Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Online “Reading”

by Teresa

Like many children their age, my kids LOVE the computer.  They enjoy some popular kids’ websites, including PBSKIDS.COM  and NOGGIN.COM —among others.  We try to stick to sites that are at least somewhat educational; the kids are certainly not allowed to use the computer without supervision.
My son & daughter also love books, thankfully.  I come from a family of avid readers (“avid” might not even be a strong enough word to describe our devotion to reading), and my kids seem to be following in their grandparents’ footsteps, in that way.
Right now, there’s an interesting article in the New York Times that asks whether reading online should be considered “real” reading… and whether too much computer time might actually HURT kids’ reading comprehension skills.
Click here to read the article.
It highlights the story of one child who doesn’t really like books, but she reads all the time—online. 
So, is there such a thing as “good” reading, and “bad” reading?
The article also mentions studies that compare computer proficiency with reading comprehension test scores.
It’s something to think about, definitely.  Check out the article and feel free to share your comments.
Kelly and I would love to hear what NBC 10 viewers think about this issue.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Slowing Down at Age 13?

by Teresa

A new study adds up the minutes that kids spend being active.  As kids get older, they spend less and less time being active.
And the results show that around age 13, kids are active for less than an hour a day.
Where does that childhood energy go?  (Some days, it almost seems as though my children don’t STOP being active!  My daughter even tries to “swim” in the bathtub in the evenings.) 
The drop in activity could be, partly, because kids at that age don’t have recess at school, anymore.
Of course, it could also be because they have more homework, or spend more time online, watching TV or playing video games.
I’ll have to try to remember this in about 10 years when my kids are teenagers.  I hope I’ll be able to find activities they like, that will keep them moving (this will be easier, I suppose, if they decide to play on a sports team or if it turns out that they love ballet or karate). 
Click here to read the article in the New York Times.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

What my Desk (Possibly) Says about Me.

by Teresa

An author named Sam Gosling has written a book about his tricks for “snooping” and figuring out things about someone’s personality, by looking at their stuff.
He looks at objects left out on desks and countertops… checks out preset radio stations… examines the contents of medicine cabinets or dresser drawers… and analyzes photos and artwork that’s framed on walls.  From those clues, he says, he can determine details about people including their gender, approximate age, and personalilty type.
(His book’s title: “Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You.“)  It might all sound a bit like carnival fortune-telling, but Gosling is an associate professor who says he bases his ideas on the basic principles of psychology.

Well, I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure a few things about me are fairly obvious to anyone who walks by my desk. 
There are photos of children (my son and daughter and niece) in frames, and lots of children’s artwork taped up beside my desk.  It shouldn’t escape anyone’s notice that I’m a mom. 
There are also photos of two coworkers who’ve passed away in recent years (I still miss them). 
Sometimes there’s a framed photo of me with Tom Brokaw (because he is the World’s Greatest Journalist Ever). 
And while my desk overall is wiped quite CLEAN (shared desk + germ phobia = I’m always using Clorox wipes); it’s not too cluttered and not too neat.  Since Gosling says messiness can indicate that someone’s extroverted, and neatness can mean someone’s introverted, I guess the appearance of my desk would suggest I fall somewhere in the middle. 

But, I’m oversimplifying his criteria.  If you’re interested in an entertaining little diversion, check out these pages I’ve found on the internet about Gosling and his ideas.
Click here to get to the NPR page where you can read an excerpt, and hear an interview with the author.  Callers describe their stuff over the phone and he tries to determine what sort of people they are.
Or, click here to read a brief Newsweek article about the book.
And for a profile of Gosling in the Winston-Salem Journal, click here .

Feeling Neighborly?

by Teresa

An Op-Ed piece in the New York Times this week talks about the concept of neighborhoods.  The author writes about what he did when he realized that he hardly knew many of his neighbors.  He went around knocking on doors and—get this—he asked some of them to have sleepovers.
Peter Lovenheim writes: “What would it take, I wondered, to penetrate the barriers between us? I thought about childhood sleepovers and the insight I used to get from waking up inside a friend’s home. Would my neighbors let me sleep over and write about their lives from inside their own houses?“ 
Click here to read the article in the NYT and find out about his experience.

