Bunchland

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. Aiden, Jayden, Brayden; Mia, Leah, Sophia; why do the popular baby names rhyme? And it’s not a recent phenomenon either; back in the 40s it was Marilyn, Evelyn and Carolyn and even further back to when Social Security first starting tracking these things in the 1880s, all the girls named ended in -ie.

2. So you know how maternity/paternity leave in the States is terrible? The National Partnership for Women and Families has made it official by giving 18 states an F grade. California and Connecticut are good places to have a baby since they each got As and Washington, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maine and Hawaii are all OK.  Read more...

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. Stuff you kinda already knew: States that are all about “traditional family values” don’t actually care about family values, like why on earth would a new mom need paid time off to care for her newborn??

2. My son looks like a girl. So what?

3. Wes Anderson writes a lot about childhood. Why is that? And how excited are you for Moonrise Kingdom?

4. Jessica Alba says that she feels more confident and secure now that she’s a mom than she ever did in her 20s. Even Jessica Alba says she’ll never get down to her pre-baby weight and can’t wear the same jeans, but she’s more than OK with it. So can the magazines stop with the stories about supermodels who walk the runway two weeks after giving birth and maybe we can leave Bryce Dallas Howard alone?  Read more...

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. An essay from a woman who swore she’d be a different type of mother than her own, but becomes her mother anyway. Is that inevitable?

2. Dealing with a teen daughter? Or maybe you just want to be prepared for when you have to deal with a teen daughter? Here are some tips for dealing with a teenage drama queen.

3. A good or not-so-good divorce question: How do you keep a good relationship with your kids’ grandmother now that she’s no longer your mother-in-law?

4. A 46-year-old man who never thought he’d be a dad looks at the ultrasound photo of his yet-to-be-born twins.

5. Tell me you haven’t done this lip-synch yourself in the car:

Last week: One Millions Moms boosts JC Penney via boycotts, what moms really think about their Mother’s Day gifts and what new moms and teen boys have in common.  Read more...

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. After JC Penney hired Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson, the bigots at One Million Moms threw a fit and said they were boycotting the family store. JC Penney not only stuck to their guns about Ellen, but also chose to feature lesbian moms in their spring catalogue. The Moms called for another boycott. Joke’s on the One Million Moms! People are loving JC Penney.

2. New moms and teenage boys: they’re both dealing with a lot changes and hormones. One new mom finds the person she relates to most is a 14-year-old cousin.

3. For some women, this will be their last Mother’s Day. How do you even start preparing your kids for that?  Read more...

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. U.S. President Obama came out in favour of marriage equality yesterday saying that same-sex couples have the right to get married. So what does this mean for Americans on the right side of the political spectrum? Is it going to “rile up the right”? Yeah, probably.

2. The American celebrities are proud of their president! Ellen DeGeneres said, “There have been moments in history when someone has the courage to stand up for what they believe in, and that one action changes everything.” Neil Patrick Harris said, “Bravo, Mr. President, and thank you.” and our pal Jane Lynch tugs on the heartstrings with, “Pretty darn happy today. Thanks Mr President, for supporting the dignity of my family and so many others!” We love you Jane! Your family is beautiful!!  Read more...

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. Yay dangerous, risky playgrounds! Advocates for a more natural and challenging playground want to address the “increasingly sedentary and risk-averse generation of children disconnected from nature,” and so we need playgrounds with rocks and tree stumps and other things kids might fall and scrape their knees on. No, they don’t want the kids to get hurt, but they do want kids to know that they can get hurt and be aware of their surroundings.

2. Some parents actually camped out overnight for a precious spot at a good daycare the way a superfan might for concert tickets. Today’s Parent wants to know what you’ve sacrificed for daycare. Is it a vacation? A new car? A so-so daycare because the good one is just simply too cost prohibitive?

3. Why would a nine-months-pregnant woman want to do a nude photoshoot? Because she can! And she wanted a little adventure.  Read more...

Remembering the King of all Wild Things, Maurice Sendak

We can’t believe we’ve lost our King of the Wild Things. Maurice Sendak died this morning of complications from a recent stroke. He wrote an illustrated some of our favourite books, including Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, “Alligators all Around” and most recently, Bumble-Ardy. We will always love Sendak for saying things like he didn’t write children’s books, he wrote books that children happened to like. He was 83.

1. Did you ever wonder where Maurice Sendak came up with Where the Wild Things Are? It was inspired by his relatives and it was supposed to be, Where the Wild Horses Are… but he couldn’t draw horses, so he drew his relatives and turned them into wild things. We’re much happier he gave us wild things. “Every Sunday afternoon… the Sendaks’ ‘hideous, beastly relatives’ arrived for dinner. ‘They would lean over you with their foul breath and squeeze you and pinch you, and their eyes are blood-stained and their teeth are big and yellow. Ahh! It was horrible, horrible,’ he says.”  Read more...