From the NYMetroParents November issue, a selection of thought-provoking, laugh-inducing, and just plain interesting facts and quotes from the web and the world of parenting.
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“Every day there’s a new plea for Snapchat or Vine or Kik or whatever else she’s learning about from the three hundred plus school friends and camp friends and camp counselors that she’s following on Instagram. And now that I’ve said yes to one of them, it’s hard to come up with a rationale for saying no to the others.” —Risa Green, book author and mom of two, in a post entitled “Instagram Is the New Marijuana” on modernmom.com, in which she recounts the challenges of monitoring her 11-year-old daughter’s social media usage (sound familiar?) |
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“When we were young, we wondered why the Girl Scouts visited the elderly and learned macramé while the Boy Scouts built cabins and got dirty climbing rocks. These days, the Girl Scouts spend more time building skills and taking risks, yet we still put a premium on the ‘goodness’ of girls. We communicate to girls a host of things they ‘should’ be: nice, neat, well-behaved. These are fine virtues, but why make them a bigger priority for our girls than our boys?” —Sharon Meers (@sharonmeers) and Joanna Strober, professionals, wives, and mothers with 5 young children between them, in the paperback re-launch of Getting to 50/50: How Parents Can Have It All, writing about the value of two-career households and division of labor (topics that never seem to go out of fashion); read more at gettingto5050.com |
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“My kids started school a few weeks ago and I’ve been twiddling my thumbs ever since. I clean a lot. Basically that’s all I do. And grocery shop. I need to get out more. I should be contributing to society. Volunteering.” —Sharon Beesley (@sharonbeesley), stay-at-home Manhattan mom of three kids, on her free-spirited, alluring blog nyctaughtme.com, where you’ll find ponderings on everything from family dancing to Miley (videos included!) to “The Age of Happiness: 6 to 12 Years Old” |
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20 million school lunch sandwich bags go into U.S. landfills every day. —that’s a fact that inspired three moms to create LunchSkins (@lunchskinsbags) reusable baggies (they’re BPA-, lead-, and phthalate-free, grease- and moisture-proof, and dishwasher-safe); these go-to snack and lunch bag options work equally well for toting crayons or a mini first-aid kit ($10.99 for two-pack; available at Target stores; lunchskins.com) |
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“Unfortunately, many parents with serious depression never get the help they need…. People who are depressed feel ashamed to seek help, or don’t have supportive family and friends. And it’s for them that I write this—in hopes that they’ll read and know that they’re not alone; that what they’re grappling with is real, and that seeking help doesn’t mean they’re weak. If you’re depressed, you owe it to yourself to do whatever it takes to get better. You owe it to your children.” —Jane Roper (@janeroper), originally from Fairfield, CT, in a guest post on blogs.nymetroparents.com; Roper’s book Double Time: How I Survived—and Mostly Thrived—Through the First Three Years of Mothering Twins is full of warmth, honesty, occasional advice, and more than a little humor as she relays an engaging account of the first three years with multiples during which she struggles to keep a history of depression under control |
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Twitter Talk @DawnRoode: Look what hidden treasure I discovered in my son’s new #backtoschool coat fr @ruumkudswear! @NYMetroParents @elizanneshaw: Dear Man Boring His Eyes Into Me and My Son: We had a long day too. He’s being as quiet as a tired hungry kid can. He’s 7. You’re 57. Deal. @ChildMindDotOrg: Does your child behave the same at home as they do at school? @Parenting breaks down kids’ classroom personalities. http://bit.ly/16qAg0o @BabbleEditors: Why all parents should be social media experts: ow.ly/pbbFK |
