The Stir: School Throws Out Girl's Lunch Because She Can't Afford It

But Alex's mom, Christine, told The Stir that she didn't receive a call OR a letter. And she says when she complained, she was told by the folks in the cafeteria at Greenwood Elementary School that her son simply "fell through the cracks."

"They kill forests of trees sending me home pieces of paper about tag sales for the PTSO, but you can't send me a letter about my kid's lunch account immediately when I owe money?" Christine said. "Don't let it get that far! Let me know right away, and I'll gladly pay!"

As for the cheese sandwich, Christine said her son did get it, after the cashier took away Alex's whole tray of food -- hot dog, milk, and fruit -- and threw it in the trash in front of him. But it only made things worse, not better.

Granted, giving the kids an option would seem better than other schools that have made the news for throwing out kids' food and not giving them an option.

But for Alex, it only compounded the problem.

The fourth grader has what's known as PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified). He doesn't deal well with changes, and he's very specific about what he will and won't eat, far beyond your typical picky eater.

"He said it looked and smelled bad, but honestly, he won't eat a cheese sandwich any day!" Christine told The Stir. "Of all the children for this to happen to, it happened to the wrong one. If it had been my daughter, she would have rolled with it, but not Alex."

In fact, the sandwich, and the way the district dealt with it, is what really put Christine over the top. The school is supposed to know how to work with a child who has special needs, she said, but their cafeteria workers clearly did not. When she talked to the school, she says a secretary even told her the school "can't be responsible for your son's limitations."

"That got me fired up. He's special needs," she said. "They ARE responsible."

Alex has what's known as an IEP (Individualized Education Program), and he's also protected under Section 504, a federal law that protects students with disabilities. According to Tracy, a child's IEP is supposed to be linked to the cafeteria's "point of sale" system so a lunch cashier would know if there was an issue with a child that related to their eating (not just autism but issues such as any food allergies). It seemed that there was no such link for Alex, but Tracy said he could not speak to an individual student's IEP because of confidentiality.

Alex's mom said the way it was all handled shows a problem in how the district deals with special needs kids -- from the way it upset her son to have his lunch "snatched from his hands" to the cheese sandwich that was simply not an appropriate replacement.

"It was, for him, a very traumatic experience because of the way he's wired," she explained. That afternoon, he came home from school crying and hungry, and after eating something from his family's kitchen, he went immediately to bed. The next day, he begged to stay home from school. Now, three days later, Christine is still worried about the lasting effects of the incident.

More From The Stir: Lawmaker Wants Poor Kids to Sweep Floors for Their School Lunch

Tracy said the rules are in place to protect the district because they can't bear the cost burden of children not paying for lunch, a fact Christine said she can appreciate. Her issue instead is with the way the district went about this -- from not following their own policy about notifying parents to not working with a special needs student. Her son never should have been in the situation in the first place, she said, but when he was, there should have been a little more compassion for a 9-year-old.

"I don't expect to not pay for my children's lunch; we have never 'not paid'! But I don't think any child should be subjected to that. They shouldn't see perfectly good food thrown out in front of them; they shouldn't be hungry.

"He's going to be worried, legitimately worried, every time he goes to buy lunch," she continued.

Watching his lunch get thrown out won't happen to Alex again. The Coans have since put $100 into Alex's account -- to cover the $20, plus fees, plus a charge for the lunch he wasn't allowed to eat, plus plenty of cash to cover him in the future -- and they're going to be hyper-vigilant.

"I just am so used to getting so many papers home from the school, I guess I expected them to send one home, to let us know!" Christine admitted. She won't make that mistake again.

But she said she spoke to The Stir to warn other parents that this kind of thing can happen to their kids, that they can fall through the cracks, that you can't depend on the schools to keep you up to date ... because she never wants another kid to go hungry.

"He was embarrassed; he was hungry; he was upset," she explained. "But it's not just my kid, I don't want this to happen to another child."

When was the last time YOU checked your child's lunch account? What would happen at your child's school if they didn't have money in there?

