Bunchland

Mur Lafferty’s letter to her daughter has us crying and pumping our fists like girls

Oh man, how terrible is it that at some point, caring, progressive, feminist parents have to tell their daughters that life isn’t fair and people can be real assholes?

Earlier this week, podcaster Mur Lafferty wrote a letter to her daughter on her blog, trying to explain that people use girl as a insult (throw like a girl, cry like a girl) and seem to hate on girls who don’t know their place (just acting pretty, not worrying their little heads about anything), and that there’s no sense arguing with people like that.

It’s heartbreaking because it’s true.

Take a look:  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. The New York Times Sunday Magazine long read this week was all about girls hitting puberty earlier and earlier. Did you read it? It made us want to banish any and all plastic and preservatives from the house and move somewhere far, far away.

2. Your not imagining it and you can now tell your mother that you have science on your side: childbirth is three hours longer than it was 50 years ago.

3. Oh Park Slope parents, you’ve got it rough. How dare those Italian ice and ice cream vendors come into your playgrounds on those first few beautiful days of the spring and tempt your kids with treats you haven’t prepared yourself with local, organic macro ingredients. Is it really that hard to say “no” to your kids?

4. For moms unable to breastfeed, there’s been some good developments with formula.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. After two miscarriages, a woman thinks back to the Spanish fortune teller who told her she’d have a daughter.

2. Speaking of having a girl, we have more of them when times are tough.

3. Are you ever naked around your kids? At what point do you have to cover up?

4. Moms — do you feel like politicians ever listen to you and your concerns? Looks like maybe they’ll start doing just that.

5. And for all the aspiring skater kids out there, check out this first-ever 1080 landed by a 12-year-old:

Friday: Family business meetings, Mama’s boys and the 5-year-old comedian.

Photo by Ruth L via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. Preschoolers with homework, so that’s a thing now?

2. Hey working moms, do you feel like you’re held to a higher standard than your baby-free colleagues?

3. Why one mom is still nursing her 3.5 year old.

4. Happy Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day! Do you know any math-y girls who should be introduced to the science of engineering? Know anyone who might find engineering interesting?

5. Do you know Henry the Flying Baby? Henry’s mom is photographer Rachel Hulin and she’s pretty handy with the camera.

Top photo by Mwesiga via Flickr, bottom photo by Rachel Hulin

What we’re reading today:

1. Daycares are getting not so day. Shift-working parents need child care too!

2. A mom who always insisted on reading strong female-hero books to her girls and insisted family members compliment her daughters’ intelligence as much as their cuteness is horrified to find out her 7-year-old considers herself to be fat.

3. Now that he has a daughter, Jay-Z says he’ll never use the word “bitch” again. Um, didn’t Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock already learn this lesson? So, Jay-Z learns a lesson after Tracy Jordan?? At least he’s better than Lil Wayne. #everythingrelatesbackto30rock

4. In defense of extravagant birthday parties.

5. Kids cover Florence and the Machine. PS22 Chorus is so, so awesome.

Photo by NRK P3 via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. Kids need sleep! Lots of it! Don’t let those over-achieving kids of yours choose project perfection over another hour in bed, the latter’s better for their brains.

2. A bunch of Indian girls changed their names, preferring something pretty and/or inspiring rather than the Hindi equivalent of “Unwanted.”

3. Are these the 10 best kid characters on TV? It’s a given that Manny from Modern Family made the cut, but all the kids on that show are so good! Where are Luke, Alex and Haley? At least Luke! (Lily doesn’t count just yet)

4. The importance of play! KaBOOM!’s executive director writes on the Huffington Post that without unstructured play, we might not get another Steve Jobs.

5. This 2-year-old’s dad is overseas, so he makes videos for her.

Photo by courosa via Flickr

New documentary “challenges the media’s limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman.”

Scary quote from the trailer: “Little boys and little girls, when they’re 7 years old, an equal number want to be president of the United States when they grow up; but then you ask the same question when they’re 15 and you see this massive gap emerging.”

Don’t let your girls give up their power!