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What the cool parents are reading today:
1. For a Tuesday morning moment of solidarity: HuffPo writer Toni Nagy outlines 5 inevitable adventures in awkward parenting, from the perils of pooping to when your kids refuse to wear clothes. You are not alone.
2. A few weeks back, Mark Regnerus shocked us with his study that said kids from same-sex couples “turned out worse” than kids from straight couples. Now, 200 PhD’s and M.D.’s are demanding a retraction and apology. Their petition says: “it is essential that authorities who allowed this gay-bashing hoax to be published now behave responsibly, retract the invalid, defamatory anti-gay study, and, if it is to be re-published, put it through ethical and appropriate professional peer review and revisions.” Hear, hear.
3. If you’re looking for some ways to get your kid excited about going to school, you may want to invest in one of these snazzy new cape backpacks. More versatile than a cape, infinitely more stylish than a backpack. Read more...
News
What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. Dr. Martha Heineman Pieper, parenting expert and author of new book Mommy, Daddy, I Had a Bad Dream! says if the bogeyman exists in your kid’s head, you may as well treat him as if he’s real. Instead of lifting the bedskirt, validate their concerns by reassuring them, ie – “dad and I don’t allow monsters in the house.”
2. Artist parents have several babies to nurture: actual babies, projects, relationships and goals that all become babies. Don’t sacrifice any babies. Here are 7 R words to help you do it all.
3. Man’s best friend may be especially supportive for kids with autism. Researchers in France have discovered that kids over 5 who adopted a pet had a tendency to offer more comfort and share more with others. Now that’s what we call a friend with benefits. Read more...
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What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. Two moms crossed paths walking their dogs, shared a love of baking and city-living, and decided to open an allergy-free bakery in Montreal. Now, they’re making people cry with their bagels. (Actually.) How did you meet your best homies after you had kids?
2. Author Lisa Endlich Heffernan wonders: is “taking parenting advice from a young mommy blogger a bit like getting directions to a far off, and difficult to reach locale, by someone who traveled part of the way there, once?” Ouch. Who do you trust for parenting advice?
3. Rolling around on the floor and doing downward dogs and cow poses probably sounds appealing across many age demographics, but do you really get the same experience when you bring your kid to a Pilates class? Glamour weighs in on the practicality of the recent mom-and-me fitness class trend. Read more...
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What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. An unconventional conference in Vegas recently taught kids a skill as risky as it is useful – hacking. Accompanied by a parent, kids and teens from 8 – 18 could “learn how to pick locks, compete to find the most bugs in mobile apps and learn about digital forensics by investigating a mock crime scene in a hotel room.” The folks behind the conference promote hacking for good, but good intentions don’t always keep us out of trouble. Would you let your kid dabble?
2. Olympic athletes as young as 14 require full time support from parents, whether its home schooling, pickups and drop offs, or cheer-leading. Do those trooper moms and dads deserve a medal for making their kids’ dreams their full time jobs? Read more...
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What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. Remember Furbies? They’re back, and they’re predicted to be the top toy this Christmas. Instead of the fluttering eyes and a chomping beak, interactivity will be kicked up a knotch with LCD screens for eyes and an accompanying app. Don’t you love when slightly creepy toys get a little more lifelike?
2. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is hoping to put a restriction on baby formula in maternity wards. It’s to be stored in “out-of-the-way secure storerooms or in locked boxes like those used to dispense and track medications,” and with each bottle requested, the new mom will get an explanation of why breastfeeding is a better choice. Not that anyone’s telling you what to do, or anything. Read more...
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What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. A shaky economy made 20-something couples think twice about having kids. Now, the US birth rate is the lowest it’s been in 25 years, falling 12% from 2007 – the most rapid decline since the Great Depression. Has the lingering recession affected your family plans?
2. A new book by two child psychiatrists aims to help new families deal with autism diagnosis. Parenting Your Child With Autism: Practical Solutions, Strategies, and Advice For Helping Your Family will empower parents to become experts of their particular situation.
3. The kitchen: the spot where the family dirt can be seen in all its glory. A new project by Dutch artist Erik Wolterink will offer a no-holds-barred peek into the most intimate room in the house with “Keukens,” a collage of revealing kitchen portraits. Would you let an artist shoot your untamed kitchen for art’s sake? Read more...