Image via US Department of Agriculture/Flickr

This story is about to tear you in two. A 17-year-old boy is dead, and a father is expected to face a grand jury for allegedly shooting him when he came across the boy in his teenage daughter's bed. But when you hear what happened in that bedroom, you're probably going to want to give the dad a hug.

The story goes that the dad (whose name is being withheld at the moment) was told by one of his children that there was someone in his 16-year-old's bed. So he did what any concerned parent would do -- he went to check things out. Mind you, this was around 2 a.m.

According to cops, when Dad got to the girl's room, he asked her about the boy in her bed, and she claimed she had no idea who he was.

Sounds like a scared 16-year-old caught with a guy in her room in the middle of the night, doesn't it? I know I would have been flustered and terrified at that age if my dad walked in on me with a guy in my bed, ESPECIALLY a guy I knew! Unfortunately; it was a lie. The girl DID know the kid.

And that's when things got really scary. The father reportedly told the teenager not to move. The boy moved, and it seems that the dad shot him, thinking the teen was going for a gun. Only the kid did not have a gun.

Now, it's no surprise that they're convening a grand jury here. A child is dead. His family will surely want justice, and you can't blame them. THEIR CHILD IS DEAD.

But, and this is a big BUT, we're talking about a situation that is just plain tragic. The dad sounds like a caring, normal, not crazy dad who will have to live the rest of his life with the awful guilt of having killed a child. The daughter sounds like a normal teenage girl who will have to live with her own guilt.

So what should cops do? Send dear old dad away to do hard time for what? Thinking he was protecting his kid from an intruder?

I don't think so.

The sad thing is sometimes accidents happen. They're no one's fault. They just are.

It doesn't make them any less tragic, but it does remind us that people need to use good old-fashioned common sense and compassion when dealing with other folks.

Should the dad be charged? That's up to a grand jury. But here's hoping they go easy on this family; they've been through so much already.

Put yourself in the shoes of the 17-year-old's family. Would you want this dad punished?

Image via Tex Texin/Flickr

Do you have a box of tissues handy? Grab it; you're going to need it. Because the latest photo to go viral on the Internet has one heckuva sad story behind it. A mother of two whose baby died in October has added a sandbox to his grave ... so his big brother can play with him when he visits.

Crying yet? Just wait.

The photo of little Tucker Jolley "playing" with his brother Ryan has created a firestorm on the Internet, and not everyone is being so nice to mom Ashlee Hammac.

But let's take a look at this photo, shall we?

Have you ever seen a moment so pure? A love so deep? How can anyone argue with a mom giving her two little boys that bond?

You'll notice Tucker Jolley's little brother's grave shows he lived for just five days. Their mom was 34 weeks pregnant when she went into the doctor complaining of a severe migraine that was blinding her. Doctors found she was in premature labor, and despite efforts to stop it, she ended up delivering Ryan early. Five days later, he died. Doctors diagnosed Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephlopathy, or HIE, a condition in which the brain doesn't receive enough oxygen.

The thing is, Tucker knew his mom was pregnant. He met his little brother in the hospital -- there are even photos of the two on Pages to Memories, a Facebook page Ashlee has created in her attempt to fund research for HIE. He knew he was a big brother.

This sandbox, as heartbreaking as it may look to outsiders, looks to me like a way for a mom and a little boy both to handle their grief. According to Ashlee, Tucker would often accompany her to his little brother's grave. As she told People,

He always goes out there with me, and sits out there, and sings lullabies, and talks to him just like he was there. So I wanted it to be special for him too. His favorite thing right now is trucks.

Hence the place to play trucks with his little brother.

What a lovely way for a mom to help her child grieve.

I've noticed there's a tendency among adults to think that the best way to deal with death and kids is to ignore it, to move on and not talk about the person who is gone. It's understandable enough; we all want to lessen our children's pain, and they do seem to move on pretty quickly.

