Every once in a while, a nation gets inspired. And who better than a guitar-wielding, super-geek astronaut with a groovy 'stache?

Chris Hadfield returned to Earth on Monday night, but hopefully his legacy will inspire kids and adults to continue to look to the stars.

Chris Hadfield may just be the coolest astronaut that has ever lived. He doesn't have a catch phrase and a golf club, but communicated the simple pleasures and beauty of the earth while suspended in orbit for five months, 2,336 orbits, 146 days and 16 sunrises and sunsets per day. 

A study out of Britain is claiming that light drinking during pregnancy does not harm the baby. Up to two alcoholic "units" did not harm the fetus and had no affect on the behaviour of the children, says the study.

I was so excited to feed my first baby solids. I waited and waited until I couldn't wait any longer. He was five and three-quarter months old. I set up the high chair, the splat mat, the bib, the shiny new utensils and the rice cereal and then ... nothing. He didn't want it. Sure, a little bit went in, but more came out. I had waited until he showed signs of eating. He watched our utensils with hungry eyes. He mimicked eating. I hoped it would make him sleep. But he wasn't ready.

But I couldn't wait.

I am sure that sense of impatience, the bad information and mistaken belief in old wives tales is what is behind the new research that says 40 per cent of babies are fed solids too soon. Both American and Canadian pediatric societies recommend starting solids at six months of age. But almost half of babies are being given solids before six months of age, with some being fed solids at the age of four weeks.

When I was first diagnosed with a placental abruption and put on bedrest for 8 weeks, someone (who shall remain nameless) asked me if it was the stress that did it.

As if stress could actually physically move my placenta a millimetre away from the uterine wall and make it start bleeding. Please. Blaming stress on pregnancy issues or fertility problems is blaming the victim -- and there is very little science behind it. 

Slate did a takedown of this old wives tale and explained that stress and anxiety has very little affect on pregnancy or fertility issues.

Allison Schaffer reports that a British study in 2011 looked at 14 different studies on IVF and reported that anxiety did not change outcomes: "In other words, women with more extreme levels of anxiety or depression were just as likely to get pregnant after a single cycle as women with milder levels."

What about pregnancy? Can stress and anxiety harm your unborn baby? A Danish study looked at 78,000 Dutch women and found that those with the highest self-reported stress levels gave birth a mere two days earlier than the women who reported little stress. In fact, reports Amanda Schaffer, fetuses whose mothers reported higher levels of distress tended to be more active in utero, a positive developmental sign.

So, if the next time a doctor or well-meaning relative gives you the "just relax for the baby's sake" speech. You can tell them to lay off because being told to constantly "think positive" is just a recipe for more stress, and while that won't harm the baby, it can cause heartburn. 

Were you ever told to "just relax"? Do you think anxiety affected your pregnancy?

Want more chaos? Last year, I reported that Beyoncé breastfed in public (reportedly) and how that can change the world.

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Women aren't the only ones whose biological clocks tick louder as they get older. There is new research suggesting that men need to stop pushing the snooze button and start making babies, if they are so inclined.

A number of studies have shown that men's age at conception can affect the outcome of the pregnancy and also the baby's health. An Icelandic study shows that aging sperm carries genetic risks and may be tied to the increase in autism and schizophrenia. It shows that men possibly pass on more genetic mutations to their babies than women do. The researchers also found that the number of mutations increase as a man ages. 

The permission slips for the HPV vaccine just went out in my son's grade 7 class. It's not easy to look it over and think about your child having sex.

Because that is what the HPV vaccine does, it guards against a sexually transmitted disease that can cause cancer. And signing the form and having the discussion with your child means that you are tacitly acknowledging that sex is in their future. *shivers*

If your baby boy is a binky addict -- or was one -- you can add emotional issues as well as dental problems and ear infections to your list of reasons to feel guilty.

A new study out of the University of Winconsin-Madison found that boys who used pacifiers lacked emotional depth all the way into young adulthood. Pacifier use has been linked to many health issues before but this is the first study to look at the long-term psychological effects.

The new Census numbers are out and the Canadian family looks a lot different than it used to. 

What the stats tell us is that the idea that our country is made up of nuclear families with a mom and dad and 2.4 children under one roof is now outdated. Just less than one quarter of the population is the old-fashioned nuclear family.

Married couples are still 67 percent of the population but the growth in the other numbers show that we are in a society in flux. In fact, single parent households have increased 14 percent since five years ago and same-sex couples have increased 42 percent, (but still make up less than one percent of Canadian households).

A Canadian couple paid $40,000 just to make sure they had a baby girl. 

They already had three healthy boys at home, but the mother always saw herself as a mother to a girl so they kept paying until happened. Sex selection is illegal in Canada so the obsessed couple had to turn to the U.S. to make sure their fantasy of having a girl came true. 

I sure hope that kid likes pink.

Has your school principal received a letter asking to be notified about curriculum content that could compromise a family's religious values? According to the letter, the questionable content could include the usual suspects of teaching sex education and tolerance towards LGBQT, but also may include such hot topics as evolution, wizardry, horoscopes and "environmental worship".

A stock letter is being promoted online by a Conservative Christian Group, PEACE (Public Education Advocates for Christian Equality). The website tells parents with concerns to give a copy of the letter to their school principal so they can get a heads up before topics that infringe on their beliefs arise in the classroom.

The letter was used by a Greek Orthodox father who is suing the Hamilton School Board for not notifying him when sexuality was being taught to his kids.