I remember my family knowing virtually everyone, in every house, in my neighborhood growing up.  Of course, that was in a small town in the Midwest… not a city in the Northeast.  It was a much different place, and a much different time. In fact, many of us didn’t even knock on doors (which weren’t ever locked).  Smaller kids came over to our yard to swing on our swingset all the time.  My brother and I rode bikes with the other kids and played outside from morning ‘til night.  At trick-or-treating time, all the grown-ups knew all the children’s names. 

Things aren’t quite the same, of course, in the neighborhood where I live now.  My husband and I have lived there for several years and I’ll have to admit, we still don’t know the first names of everyone on our block.  This is partly because, well, it’s just the way things ARE, these days, I think.  And it’s partly because we both work full time, and we had two babies, so we’ve been quite busy for the past few years!

But luckily, we are good friends with our neighbors on both sides.  One family has a baby daughter who’s going to be a great playmate for my kids when she gets a little older.  The neighbor on the other side has a granddaughter who often stays with her, and she’s a great kid—my children have been playing with her for a couple of years now.  There’s even a dog at each house on either side of us—which has helped our kids learn how to behave around dogs. 
My kids’ school principal lives in our neighborhood too!  They get so excited if they see her outside, and her house was by FAR their favorite stop on trick-or-treating night.
We know some of the other neighbors well enough to stop and chat, but the neighbors on either side are really special.  We’ve shared big events with them (birthday parties, cookouts, baby showers, etc.); they’re great people, and we just enjoy having them around. 

All in all, it may not be the ideal “neighborhood” feeling of my childhood, but I feel pretty happy—and lucky—to have ended up with people we really like, so near to us.  I know many people aren’t as lucky. 
How about you?  Do you know your neighbors?  Are you friends?  Do you get along?

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Food (Allergies) for Thought

by Teresa

I can’t imagine what it must be like, to be a parent whose child has a potentially life-threatening food allergy.
One child in my daughter’s preschool class this year has a peanut allergy, and it made me nervous when I brought in food for the class… even if it the treats had been pre-approved. 
It’s just terrifying to think that one tiny bite of the wrong treat could send a child to the hospital, or worse.
I know there are parents out there who find it annoying that they can’t pack peanut butter sandwiches in their kid’s lunch because of a another child’s food allergy. 
There was a piece in Newsweek this week that expresses what it’s like to be a parent whose child faces danger, from food, every single day of his life. It’s well-written, seems very heartfelt, and I think reading it might help some parents feel a little more sympathetic, and a little less upset, when they can’t send their kids to school with Reese’s peanut butter cups.  Click here to read it.

Children’s Place Pajama Recall

by Teresa

We report quite a few recalls on NBC 10, and I don’t post all of them here, because it’s generally infomation that’s easy for interested parents to find with a quick “Google” search—and our web staff posts a ton of them on turnto10.com, as well.
But there’s one in particular that I want to mention today because I think the item was an especially popular purchase in our area: a pajama set from Children’s Place.  The recall was issued because the screen printing on the top has lead in it! 
Not one but TWO moms here at Channel 10 had to run home and pull these p.j.‘s out of their dresser drawers, to take them back to the store for a full refund (one of them was Kelly!). 
Click here to see the page with all of the information from the CPSC.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Toys from your Childhood: New and Improved?

by Teresa

We all know, as parents, that we’re not supposed to try to force our own interests onto our children.

I will readily admit, however, that I did start giving My Little Pony toys to my daughter, when she was pretty little.
You know, just in case she happened to like them, as I did, when I was younger.
I will even admit, sheepishly, that I went on eBay and bought her a vintage one… an orange pony called “Applejack,“ the same one I had when I was about 10 years old (with shipping, it cost at least twice what it would’ve cost to just buy a modern one in the toy store.  Yes, I paid extra to buy a piece of molded plastic with nylon hair… that was about 25 years old.  It’s the orange one on the left in the photo above.)

Apparently, in a tough economy, toy companies are banking on the fact that other parents are like me… that they’ll want to buy toys for their kids, that remind them, fondly, of the past.  But they are revamping the brands.  Click here to read an article in the New York times about the way Strawberry Shortcake characters, and others, are being updated for today’s kids.  Apparently some toy makers think familiar lines are a safer bet than new toys, in these economic times.

Incidentally, as it turns out, my daughter loves My Little Pony toys. 
But she prefers the new Ponyville line (the tiny ones in front, in the photo). 

