Strange(r) Parenting: There's an app for that ...

Just recently I got my baby back. Granted, it came with the provision that I get a new baby for my wife, but it was a small price to pay to once again be connected to the world I once knew.

One of the things I loved about my iPhone when I first got one nearly a year ago was that it wasn't just a new toy, but it was my toy. Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Skype. Had'em all on the iPhone before we had them on the laptop at home. Now, though, that toy with all those fun gadgets has become ... mainstream.

I mean, everyone and their mother (well, not my mother) has an iPhone. And it's the moms and dads that are using these things -- and the evidence is in the apps.

If you haven't seen, parenting apps are all the rage. Need a baby monitor? There's an app for that. Are you a new parent who wants to know how many poopie diapers you changed last week? There's an app for that. Want to keep track of your nursing sessions for some ungodly reason? There's an app for that. Are you an annoying list making mother who constantly needs to know what to bring anywhere you go with your baby Michelle? There's an app for that.

What's next? I've heard rumors of an app that will actually tell you what your baby's cooing means. I've heard of rumors of an app that will diagnose your child's symptoms and recommend a course of action. I've even heard of an app that automatically alerts Angelina Jolie when a child is born so that she can start the adoption process.