I could say that preparing today's blog was like pulling teeth, but that would be a groaner. What the heck! It's Monday, so that's how we're starting the week ...

For those of us with kids adopted singly and without the benefit of ties to birth families, one serious consideration could be future health issues that would be made worse through the lack of compatible tissue.

With the science of stem cell medicine in its infancy, some parents are taking advantage of new technology combined with futuristic vision, cutting out the Tooth Fairy, and banking their kids' teeth.

For a mere $89 per month, a company in Texas will store dental pulp stem cells, and to date some 2,000 kids have had one or more of their baby teeth skip the under-the-pillow step and go straight to the bank.

It makes sense, and as the president of Bioeden, the Tooth-Pulp-Stem-Cell-Fairy, says:

“It’s one of those important precautions we urge parents to take because one certainty we know is science is going to progress. We know in the next several years, you’ll see research turn to dental-pulp stem cells.”

And here's something we all know, but it's nice to see in print nonetheless: people with kids are less distressed and depressed than those without.

Yeah, our kids drive us bananas, but the survey cited in this report says that out of 33,400 grownups, those with children had lower levels of, "anxiety, depression, or other measures of psychological distress" than their non-parental counterparts.

Okay, there were still 5.7 million parents with "serious levels of these symptoms", but that was 8.9% compared to 12% of those with no kids. As expected, single, divorced or separated parents with low incomes were the most likely to suffer.

We are bound to see a lot of local and regional stories this month about adoptions, it being National Adoption Month and all. This one has a lot of what the month is all about, featuring a 17-year-old who had been through 22 foster placements and one disruption finally finding a family.

And here's one on international adoption being affordable. Unlike adoption stories in some of the bigger national publications, the local news often reflects attitudes more truly representative than the jaded take that often makes the grander headlines:

"Thank you Brangelina," says Cain of Wheaton [an adoptive mother]. "It's good they're pointing out this is a good thing."

They gave exposure to international adoption, which Cain says provides a wonderful result. "What a good thing," she said, "They took these kids and gave them a home."

No slams. No mention of anyone being too skinny ... or too fat. Not one word on tattoos or Botox. Wow.