But kids don't all forget as easily as you'd think. My daughter still brings up my grandmother who died six years ago (she's now 8 1/2), and although it can be painful for me to talk about it, I've also found it's cathartic. It makes me feel better to think of my daughter "knowing" her great-grandmother through memories.

I can only imagine how healing it is for this mom to see that her sons will always have a bond.

How do you talk about death with your kids?

Image via Sawyer's Heart

Neighbors. Can't live with 'em; can't sneak a 'for sale' sign onto their lawn to force 'em out. Oh, true, there are people out there who have those "borrow a cup of sugar" neighbors (all five of them), but a Pew survey a few years back found more than half of Americans don't even know the names of the people living next door! Not exactly the "open door policy" you see on most sitcoms.

America is full of bad neighbors. Really bad neighbors. I once had a lady around the block who threatened to shoot my dog, right in front of my kid!

But that's nothing on what some folks deal with on their block. If you think you've dealt with the worst ever, well, just wait! The Stir asked folks to share their absolute neighbor from h--l stories, and let's just say we're glad we don't share a neighborhood with these folks!

1. The mentally ill man across the street who would lean out the window and threaten to kill "all you motherf--ers" when I was home alone with the kids was a "favorite." He also would tell my husband, every time he saw him, that he knew my husband took his wife's gun and he wanted it back (we didn't have the gun!).

2. Does finding a 200-plus-pound Wild Eurasian Boar with a ton of babies in your yard where your children play because the neighbor breeds them and doesn't fence them in qualify as having a neighbor from hell?

3. We lived upstairs in a duplex at one point, with a man living below. One day we were outside in the backyard, chatting with friends who had dropped by, and the man from downstairs walks out of the house, walks across the yard, gets to the edge of the garden, and swiftly drops trou ... and begins peeing in the garden ... while we just watched in horror (it was like a trainwreck; we couldn't look away).

More From The Stir: I Forbid My Son to Befriend the Neighbors' Annoying Kids

4. [Our neighbors] took a picture of my brother and me outside after I showed him our house (we were stationed at the same post and he was deployed by the time we got a house; he came home on R&R while my hubby was still deployed), found my husband on Facebook through a mutual friend of theirs, and sent him the picture, saying, "I thought you would like to know your wife is cheating on you!" They got pissed when he responded back saying that was his brother-in-law and to keep their nose out of my business!

5. The apartment building in front of my house was being run by an absentee landlord. There was always trouble and problems. They had dogs that were unfed, garbage all over, burning anything they felt (sofas, glass, bottle, tar, mattress, tires, etc.). Then two of the tenants teamed up and started dealing heroin.

One day I was about seven months pregnant, and I went outside to find my cat. A local guy who was friends with my husband when they were kids came out of the apartments next door. He got into his car, tied off his arm, and shot up right in front of my house. I was freaking out; I literally hid under my porch because I didn’t know what to do. When he left, I called the cops and they told me sorry, we don’t have a car in the area. I went nuts but it was pointless. For about two full years, I was scared to go outside. I wouldn’t let my niece and nephew play in the yard. I would carry the shot gun around to let them know I was armed. It was out of control!

6. The neighbor on the left side of my house is why I aggressively went after getting my pistol permit. He screams at kids if they even get near property line, drives his ATV up to my back door and screams at me if the dog or cat cross property line, sits in his car in our driveway honking horn if he wants to tell us something we did wrong, put nail strips in our trails on our property, rides his ATV around in middle of night on our property, sneaks up on me in the dark while I am putting wood in outdoor wood furnace, hangs out in an old camper with a C B radio talking to outer space, and we haven't seen his wife in four-plus years ... we think she's in the freezer. I have to keep shades closed on my bedroom window because we caught him looking in with binoculars from the tree line, dressed in those outfits Navy SEALs wear when they are hiding out.

7. My neighbor would report us to the landlord for my 2-month-old crying too loud and even came to our door once with a shot gun slung around his back telling me to "shut that kid up."