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What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. While many lament the death of manners at the hands of the interwebs, a Telegraph writer reminds us that kids have entertained themselves with uncouth antics since 500 BCE, as evidenced by the “graffiti” on the rock walls at Pompei. Some forces are so strong not even the internet can change them. Like toilet humour.
2. Here’s a treat for young chefs: Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child puts a kid-friendly spin on Child’s notoriously labour intensive recipes and paints a whimsical picture of her adventurous life. It hopes to help kids see the cool factor in carving your own niche. We want to see pictures of that beef bourguignon.
3. Would you be skeptical if your kid went to a party where mocktails were on the menu? A Chicago NOW writer and mom was a little surprised to find that her lime slushie plan for her tweens birthday wasn’t so well received by other parents. Is the term mocktail too suggestive of alcohol? Read more...
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What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. J.K. Rowling is bringing her magical world of wizardry even closer to home – to her backyard, in fact. She’s having a playground replication of Hogwarts built for her kids. The 40 foot structure will give each of her kids their own 2 story luxury (and magical) treehouse. Can we come?
2. A column in Las Vegas Weekly gives new meaning to juggling work and motherhood. Tales of a Cirque Mom details Stacey Myers’ adventures as she performs 10 shows per week for Cirque du Soliel and cares for her 1 year old by day. “I’m not sure which part of my life is more dramatic — or fun.” Those who often find themselves bending over backwards will probably relate. Read more...
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What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. If getting your kids to eat veggies is an epic feat, tell them Batman digs it. A recent study showed that up to 45% of kids were more likely to make a healthier food choice after being showed pictures of their favourite superheroes. For your dinner table marketing strategies.
2. Maily, a new app designed for kids from age 4, lets young writers send personalized emails in their own words using a quirky selection of digital pencils, brushes, stamps, backgrounds and photos. Think Gmail meets Draw Something.
3. Inspiring parenting advice from 2 Nova Scotia parents who are visually impaired: “if you can’t find a way, improvise, adapt and overcome, because there’s always a way. There are certain things that you can’t do if you can’t see, but parenting isn’t one of them. You really figure it out as you go along, like all parents.” Can’t we all relate to that? Read more...
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What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. Here’s a set of wheels geared toward stylish parents who want to cart their kids around in a fierce ride: “My First Car,” the brainchild of Dutch fashion duo Viktor and Rolf, comes with silver hubcaps, a faux leather canopy, and hand-stitched handlebars. Would your kid fancy a souped up stroller like this?
2. It’s pretty creepy to think how little control we have over our pictures after they make their way to the interwebs, but Google just announced a new tool to let users blur their faces on Youtube. This development could be a first step toward the option of visual anonymity on the internet. Will this change the way you react when someone wants to snap a picture of your kid on the street? Read more...
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What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. Webcams in daycares: too big brother for your liking? One Globe and Mail writer thinks so. “Just like the hidden nanny cam that came before it, the institutional version taps into an ugly mistrust of caregivers. If that’s the case, instead of wasting time logging on, some parents might do well to research other care options.” Would you tune in to see what goes on during daycare hours?
2. It’s official – the Boy Scouts of America is keeping its ban on LGBT members. After a 2 year review, the institution decided it was ”absolutely the best policy,” citing support from parents as one of the main reasons. Pretty heartbreaking to see America’s century-old institution hold fast to its bigotry, especially after Jennifer Tyrrell’s brave fight for justice.
3. One mom was thrown out of the National Palace Museum in China for breastfeeding. Upstaging the nude sculptures, we suppose? Read more...
News
What the cool parents are reading about today:
1. A new study shows that kids can overcome food allergies by gradually adding those foods into their diet little by little. The study is still in the works, but researchers say things are looking promising.
2. Travelling with kids this summer? Take some pointers from Nancy Harper, the mom who conquered 4 continents with 2 kids. Her book, Travellin’ Mama: A Parent’s Guide to Ditching the Routine, Seeing the World and Taking the Kids Along for the Ride may inspire you to think outside the Disney cruise.
3. Pain Squad, a new app developed by Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Kids helps kids articulate their pain so doctors can treat them more effectively. “It’s a way of getting kids to regularly complete entries in a pain diary—not an easy task when a child is weak and discouraged because of their illness and treatment regimens.” Yay for awesome apps! Read more...