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Reports of Oral Sex Epidemic May Have Been Greatly Exaggerated?

by Teresa

Here’s something for parents of teenagers to consider.

Newsweek is reporting on a new study that contradicts the idea that there’s an “epidemic” of teenagers having oral sex. 
The idea was brought into the spotlight, in part, by features on TV talk shows.  The theory was that many teens are deciding to have oral sex instead of intercourse, and that they are doing so with multiple partners, in a more casual way.  The new study contradicts all of those assumptions.

To read the whole article, and an interview with one of the authors of the study, click here and here.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

When Life Hands you Lemons, Eat Miracle Fruit?

by Teresa

I read a story in the New York Times today about a strange little fruit that, when eaten, alters a person’s perception of taste.  Apparently, a small number of people are paying money to attend parties where they eat the so-called “Miracle Fruit,“ and then taste other foods, to test the effects.  Who knew such a thing existed?
The little berries reportedly make sour things like lemons taste sweet as candy.  They supposedly make vinegar taste as good as apple juice (personally, I don’t care what anyone tells me; I’m not drinking vinegar, for any reason).  The effect lasts about an hour.
You can click here to read the whole article.

Now, if only someone could go deep into the rainforest, or high up on a mountain somewhere, and discover a berry that would make “new” foods taste good to kingergarteners!  THAT would be a big help around my house!  My daughter will try just about any food, and she likes most of what she tries.  My son is tougher; we’re mostly limited to a small number of foods that he knows he likes to eat.  Any food that he hasn’t tasted before makes him wary, and he’ll make utterly unbelievable faces if I tell him he has to try just one bite.  You’d think I was making him eat lemons… WITHOUT the magical power of any “Miracle Fruit!“  The Times says the berries cost $2 each, but I have to admit, that price might be worth it to get this kid to eat some lasagna, or chicken-not-in-nugget-form, or even just oatmeal once in a while.  (Lest anyone worry that my boy is malnourished, I will say this: we’re lucky that he likes almost every fruit and vegetable; it’s the MAIN dishes we can’t get him to try, for some reason.)

*Note to my mother, if she’s reading this: I know you’re probably smiling at this story, and recalling that I used to behave exactly the same way, if not worse, when I was a child.  Let’s just say, I freely admit that my son’s picky eating habits are probably genetic.

Monday, May 19, 2008

(Wasted) Food for Thought

by Teresa

Like many moms these days, I spend a fair amount of time thinking about the environment and ways to run a “greener” household.  I’m far from alone in this concern; to read a recent article about so-called “Green Guilt,“ click here.

I’m also careful to keep an eye on the amount of money I’m spending on food for my family.  When I was single, and even in my early married days, I’ll be honest: I didn’t give a lot of thought to grocery bills.  Now, I watch for specials, comparison-shop, and I clip coupons like crazy. 

In the New York Times, I’ve just read an article that talks about something that happens in this country—something that’s not at ALL “green,“ something that actually drives UP food prices.  It saddened me, and it surprised me.  It’s about the staggering amount of food that gets wasted in this country.

Here’s a quick quote from the article by Andrew Martin:
“Americans waste an astounding amount of food — an estimated 27 percent of the food available for consumption, according to a government study — and it happens at the supermarket, in restaurants and cafeterias and in your very own kitchen. It works out to about a pound of food every day for every American.“

27 percent.  A pound of food per day.

It’s a very interesting piece.  You can click here  to read the whole article (and check out the graphic they put together illustrating how much food is wasted).

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

How About “My Self-Actualized Mommy?“

by Kelly

For weeks now I’ve had this need to say something about a certain book but none of my thoughts were suitable for family-friendly reading. I don’t know why “My Beautiful Mommy” (click here to read about it) has struck such a chord with me. This book is aimed at kids who have mothers going in for plastic surgery to modify their appearance to that of an American teenager. The “mom” in the book gets a nose job, a boob job, and a tummy tuck. It explains her recovery and how she’ll become “the most beautiful butterfly in all the world.“ Although the breast augmentation isn’t mentioned in the book, the illustrations confirm it. It all makes my skin crawl.

Don’t get me wrong. Plastic surgery is a noble part of medicine indeed. It allows some people to function in society. Burn victims, cancer survivors, people with certain deformities, and many more, have benefited from a skilled plastic surgeon. Their lives are given degrees of normalcy which spare them the emotional turmoil and physical pain they would suffer without this help. 

