Happy Single Parents' Day!

If you are a single parent, today is your day! Since 1984, March 21st has been set aside to recognize and raise awareness of those who are doing double duty as parents.

The idea for setting aside a day to honor and appreciate what single parents do began in 1984 with an article written by Janice Moglen, a single mother of two. She hoped that this day would some day be recognized in the same way we celebrate parents on Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day. She began a collaboration with Parents Without Partners to petition states to recognize those parents who are both mother and father to their children.

She was only partially successful in her efforts to bring awareness and appreciation to the parents who fill both roles. While Ronald Reagan did officially designate March 21, 1984 as National Single Parents' Day, it hasn't gained widespread recognition. You can help change that by contacting your own state and national representatives and let them know how you feel about the mothers and fathers who are taking on the challenges of child-rearing without the support of a partner.

Single Parents' Day is not printed on the calendar hanging in my office, but I will recognize it just the same. To all you parents going it alone, I applaud you and appreciate the sacrifices you make every single day.

Finding common ground on different planets

A few months ago, my daughter Christy scored three tickets to see Al Gore speak at a sold-out event at her college. She invited a close friend and me. I was excited to see Al Gore speak about global warming, but even more excited about the fact that she wanted me to go with her.

Our relationship has had it's ups and downs over the years and sometimes it feels as if we live on different planets. Her planet is populated with energetic young college students who study all day, party all night and fight for justice in between. They can't relate to the people on my planet, who are mostly tired. But every once in a while, we all get together and find some common ground. For Christy and I, our common ground is politics. Her views are still evolving, a bit less developed, but they are most definitely heading in the same direction as mine.

I suspect this meeting of the minds surprises her more than it does me. Her carefully constructed image of me as a clueless parent has slowly given way to a grudging respect. I've been living for a long time in the world she wants to change and we have found ourselves on the same side of many issues. For the first time in many years, she wants to know what I think about things. We are still worlds apart when it comes to boys and music, but at least we will always have Al Gore.

Halle Berry wants kids, not marriage

Halle Berry hasn't had the best of luck with marriage. So much so, that she doesn't want to tie the knot ever again. However, this doesn't mean she won't have children.

The actress recently told InStyle, "I will never, never get married again." Not that she won't fall in love, or find a partner to share her life with, but that she thinks "two people can share their lives without the ring, without the piece of paper."

But despite her rejection of matrimony, the star also says, "I definitely want children. Very much." Because for Berry, romance -- even fathers -- simply aren't essential parts of the equation. She told Oprah in 2006 that if she hadn't found a partner when she was ready for kids that'd she'd ask "whoever she was dating at the time, 'Hey, would you like to have a baby?'" Or, she notes, "I could just head for the sperm bank."

Berry is currently dating model Gabriel Aubry. No word yet on any pregnancy, but with talk like that, it sounds like it could be any day now.

K-Fed cancels b-day bash for family time, sort of

Kevin Federline was planning on partying tonight. The second-hand celebrity had Hollywood's Eleven nightclub all lined up -- but today, word on the street is that the party has been canceled.

So what gives?

A rep for K-Fed told the NY Post's Page 6 that Federline canceled the event because he "is just focusing on his family right now." But don't worry -- Saturday's bash at the Pure nightclub in Las Vegas is still happening. Phew.

However, rumor has it that the real reason the party got nixed is because, for the past month, Eleven had been trying to find a weekly magazine to sponsor the event -- and couldn't. After all their attempts to find a major sponsor failed, the smaller sponsors backed out, and the club, not Federline, pulled the plug.

Sounds less like "family time," and more like now that Britney is out of rehab, no one cares about Kevin anymore. Bummer.