There are so many informative and fascinating news articles about raising children, relationships, the brain, education… we’ve sifted through them and share some good ones here.
Parenting
How Kids Benefit from Doing Chores by Laura Grace Weldon. ”Research shows that children who participated in household tasks starting at age three or four were more likely to succeed in adulthood.”
7 Things You Don’t Know about a Special Needs Parent. by Maria Lin. “Chances are that you know a special needs parent, or you may be one yourself. As a special needs parent, I often don’t share my feelings on this aspect of my life, even with my closest friends, so I decided to compile a list here with the goal of building understanding.”
Where are the Dads? by John Willey. Procter & Gamble’s” latest tear jerker of a commercial, centered around this year’s upcoming Summer Olympics, has omitted one thing: Dad.” But wait, grab your tissues, watch the 2nd video – and you’ll see a DAD!
Men & Boys
Memo to Media: Manhood, Not Guns or Mental Illness, Should be Central in Newtown Shooting by Jackson Katz. He advises, “Don’t buy the manipulative argument that it’s somehow “anti-male” to focus on questions about manhood in the wake of these ongoing tragedies. Men commit the vast majority of violence and almost all rampage killings. It’s long past time that we summoned the courage as a society to look this fact squarely in the eye and then do something about it. Women in media can initiate this discussion, but men bear the ultimate responsibility for addressing the masculinity crisis at the heart of these tragedies.”
Boys Are Going Through Puberty Earlier – Dads, We Need Your Help! by Dr. Claire McCarthy, MD In 1969, the average boy started going through puberty when he was 11.6 years old. According to the study just released, the average has gone down significantly.
The Hazards of Manhood By Michael Schwalbe in YES! Magazine. Am I man enough? Am I powerful enough? Men put their bodies at risk to cover up pain, fear, and vulnerability.
Boys and Young Men: A New Cause for Liberals (Janet’s note: this really has nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with being aware of the struggles of our boys). By Mark Sherman “Its as important to pay attention to the needs of boys and young men the way they’ve long done for girls and young women.”
Raising a Boy Using Shame. by Jason Gaddis. “Most parents think “hey, I don’t shame my kids.” But shame can be a sneaky, shadowy, elusive emotion. Shame can be as subtle as looking away disappointed, or overtly telling your kid they did it wrong.”
5 Reasons Why Bullying is Getting Worse. by Cameron Conaway. ” This article only scratches the surface. Not only are there other factors involved in the complex issue of bullying, but even the five I’ve mentioned here could be significantly expanded into articles (even books) unto themselves. It’s not enough to be emotionally crushed when we hear on the news of a bullied student committing suicide. We must act. And before we can act we must understand.”
Girls
25 Things I Want My Daughter to Know. Lisa of Mommy Om. “Since Ella started kindergarten this year and I can already feel her slipping outside my bubble, I’ve devised a list of things I want her to know as she begins her journey to independence.”
Relationships
The Flight from Conversation. By Sherry Turkle. Author of Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less From Each Other. From the article: “A 16-year-old boy who relies on texting for almost everything says almost wistfully, “Someday, someday, but certainly not now, I’d like to learn how to have a conversation.”
Brains & Bodies & Learning
Study confirms men and women see things differently. By Rollin Bishop. Men were able to better track fast-moving objects while women distinguished shades of color far more capably.
People from colder climates have bigger eyes and brains. By Erin Podolak. Researchers from Oxford University have discovered that humans who live in polar regions (far from the equator) have evolved bigger eyes and larger brains to help them process information at the low level of light typical in those areas.
It’s OK to Cry at Work. Interview by Tess Vigeland. “Tears are kinda like the check engine light on your car dashboard kind of,” she said. “When you feel yourself about to cry, it’s telling you something: You’re frustrated, you’re overworked, you’re feeling undervalued, you don’t have enough resources. It’s a real tool for analysis. It can actually help you perform your work more successfully.
Media
Children at risk from screen ‘addiction,’ warns psychologist. BBC News Report. The average 10-year-old has access to five different screens at home…and some are becoming addicted to them or depressed as a result.
Your computer doesn’t have developmental stages. by Laura Crandall. Includes video of toddler trying to “use” a magazine as an iPad – and discovers that it doesn’t work.
Third of parents regret giving gadgets to their children By Daily Mail Reporter. Fears about the damage to youngsters’ patience, creative and social skills as well as to quality time mean 34 per cent of parents yearn to take the gadgets back.
How to Miss a Childhood. By Rachel Macy Stafford. A recipe for how to miss a childhood is followed by steps to ‘putting down the device’ and really engaging with your child. Author asks, When my daughter is 18 years old, “will I wish I had spent more time on my phone/work/social life? Or will I wish I had spent more time investing in her?”
Education
Elementary School Bias Against Boys Sets Them Up for Failure reporting on the recently published study that they say shows “gender disparities in teacher grades start early and uniformly favor girls.”
The Boys at the Back by Christina Hoff Sommers. ”Boys score as well or better than girls on most standardized tests yet they are far less likely to get good grades, take advanced classes or attend college.”
How to Create a Boy-Friendly School. By Gurian Certified Master Trainer Kelley King. ”Who Am I? I am more likely to dislike school and to believe that school dislikes me. I am more likely to be below grade level in reading and to never catch up. I am more likely to be labeled mentally retarded and less likely to be labeled gifted. I am more likely to be on medication to get me to sit still. I am more likely to be checked out, dropped out or kicked out. My literacy scores are depressing the rankings of every school where I attend. You will find me in every racial, linguistic and economic subgroup. Who Am I?….Answer: A Boy.”
Watch this TED Talk: Why architects need to use their ears. By Julian Treasure. ”Because of poor acoustics, students in classrooms miss 50% of what their teachers say…”
Play Today, Lead Tomorrow. By Darell Hammond. I often say that play is the best natural resource in a creative economy. I’m not the only one who thinks so. In a recent IBM study of 1500 CEO’s, creativity was deemed the most important leadership quality in today’s complex social and economic environment.
Reinventing Education to Teach Creativity and Entrepreneurship. By Jennifer Medbery “We don’t need to memorize things any more, but we still need teachers to guide our students toward learning the best ways to problem solve. The question is: How do you measure that?”
What Do Test Scores Really Say About a School? by Hannah Boyd. “It is critical that parents don’t stop at the question, ‘what is the best school?’ and instead move toward ‘what is the best school for my child?’” says Dan Gilbert, Lecturer at the Stanford School of Education.
The Global Search for Education: More Arts Please by C.M. Rubin. An interview with Sir Ken Robinson, PhD, one of the internationally recognized leaders in the development of education creativity and innovation and says, “I believe that the arts should be on an equal footing in schools with the sciences, humanities, languages and physical education.”