Eileen Talks About Jennifer Aniston & Single Parenthood

FOXNews.com recently asked EKC's Eileen for her thoughts on the uproar surrounding Jennifer Aniston's remarks that a woman doesn't need a husband in order to raise a child. Check out what Eileen, a single parent herself, had to say:

Jennifer Aniston Slammed for Suggesting Dads Are Optional in FamiliesJennifer Aniston’s recent comments about how men are optional in child raising has sparked outrage from those who believe the 41-year-old actress has an unrealistic perception of what it really takes to raise children alone.

“(Promoting single parenthood) might be the norm in the Hollywood, but the rest of America believes children deserve and need a mother and a father,” Nathan Burchfiel of the MRC’s Culture and Media Institute told Pop Tarts. “Life is extremely difficult for single moms, with about one quarter of them living below the poverty line. But of course Jennifer doesn’t have to worry about that given her financial resources.”

Lynda Powell of the Bethel Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to support single moms attain housing, rehabilitation and mentoring, echoed Burchfiel’s sentiments that the “single life” is far from glamorizing or gratifying.

“Jen needs to come back to the real world of where the average, everyday mother does not begin to make the money to provide adequately for her children,” Powell said. “We work with single mothers everyday where the father is absent and we see the sadness this brings into the family. From my own experience as a single mother, I know that having a positive male in the family unit makes a huge difference in that child's life. Our prison systems are now overloaded and many that are in the prison system did not have a male role model in their life. We need to stop and think 'What are we doing to our children by choosing to have a baby without the family unit intact?’”

A CBS poll conducted last year showed that the children of single and/or unmarried parents were impacted significantly harder by the economic recession. A 2006 study conducted by the National Center for Juvenile Justice also found that juveniles who lived with both biological parents were less likely to join gangs or break the law than their single-parent or orphaned counterparts.

Aniston, who plays a woman that opts for single parenthood by choosing to become pregnant via artificial insemination in her new film “The Switch,” also blasted the value of the classic family model by stating that family life has "evolved" from "the traditional stereotype” defined by “a mother, father, two children
and a dog named Spot.”

“A woman can have children without a father to raise them, but it's the children who pay the high price for that decision,”said Wendy Wright, President of the conservative political Christian action group, Concerned Women for America. “Hollywood celebrities have long been in the forefront of mocking social norms, to their own detriment and the shattered lives of those who follow their example.”

“Traditional family values may be boring for Hollywood celebrities, but they develop stable, secure
and healthy people,” Wright added. “Children need a dad. No amount of insisting 'but I can do whatever I want' can changed that fact.”

While many disagree with Aniston’s liberal views on parenting and the family structure, she has also been applauded for empowering women to take control of their own destiny without their reliance on a sexual partner.

“It is terrific that, in today's world, women have the choice to start a family when they are ready, and that might be before, or after, they meet the person they want to marry,” Jane Mattes, Director and Founder of Single Mothers By Choice, which provides information and emotional support to women in these situations, told us.
“It's a big decision and needs to be given careful thought, but it is definitely do-able if the woman has the emotional and financial resources to support herself and a child on her own.”

Eileen Koch, who raised a daughter on her own due to divorce, agreed that no woman should have to bypass the opportunity of having children of her own for the sake of not meeting Mr. Right.

“If a woman doesn't find love in her child-bearing years, she should not miss out on having a family. If the children are fortunate enough to have a loving mom and the mom's extending family, they will be just fine,” Koch said. “It would be nice for all of us to have everything, but sometimes in this world it just doesn't work out for all.”

The Guys of Softline Talk Recession-Busting on Fox News!

Ever wonder how some businesses managed to not only survive but thrive during the recession? Softline Home Fashions, a top importer of luxury home fabrics, is one such business, and in this video the CEOs tell Fox News how they did it. Check it out:

Dr. Leslie Addresses Jillian Michaels' Baby Weight Comments on FoxNews.com

"The Biggest Loser"'s Jillian Michaels recently raised eyebrows when she told Women's Health magazine that she does not want to have children because of the effects of pregnancy and childbirth on a woman's body.

Since Jillian's comments, several experts have been asked to weighed in on the issue, including EKC client Dr. Leslie Seppinni. An expert on body image and self-esteem, Dr. Leslie dished to FoxNews.com's Pop Tarts column on the truth about babies & bodies. Check out what she had to say:

There is no doubt that “The Biggest Loser” trainer Jillian Michaels has one of the best bodies in America, and given her childhood history of being overweight, it's something the 36-year-old has worked ultra-hard to achieve. So hard in fact, that she’s not willing to let it slide even to become a biological mother.

“I’m going to adopt. I can’t handle doing that to my body,” Michaels told the new issue of Women’s Health magazine. “Also, when you rescue something, it’s like rescuing a part of yourself.”

Michaels’ words surrounding pregnancy and her figure have been met with criticism from several experts (who have not worked with her) in the health industry.

“She is teaching people about body image and self-esteem. Women who have children all the time and get right back in shape particularly if they exercise,” Dr. Leslie Seppinni, a Los Angeles-based Family Therapist & Clinical Psychologist told Pop Tarts. “If this is how she truly feels, she should seek counsel before coaching others on issues of body image.” (read more...)

Laura Bryna on FOX News Today

Baltimore's FOX 45 News welcomed EKC client recording artist Laura Bryna into the studio this morning for an interview and brief live performance. The singer was in Baltimore this week for a charity gala for the National Guard Youth Foundation, of which she is a celebrity spokesperson. Laura chatted with the anchors and sang "640 Battfield Drive" before heading for her home state of Tennessee.

We wish Laura a safe trip and can't wait to see her on FOX again, March 8, when she appears as a guest on Hannity!