Olive started third grade last week, and she’s in school from 9am-3:30pm, whereas it was only 1-4pm in second grade. I was used to the all day schedule when we lived in New York, but since I’ve been with my kids so much the past four years, a 6.5 hour school day feels way too long! I miss our slow mornings and more easy going days. Getting to and from school really is a daily grind!
Our El Nido sunset
Lots of parenting links this week!
H E A L T H
A drowning investigator’s plea to parents about water safety goes viral via Motherly
What the Measles Epidemic Really Says About America via The Atlantic
How a vaccinated woman’s death exposes the threat of anti-vaxxers via The Guardian
You Should Always Buy These 12 Fruits and Veggies Frozen — Even in the Summer via Apartment Therapy
The Promises And Pitfalls Of Gene Sequencing For Newborns via NPR
Why So Many Mothers Die in America via Medium
We Need More Research About the Psychological Effects of Miscarriage via Medium
A mother gave birth to other couples’ babies because of an IVF mix-up, lawsuit states via CNN
Some baby care books are giving advice that goes against safe infant care guidelines via The Conversation
Why Are Pregnant Women So Sweaty? via New York Times
10 Ways to Lower the Cancer Risk of Grilling via New York Times
E D U C A T I O N
Why students shouldn’t be forced to spend so much time sitting at desks in class via Washington Post
Do Children Soak Up Language Like Sponges? via New York Times
Why Diverse Classroom Libraries Matter via Edutopia
New Jersey Law Would Increase Fines for Parents of Bullies via Fatherly
The Absurd Structure of High School via Medium
‘Major distraction’: school dumps iPads, returns to paper textbooks via Sydney Herald
Raising Kids Who Want To Read — Even During The Summer via KQED
What Rereading Childhood Books Teaches Adults About Themselves via The Atlantic
Elon Musk admits to “Unschooling” his Children via anonhq
Kids’ Author Mo Willems Has A New Creative Challenge (And So Should You) via NPR
F A M I L Y
Mr. Rogers Had a Simple Set of Rules for Talking to Children via The Atlantic
I Am Tired Of Being The One Who Remembers All The Things via Scary Mommy
Motherhood helped me learn who my real friends are via Motherly
The simple reason why men do less housework, on average, than women via Fast Company
The Joys of Raising First-Generation Americans via New York Times
The Exceptional Cruelty of a No-Hugging Policy via The Atlantic
P A R E N T I N G
The Helicopter Bunny via McSweeney’s
Mothers Are Teaching Their Daughters Bad Lessons About Beauty via The Atlantic
Kindness Vs. Cruelty: Helping Kids Hear The Better Angels Of Their Nature via KQED
How to tell your child is realizing her human potential—year-by-year via Motherly
Want happier, calmer kids? Simplify their world. via Green Child Magazine
Is your child being bad, or does he just feel unsafe? via Aleteia
The Benefits Of Unsupervised Play Will Make You Want To Back Off Your Kids’ Activities In A Big Way via Romper
Help! My Child Won’t Sit Still for Story Time via Raising Readers
A New Parent’s Guide to Social Media via Common Sense Media
Science Suggests Parents Are Taking Parenting Too Far via Fatherly
Kids Don’t Say ‘Yes, Ma’am’ Anymore, but Politeness Is Still in Fashion via New York Times
A New Theory of the Progression of Pretend Play Development via Psychology Today
Children who don’t have a regular bedtime behave worse & develop slower via Your Modern Family
Avoid playgrounds and eat the last biscuit: how to keep your sense of self as a parent via The Guardian
To the mom who loves motherhood—but misses her freedom, too via Motherly
At Your Wits’ End With A Screen-Obsessed Kid? Read This via NPR
persimmon / 1390 posts
I just wanted to say I really appreciate all the attention you have been placing in water safety in the weekly roundup posts. I have made a point of being incredibly firm around our water rules, and educating my children. I learned some additional tips from the investigators story that I will put into practice.
Over 4th of July there was a near drowning at a party we were at. I had let my daughter continue swimming beyond my point of comfort—it was dark and there were no lights around the pool, just in it, and there were a lot of kids—but both my girls were out at the time this happened. There were a ton of kids in the pool, most under age 6. The fireworks display was going on. There were a lot of adults next to the pool, all talking and looking at the fire works and the pool, but mostly the fire works. Suddenly two kids who had been facing each other talking swam in opposite directions and we saw a little girl floating on her stomach not moving—she had been blocked by them (just like a float can block a child). The seconds literally ticked away in my head as her mom said “Who is that! Who is that!” Her dad jumped in and yanked her out by the arm and dropped her on the ground and someone started compressions. She started breathing and crying but it was so terrifying. Just a few seconds longer and she could have been dead. The fireworks were just ending so the roads were filled with cars and people and to get an ambulance there would have been so hard. She is almost 3, and had decided to inclip her puddle jumper. I cannot unsee that image of her floating.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@Becky: wow so scary! so glad that she was ok!
we live by the water so water safety is something i take very seriously!