My issue is with physically healthy people feeling they need surgery to be accepted by society. As with any surgery, there is always the risk of death. Complications are always possible no matter how “small” the procedure. I simply don’t understand how someone can risk their lives to “fix” something that simply isn’t “broken” to begin with. I have a particularly hard time understanding this from mothers. As a friend of mine so eloquently puts it, “Mommy hates her (insert body part) more than she loves me.“

Maybe it’s my age – or more specifically, the time when I grew up.

As someone who came into young adulthood in the 80s, I have lived through the movement of “Self-Actualization.“ This is the idea that you strive to become totally comfortable with everything about yourself – as you are. I still hold this ideal in high regard. It’s harder than it seems. I personally know only one person who is truly self-actualized and she is the most beautiful woman in the world to me. She’s my mother-in-law. She is not a “classic” beauty, but she is simply not affected by criticism of her appearance. She swims in the ocean without a thought to anyone else on the beach. Her bathing suit is a ticket to an activity she enjoys, not an instrument of torture, self-doubt, self-criticism, or shame. Her energy is infectious. Her joys are genuine. Her life is true. She is smart and funny and thoughtful. She is a wonderful role model for my husband, me, and my kids. We devour every moment we are with her and I am truly lucky to know her.

There’s also a celebrity I admire for her willingness to age naturally: Jamie Lee Curtis (click here).

Maybe the reason “My Beautiful Mommy” bugs me so much has to do with my geography. In the Northeast, cosmetic surgery is a big deal. I understand that in other places like LA or Miami, this practice is commonplace, everyday, or even expected. But even in these places where surgery is routine, things can go so wrong. Take the case of the Florida teenager this past March (click here), or Kanye West’s mother last November (click here). They were truly lovely ladies taken from this world because they felt something wasn’t “right” with their appearance. And that’s just wrong. 

What kills me is the simple fact that these tragedies could have been avoided. These women obviously have families who love them and miss them and I certainly don’t mean to come off as callous or unsympathetic here. It’s just that, as a mother, I personally cannot risk my not being here on this planet for my kids, for the sake of vanity. Were these women not told this is not a 100% safe option for self-improvement? Did they not sign a waiver before their procedures? (NOTE: A waiver means something can go wrong and probably has in the past!!!) Maybe the thousands of dollars spent on the procedures would’ve been better spent on a psychotherapist with the goal of self-actualization?

Have you ever asked your own kids who they think is beautiful? Every kid I know ranks their own mother in the top 3. Think about it from your child’s perspective: why would your child want you to change the face they have seen every day since day one? It doesn’t matter how old the kid, or the mother for that matter, the simple fact is: if you have a child and raise them well - you have an automatic admirer for life! You’ll have the kind of beauty a goddess longs for. You will forever be beautiful - without the scars!

I cannot grasp the idea of risking not dancing at my children’s weddings to get rid of the post-C-section flab. I cannot gamble my attendance at their high school graduations for a “perkier set.“ This seems like a bad deal. Plain and simple. 

I’ve come up with so many alternate titles for the book “My Beautiful Mommy.“ Most I cannot post here. But here are some prospective books that sadly, will never be written:

“My Smart Mommy”, “My Self-Confident Mommy,“ “My Self-Assured Mommy,“ “My Stable Mommy.“ You get the idea.

If you have more you’d like to add to the list, let me know!

In the meantime, I’ll be at the beach with my mother-in-law, learning how to let this book roll off my back.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

More from Lenore Skenazy

by Teresa

The woman I wrote about recently, who let her young son ride the subway alone in NYC, has parlayed her newfound claim-to-fame into what she describes as a full-scale “movement.“  It even has a name: “Free Range Kids.“
Here’s a quote from Lenore Skenazy about this philosphy, from her new blog: “Do you ever let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk alone to school? Take a bus, solo? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a Free Range Kid! ... We believe in helmets, car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time school age children go outside, they need a security detail. Most of us grew up Free Range and lived to tell the tale.“
No one could deny that she’s committed to her ideas and she’s very enthusiastic, I’ll give her that.
And there are some spirited comments being submitted to her page that you can read, if you’re into that sort of thing.
To check out her blog, click here .
She wrote a piece about germs in snow (yes, apparently some people believe you shouldn’t let kids eat snowflakes because they have germs.  Not kidding).  The snow article is an example of what I like, about what she’s doing.  You can click here to read it. 
I do agree with Skenazy that parents need to question some of the craziness that happens when people begin to OVER-protect their children.  But for me, the key is finding a balance between allowing them to experience life, and taking sensible measures to keep them from harm.  I may let my kids go alone to the park someday, but definitely not now when they’re so young.
So, I guess I have to say I’m not ready to “join the movement” yet.  But I certainly appreciate Skenazy’s well-intentioned efforts to get people thinking about how we’re all raising kids these days.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Solo on the Subway