8. My last neighbor thought that I should keep my child indoors when she had her dog outside because he would get riled up if she was playing catch or swinging or running around. Not even being loud, just being outside. When I told her she was crazy, she tried sending me a bill for a fence she wanted to put up saying that since my child bothered her dog, I needed to pay half.

More From The Stir: 7 Celebrities Who Make Terrible Neighbors

9. My neighbor took my husband's truck one day without asking and drove it to town to get pizza for the guys blacktopping his driveway. Another time, we came home and he had unloaded the motor off of a refrigeration truck into the back of my husband's truck! It was never ending.

10. We lived upstairs in a two-story house, and our neighbor lived below. We were living in southern Virginia, where you can imagine it would get quite hot in the summer. It would be 100 degrees out, and we were dying in our apartment. We had all the windows open, we had fans going, we were sitting in a bath of ice cubes, and still, we were baking. We finally found out the neighbor (an older gentleman) had the HEAT cranked to 80-plus degrees downstairs ... and it was heading straight up into our apartment! We found out he was running his A/C and cranking up the heat to get warm. When we asked him to turn the A/C off, he got mad at us and threatened to throw us out (he was the landlord). Needless to say, we moved on our own!

11. We had a neighbor who truly had metal health issues. He told everyone we were drug addicts and dealers (we're not!) and videotaped our house constantly. He also sent a letter around our entire town telling people we were evil!

12. We had a neighbor who kept parking in our driveway. One early morning we wake him up to move his car because we have to get the car out of the garage. He screams and yells, punches me, punches my wife. I lose it and get him into a headlock and start punching him back while my wife screams for help. He finally wriggles free and to end it all before he drives away yells to me, "You're a man, you're a man!" I guess he'd never been beaten up by a girl before!

Think those are bad? Check out these neighbor from hell stories posted on Reddit:

13. I used to have a neighbor that would constantly throw trash over their back fence into my yard, did it all the time. During the summer, I would go out to the shed in the back and find the most random [stuff], like a ripped open stuffed animal, used diapers, etc. I started throwing the trash back over, but it kept coming back no matter how much I battled it!

14. We lived next door to this old man who sat in his front yard BLATANTLY just staring at us with binoculars. He only did it when my parents weren't home. When my mom confronted him, he claimed we were lying. We weren't. So one night we hear a noise outside, and my mom pulls up the blind to find herself eye-to-eye with this old man trying to look into our window.

15. My dad had a broken ankle, but noticed our neighbor collapse in his backyard. My dad ran over to him and helped him, called the ambulance, etc. Our neighbor sued my dad over it, claiming he worsened the injury!

Think you can top these? What's your worst neighbor story?

Image via Live Baltimore/Flickr

The other day I sent my husband a frantic email asking, "Did you remember to put [our daughter's] lunchbag in her bookbag this morning?" These are the sort of questions that haunt me now that I'm a mom. Did I pick up a present for little Johnny's LEGO birthday party this weekend? Will the stretch marks EVER fade? Will my boobs ever look like they did when I was 20?

Yes, it's true, ladies, you are the same woman after kids. But the questions that plague you are not. Behold ... if you ask yourself any of the following on a regular basis, well, you might just be a mom!

1. Is that poopon my hand?

2. (During sex): Oh my God, did I just hear footsteps?

3. Is that someone breaking into the house or did the dog just step on the See N Say again?

4. How looooong until bedtime?

5. When is the last time I ate a meal that wasn't in nugget form?

6. Who even thought to call them nuggets anymore? Doesn't that sound like something you'd dig out of your nose?

More From The Stir: What Life With Kids Would Be Like if You Lived on a Pinterest Board (PHOTOS)

7. Speaking of noses ... is that leftover food stuck to the table or a dried booger?

8. Is cereal for dinner healthy? Oh screw it. KIDS! Rice Krispies! 

9. Do I REALLY get to go to the grocery store alone tonight? Yippee!

10. Did I take the frog out of his pocket before I threw those jeans in the wash?

11. Does this minivan make me look like a mom?

12. Is this song from Yo Gabba Gabba or The Wiggles?

13. Is Sleeping Beauty's real name Aurora or is that Snow White? Which one has the little dwarves and which one has the fairies? And why do I care again?

