Bunchland

What the cool parents are reading today:

1. All your helmets and guard rails are paying off: the Centre for Disease Control released a report saying that child accident deaths are way down.

2. Lego admits that Lego for girls was poorly thought out. A girls’ advocacy group, SPARK, sat down with Lego to discuss the problems with the “Friends” line. “SPARK asked that LEGO include more girls and women across all LEGO lines (the lines are at present 86.6% male), include more children of both genders in all LEGO lines as well as the “Friends” line, and include more non-stereotypical activities for girls as “Friends” expands. Basically, this means architecture, firefighting, space exploration, etc.”

3. Why you don’t stay together for the kids: parents who yell at each other all the time are affecting their kids’ brain development.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. Earlier this week, we read that more young moms are single moms. Here’s one 30-year-old on why she’d prefer to be a single mom and not share her kid with another parent.

2. One couple are trying, so far unsuccessfully, to have a baby. The woman says she’s desperate to have one, but they’ve already ruled out adoption.

3. Have innate differences between boys and girls been exaggerated? Are the experts creating a great gap in the gender divide?

4. This sounds painful and unpleasant for everyone involved: the link between colic and migraines.

5. Who’s your favourite silly political pundit? Stephen Colbert? And who’s your favourite curmudgeon of an author? Maurice Sendak? Well, have you seen the Colbert-Sendak interivew?

Photo by sean dreilinger via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. A school district in Virgina wants to ban cross-dressing among its students. The Suffolk school district wants kids to only wear clothes that reflect their gender. Um, does that even entail? No pink polo shirts for boys? Nothing with a sports team for girls? Apparently the school district thinks this will help kids that could be a target for bullies.

2. Have you seen this ad for graduated milk? Did you know graduated milk was a thing? The ad says it’s for that toddler stage when between breast milk and regular milk. What? Yeah, sounds like a made-up fear. Thanks, Natrel.

3. Do all anti-vaccination people have an air of superiority about them?

4. Some studies say that couples are less happy in their relationship after the first baby arrives, but this couple says kids are key in lovenomics.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. With the changes to autism diagnoses, some parents are worried about reductions in services with their kids’ treatment.

2. Do you love Valentine’s Day? Do you hate it? Do you have to mask your hated of this Hallmark holiday since you have kids and they’re expected to give out valentines to everyone in their class?

3. How to raise racist kids: Don’t point out any ethnic differences ever. Turns out we do need to talk about our differences with our kids, and probably sometime before age 9.

4. We’re having a hard time wrapping our heads around this one: one child development prof says that moms and dads need assigned roles and dads need to spend more time playing with the kids while moms tidy up.

5. And while this has nothing to do with parenting or kids, can we just take a few moments to appreciate Adele at the Grammy’s?  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. York region may shut down a popular arts program because trustees see it as elitist.

2. Feeling stressed? Call your mom. Kids stressed? Have a chat with them. New science shows a mom’s voice has a calming effect.

3. And the most glamorous baby ever has finally arrived: Beyoncé and Jay-Z welcomed Blue Ivy late Saturday night.

4. How do you deal with a grandparent who keeps sending pink, frilly things to your tomboy daughter?

5. We hope you had a chance to see some family over the holidays and that your reunions looked something like this boy surprising his grandfather.

Photo by meltsley via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he supports PBS, but he doesn’t want to support PBS; it’s high time Big Bird and the gang at Sesame Street had some commercials.  If there’s one thing toddlers need more of, it’s advertising.

2. We’re all too busy these days with constant updates and as a result of this, kids aren’t growing up with any space to think about reflect on individual subjects. It’s showing in their test scores and educator Diana Senechal thinks giving kids a little more solitude would improve this. Sounds like someone wants to start a slow think movement.

3. Still no more than seven people know the sex of baby Storm.

4. Here’s one mom arguing why books are better than e-books for kids.

5. Five-year-old Riley says girls want superheroes and princesses. Amen, sister.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. Some lesbian mom schooled her homophobic mayor about what a family is and what it takes to get through life: love.

2. Maybe we were too quick to judge the girl Lego, but did it have to be those Barbie shades of pink and purple? And haven’t boys and girls always mixed their gendered toys together? G.I. Jones riding My Little Ponies etc.?

3. Kids are watching pornography at age 11… because they’re curious about sex and not getting the answers they want in school.

4. A tiny Hamilton woman just gave birth to a giant baby, like 11 lbs 11 oz giant. Whole family looks good and healthy though!

5. Darth Vader conducts a flash mob choir. Can you imagine if he and Santa teamed up? A lump of coal in your stocking is a pretty weak threat compared to the Force choke.  Read more...