by Teresa

Did you see this story?  A columnist from the New York Sun, Lenore Skenazy, wrote about how she let her 9-year-old son, Izzy, find his own way home on the subway.  She said he’d been begging her to let him try it, so she gave him $20 in cash, a Metrocard and a subway map, and sent him on his way.
And what happened?  Nothing, she says, except that Izzy came home feeling independent and proud!  (To read her column, click here.)
Needless to say, the column has attracted a lot of commentary.
Some, who were horrified by the idea of a child alone in New York, called Skenazy a bad mother.  Others went so far as to say she should face charges for child abuse. 
The criticism didn’t seem to bother Skenazy much, as you can tell if you watch her appearance on NBC’s Today Show (click here).
She points out that her son, who sat next to her on the Today Show sofa, is perfectly fine after his “adventure”—which actually consisted of taking one subway train, and one bus.
The Today Show’s “parenting expert” told Skenazy there are better ways to let a child learn to be independent that aren’t as dangerous.
Some people in the newsroom here have had strong reactions to the story, one way or another. 
Personally, I think I have to reserve judgement on this one.  If there’s one thing I firmly believe, it’s that parents know their own children best.  Some kids mature more quickly than others.
As for my family—I think I’d be too nervous to let my kids take the subway alone at that age.  But then, we don’t live in New York City.  The subway certainly isn’t something they’re exposed to on a daily basis.  They’re not at all familiar with it.  Whereas Izzy Skenazy has probably been on the subway thousands of times.
And certainly, I agree with Skenazy that while it is our duty to try to keep them from harm, we shouldn’t over-protect our children.  She has a valid point, there.
And while the Today Show “expert” has a point that there may be safer ways to foster a child’s sense of independence…  some of Skenazy’s critics are just flat-out irrational (the ones crying “child abuse”).
There is, however, one thing about this story that bothers me.
Skenazy gave Izzy quarters for pay phones in case he needed to call her for help.  (My first thought was: “Really?  Will he be able to FIND a working pay phone, these days?“)
She said she didn’t give him her cell phone, because she was afraid he would lose it.
Now, I THINK she may have been joking when she made that comment.  At least, I hope she was.  Because, surely, a child that can’t be trusted with a cell phone should not be left to fend for himself in the city.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Stay Tuned!

by Teresa

We’ve been having some techinical difficulties with the NewsMoms blog over the past few days (ah, technology!).  We hope to have it all straightened out soon.

In the meantime, for diversion, check out this comedy song that was a huge YouTube hit a few months back.  It’s great fun for all moms.  This lady figured out everything that a mom says to her kids in a 24-our period… and she sings it all to the tune of the William Tell Overture.  I love it! 
You’ll laugh if you watch it, trust me.  Just click here.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Beloved Books: Byron Barton

by NewsMoms

In an earlier posting, Teresa discussed one of her children’s favorite books.  Today, Kelly talks about a series of books that her sons have loved.  We hope to continue featuring “Beloved Books” periodically in this space; please feel free to email us (click the “Contact” button at the very top of our blog page) with descriptions and/or photos of books your children adore!  We’ll share some of those right here on our blog!

Kelly’s Beloved Books
We are a home of devoted Byron Barton fans. My sister-in-law bought one for my eldest when he was just months old. Barton’s basic and bright colors framed in thick, black outlines combined with simple, demonstrative sentences held my son’s interest right from the start. My youngest is still enthralled! In fact, this past Saturday night we used packing tape to repair these books so my 4 year old could read them again. It’s not just one he reads at a sitting. We read all 3 at once – back to back to back. So for 6 years and counting, the trio of Barton’s work still gets a weekly workout.

Which reminds me – we need more packing tape!