14. Is there a kid with peanut allergies in Sam's class or is that the one in Lila's? Or is the kid in Lila's class allergic to strawberries? Crap ... I hope we have turkey.

15. Will they need therapy if I keep calling them by the dog's name?

16. WHY did I sign up to be a chaperone? WHY?

17. Cheddar Bunnies or Goldfish?

18. If I joke that I want to sell my kids to the zoo on Facebook will someone report me to CPS?

19. Does Twilight Sparkle have the purple mane or the pink one?

20. What the heck is a Ninjago anyway?

21. Is Chuck E. Cheese the 7th circle of hell or is that a playdate with Jimmy and his mom? Maybe the 9th circle?

22. Can they really tell this is a diaper bag?

23. How do you get Desitin out of carpet?

24. Will my kids be embarrassed if I wear a bikini? Will I be?

25. Do LEGOs sprout extra pointy edges in the middle of the night?

What is your "Oh God, I'm such a mom" question that you find yourself asking?

Image via IAN HOOTON/Science Photo Library/Corbis

Of all the holidays, St. Patrick's Day may be one of my favorites. I'm not Irish, but does that really matter? Everyone is Irish on March 17! And everyone gets to have a good time! It's the one big holiday when you don't have to go shopping for presents or do any hardcore baking, and you can all still have a hearty celebration. 

Really want to get in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day? How about some Irish toasts and sayings to get you in the mood?

Number 8 my be my favorite, how about you?

Image by Jeanne Sager

Being a single mom is hard, no doubt about it. But what about being a mother of three, including one child with special needs, when your husband is constantly gone? Welcome to the life of Teen Mom 2 star Leah Calvert. We've seen the burden of parenting solo while husband Jeremy Calvert is out of town for work weighing heavier and heavier on Leah's shoulders in season 5, and in an exclusive sneak peek of Tuesday night's episode (airing at 10 p.m. on MTV), we're finally seeing Leah hitting her breaking point.

Not only does she flat out call herself a single mom, but Leah starts dancing around the "d" word. You know, divorce? YIKES!

OK, now let's break this down.

Jeremy certainly has a point about having to support the family, and Leah is lucky to have a guy pulling in such good money to support their lifestyle. He may not be the most lovey dovey, touchy feely dude, but he's not a bad husband by any stretch. Couples counseling may be in order, but threatening to leave him over his job? That's a low blow.

More From The Stir: Leah Calvert's Daughter Is the Luckiest Kid in the World

BUT I can't help feeling for Leah. She's caught up in the day-to-day with three kids. Can you blame her for being a little me-centric right now? And for feeling alone?

The "single mom" claim may rankle the truly single moms out there, and for good reason. Challenging though her life may be, Leah has a lot of support -- not just with Jeremy, her husband, but with her ex and his wife, with her parents, with her ex's parents.

But she can't help the way she feels right now. 

Can you see Leah's side of things? Or is she insulting the real single moms out there?

Image via MTV

The stalker who put a hidden camera in Nicole Muscara's alarm clock did his homework. The clock looked just like the one she'd won at an after-prom party way back in high school. But he made a mistake. When the mom from upstate New York went to set the alarm one night, she found something strange.

"I went for the buttons which were on the back, and they weren't there!" Muscara recalls. They weren't there because the clock on Nicole's bedside table wasn't the one she won in high school. It was a replacement with a similar look, and inside was a hidden camera recording her every move in her own bedroom.

Hers is a story that's becoming increasingly common. Just last week, a Kansas City, Missouri woman found 11 hidden cameras scattered throughout her apartment.

