Not sure why this 2-minute film was made, but I think you’ll like it. It’s a little treacly and fake, and yet…I’m misting up. And if you can’t quite understand what the kid says when his mom asks where he’s going, he says, “I’m going to find God.” Gotta love a kid who takes the subway by himself and talks to strangers! Here’s his 2-minute journey. It’s by a filmmaker (and philosopher?) named Meir Kay: .
Author: lskenazy
An Ontario, Canada mom who took her daughter in for a dental check up was told by the dentist that her daughter had a mouthful of cavities — nine. Finding that assessment odd (and expensive), the mom, Melissa Lopez, switched dentists and ignored the first dentist’s notices to bring her child in for the fillings. Incidentally, the next dentist found less decay. Without ever inquiring directly as to why the mom didn’t come back, Dentist #1 then reported her to child protective services for possible “oral neglect.” When the authorities investigated, they discovered that Melissa wasn’t an abusive mom but…
In an effort to protect our children, the US House of Representatives passed a law mandating a 15-year minimum sentence for teens who sext. That’s not making our kids safer. It’s the opposite. Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes (the inspiration for Mean Girls) and many other wise books, runs a blog and movement called Cultures of Dignity, and this month it explains why the bill is terrible and what we can do about it: FLIRTING OR FELONY? Teens, sex, and social media. It’s a combination that understandably makes many adults really anxious. Unfortunately, when adults get anxious…
News you can use, from an NPR interview with Jack Gilbert, author of Dirt is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child’s Developing Immune System. After the birth of his second child, Gilbert, a scientist who studies microbial ecosystems at the University of Chicago, decided to find out what’s actually known about the risks involved when modern-day children come in contact with germs. “It turned out that most of the exposures were actually beneficial,” Gilbert says. “So that dirty pacifier that fell on the floor — if you just stick it in your mouth and lick it, and…
An Iowa 14-year-old who took two pictures of herself — one in a bra and “boy shorts” (that is, undies), the other topless but with her hair covering her breasts — had been threatened by Marion County Attorney Ed Bull with prosecution as a child pornographer. The girl, Jane Doe, was part of a group of kids who’d been caught sexting, and the rest agreed to Bull’s deal whereby they’d admit their guilt, do some community service, take classes on the dangers of sexting and give up their electronic devices for a time. If they did all that, they wouldn’t…
Love these ladies! This should make your weekend! . .
Research presented at a meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies this month warns of a grave threat to America’s children: Grandma and Grandpa. The study suggests older people are so hopelessly out of date on child-rearing recommendations that they may put their beloved grandchildren at risk. Of 636 grandparents surveyed, nearly a quarter didn’t know that babies are supposed to be put to sleep on their backs. “We shouldn’t assume that just because they’ve raised a child before, they’re experts,” Andrew Adesman, who led the research, told CNN. Except—big except!—you don’t need to be an “expert” to raise a child.…
Let’s stop beating ourselves up for not being perfect parents! The mom who wrote this article in The Week believes that being late to pick up her teen son a single time will make him feel as unloved as she did back when her parents were routinely late: I waited at the doctor’s office staring at nothing in particular trying not to watch the clock. A vision of my teenage son exiting school looking for me flashed through my mind. I saw his face, sagging with disappointment. Not quite in possession of his driver’s license, he normally biked to school.…
Can we remember that it is not “babysitting” to watch over someone else’s child playing next to your own, just because the parent is not right there. It’s called “community.” It’s called “being a decent human being.” It’s called “normal.” What is not normal is getting the authorities to intervene simply because you disapprove of another mom’s parenting decision: Dear Free-Range Kids: How can we defend good parents caught in the net of the over-reaching laws? On 6/24 I was arrested in CT for a 53-21a: Risk of Injury to a minor. It was for allowing my 3 year…
This wonderful essay by Stephanie Fairyington states it baldly: Why have we decided that adults should give their seats to children, rather than vice versa? On the blog CityLab, she writes of a recent New York City subway trip with her friend: [We] were on a Brooklyn-bound D train when a family boarded with their son, who looked about six. The mother kept staring and rolling her eyes at us for not giving up our seats to her child. She testily said aloud: “Don’t worry, sweetheart, someone will get off soon and you can have a seat.” Huh? Really? The…