Gwyneth Paltrow has always been someone who is a bit easy to hate. She is enviably toned and gorgeous, her career is in perfect shape, and she is insanely wealthy. Add to that a close relationship with her family and a seemingly flawless interest in eating well and living well, and of course, she is going to have her share of haters (myself included). We all hate what we are envious of, natch.

The problem is that Gwyneth, despite being annoyingly haughty, is generally a good mom and a seemingly smart person with her priorities in the right places. Dang. I hate when that happens. But she can’t escape the criticism, and a seemingly innocuous admission in the latest edition of Harper’s Bazaar discussing how she bathes with her school age children (Moses is 5 and Apple is 7) has the Internet up in arms.

I say big whoop.

If you're a parent who pays attention to your children to an intense degree, you've probably given thought to his or her sexuality. If you have other mom friends that you share a glass of wine with from time to time, you've definitely discussed which kid is a budding ladies' man, and which little lady is going all Shiloh on the playground. But for god's sake, you don't talk about your lesbian grade schooler to a reporter, who plans on broadcasting it all over the universe.

Oh, Gwyneth, calling your daughter a "lipstick lesbian" may have seemed cute at the time, but now it's out there, and Apple is not going to be amused.

It's not often that celebrity moms come off as relatable to the masses. And yet, if you listened to Angelina Jolie spilling secrets about her life as a parent this week, she was saying something that gave me pause. Brad Pitt's other half says their kids have "saved" her from a "self-destructive" phase in life and turned around her spirit.

I understood her completely. My 6-year-old daughter has saved my spirit and then some. And now that she's old enough to call me on the carpet when I do something questionable, the mama-revamping just keeps coming.

February is Black History Month and it's full of learning opportunities for parents of young children. Children who are in school are probably already getting a lot of information, but there are many things parents can do at home to reinforce the learning.

First, of course, parents need to be aware of what Black History Month is. It started in 1976, so many parents today actually went to school and learned about it themselves. It's observed both in Canada and the US and generally celebrates and educates about African American history. The fact is, although blacks have been in the US since colonial times, it wasn't until recently that history books even included their contributions and history.

The more our children know about this, the better (and the less likely that we will have to celebrate a separate history month in the future). For now, there are many ways parents can educate our children about the month. Here are eight:

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet ... but it doesn't need to be included in the Valentine's Day cards children take to their friends at school. One school in Newton, Massachusetts, has done what I wish every school in America would do -- they've banned kids from sending in candy with their Valentine's Day cards.

The principal has instead suggested they send in things like origami, small stickers, or pencils if they must send something in addition to a card. And the outrage has ensued. They're ruining these kids' childhoods! They're sapping the fun out of life! How could theeeeeeeeey?

I say good for them.

Normally this column is all about my terrible advice to you on child-rearing. Most people enjoy it or just avoid it but some of you seem intent on calling me out as being a terrible parent in spite of the fact that this column is called "Ill-Advised" for a reason. In fact, I recently got an email implying that I didn't even have a child. Which is ridiculous. I have a 7-year-old named Hailey that I stole so I could write this column in good faith. BECAUSE ETHICS ARE IMPORTANT TO ME.

Also, I stole her from heroin addicts so stop judging me. It took six months just to get her off the horse and she still complains that she has bugs under her skin.  

In short, I am like some kind of a goddamn saint. But in case you still think I'm lying, I have decided to share an hour in the life of my daughter with you.

YOU ARE WELCOME AMERICA. And Canada. And ... whoever else is here.

Let's begin:

Ah, the spelling bee. I have such fond memories of getting super competitive over the spelling of "dinosaur," "bureau," and "cousin" among other words. Those bees were some of the better moments of my school career. They were just FUN.

Oddly enough, watching them is really fun, too. Even now when I am a grown-up, I love to see kids spell words. The tension is high, the sense of competition is thick, and the whole thing is just a blast. One of the better YouTube videos of all time has captured all that tension.

A boy of about 12 is asked to spell the word "Heron." It's a simple word, but his tortured questioning of the presenter is both hilarious and kind of disturbing. See for yourself:

It's been said that the mommy wars come down to one thing: jealousy. And I'm going to admit it. This working mom is hella jealous of the stay-at-home moms who are able to spend time in their kids' classrooms. I have to duck my head in shame on open house night when the teacher calls for volunteers, but I would love to be more involved in my kid's education.

Isn't that the best thing for kids? Involved parents? You'd think. And yet, a Virginia legislator is currently crafting a law to make it mandatory to let parents into their kids' classrooms because there are schools that are actually turning away moms like me. And a little surveying of some moms around the country reveals this isn't just a problem in the Old Dominion State.