The Kansas City woman -- whose name has been withheld by media for her privacy -- told police that her 47-year-old landlord and boss had propositioned her and asked her out several times, and she'd declined. He'd also remodeled her bathroom last fall. She's moved out of the apartment as police investigate, but Muscara could tell her it won't be easy to forget.

"I never feel comfortable in my own home," Muscara told The Stir. "I always feel like there's cameras in my home ... I don't think you ever get over it. Well, you get over it, but you always think about it. It's ... it's violating."

Muscara first found that hidden camera in January 2004, but justice was not swift. Police questioned her friends and family, and there was one person they said was suspicious -- Paul Wegman -- but Muscara didn't believe them.

"I was like, no, he's my best friend. It can't be," she recalled. Wegman was supposed to take a lie detector test. Instead, he pulled up stakes and moved across the country, and with Nicole refusing -- at the time -- to believe it could be him, police were left with no leads. But she never forgot, and when she came home one day, she had an odd sense that someone had been in her house.

"[The police] told me if you ever have an odd feeling, and he's back in town, 'call us,'" she recalled.

As a matter of fact, Wegman was back in New York. When Muscara made the call, the cops brought him in for questioning. He confessed. He'd put that camera in a clock and positioned it on her bedside table, recording her in her own bedroom, her own bed. 

"It was really sick," Muscara recalls. "He was one of my best friends! He helped me analyze other friends to try to figure out who would do this! Out of everything, the camera in my bedroom was really the least of the pain ... it was the deceit."

To this day, Muscara remains confused by why Wegman did what he did. When she confronted him at the courthouse, his story kept changing. And she says he was never the type who made her feel uncomfortable.

"He never put a move on me or anything!" she says.

According to personal security expert Robert Siciliano of Best Home Security, not knowing who your stalker is or even that you're being stalked is fairly common. "There are people who are being stalked and they know it, and others who are unaware of it," he told The Stir. "Stalking can escalate from simply paying unwanted attention to harassment to violence. There are a lot of unhealthy people out there who require the energy of another person in order to get through the day."

It's hard to put a number on how often it happens, Siciliano says, because there is no real record-keeping on this sort of crime. But advances in technology have certainly increased the risk to us all.

"We hear about peeping toms and prowlers in the news every day, along with the occasional story of the janitor or maintenance man bugging the ladies' bathroom," he noted. "And there are now more cases where viruses end up on our devices and predators spy via webcams."

So what can we do to protect ourselves? Siciliano says worrying is futile -- no one can predict whether they'll be stalked or not -- but being proactive is key. Here are his best suggestions to stay safe or at least feel safer:

1. Be aware of unwanted attention. Is anyone contacting you frequently even though you wish they wouldn't? Does someone make inappropriate comments and advances even though you tell them to stop? Does someone in your life have access to your home or apartment and they are someone you inherently do not trust?

2. Alarming your home or apartment should be as fundamental as eating, drinking, and sleeping. Wireless alarm systems with wireless cameras are cheap and portable. You can also purchase wireless IP cameras that connect to your Internet. They send alerts about motion and record activity, which you can watch over your smartphone.

3. Cover up a hotel's peep hole with a piece of paper. There are "reverse peep holes" that anyone can buy that allow a creep to peep in a traveler's hotel room. Then there are pinhole cameras for under $25 that can be placed almost anywhere undetected to the naked eye. These tools of technology are bought for cheap and easily abused.

4. Purchase a wired/wireless camera detector. Reliable ones cost in excess of $100. Occasionally scanning your home/hotel/public bathroom might seem a little paranoid, but if you are in fact 'feeling watched,' at a minimum, the small investment will help quell your nerves and suspicions.

And when in doubt, call the police. Muscara's stalker received five years in prison (although the bulk of his punishment was for the theft of the alarm clock he used to surveil her rather than the act of putting a camera in her bedroom). The Kansas City woman's stalker has not yet been arrested, but police are still investigating.

Peeping Tom laws are on the books in most states, and many are being more closely looked at with changing technologies.

Have you ever felt like you were being watched in your own home?

Image via P Leon/Flickr