I joke occasionally with my sister that Google is raising my children... but the punch line is only partial exaggeration. . Yes, there are a million reasons to despise technology, and it is 100% accurate to say that kids born since Y2K - as a general rule - are all too addicted to glowing screens (in fact, there was a great article in the New York Times last week on why we should let kids get bored again). . However, stick with me for a minute: I think many parents are quick to blame ... View Post
The Restorative Effects of Risotto on Tweens & Parents
"We had a situation last night..." she said. I know this mom, and when I look into her eyes, I feel good about what I see there. Her tween daughter and mine are not the same, but there is a valor I see in this mom that I find reassuring. We had our time in the iron shackles: the morning after the sleepover, each mother arrived and marveled at the situation: surely not! we thought. Not my child! we assured ourselves. But it was. It was our children. We'd like to think they know better, that ... View Post
On Love and Parenting
We often think of love in the context of instants: spotting a future partner, walking down the aisle, the smacking reality of a brand new baby handed to us for safekeeping. It's human nature to anticipate these pivotal moments and to inflate them in our minds, allowing them to serve as our definition of a deep and abiding connection to another. . We forget, I think, what a gradual process it is to understand love. All those references to the long-smoldering embers over the sudden spark reiterate ... View Post
Let The Children Play!
Let The Children Play is a truly fantastic Australian blog written by Jenny about her experiences with her "progressive preschool nestled in the Australian bush." She's an advocate of unstructured outdoor play (i.e. send kids outside without things to entertain them - a lovely thought!) and I've been keeping up with her excellent posts on her blog, on Facebook, on Twitter and her particularly great posts on Pinterest for a couple of years. I'm a pretty enthusiastic fan of most advocates of ... View Post
Parenting à la française
I like that NPR will often select a contentious title for a story, and they certainly grab my attention and create many of their signature "driveway moments" for those who tune in via radio. As a francophile and someone who gives a great deal of thought to intentional parenting (although often falling very short), I was quickly pulled into this Feb. 14 story: Are the French Outdoing Americans at Parenting? You can listen to the story or skim the transcript at the link above. Obviously, ... View Post
The Little Girl in the Window
She's possessed of a mophead of curly ringlets, auburn at times and the lovely brown I'll never again have at others. She's also possessed of a singularly obstinate but also happy-go-lucky personality. I relate, to my sometimes joy, sometimes chagrin. She is approaching seventeen months (going on years), and her daily delight comes from confidently climbing into the century-old window seats and teetering precariously over the very hardwood floors, pressing her nose to the glass and soaking in ... View Post
