November 2012 - Motherlode - The Network of Care

Four Hours of Screen Time? No Problem

My 8-year-old son and his friend spent untold hours playing a massively multiplayer online game over the past summer - and I didn't care. Read More...

Published Fri, Nov 16 2012 9:34 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, Friendship, Computer and Video Games, Computers and the Internet

The Vagina (and Penis) Dialogues

There are excellent reasons for using the correct anatomical terms for our reproductive systems with our children, but for many, there remains a linguistic taboo. Read More...

Published Tue, Nov 06 2012 8:39 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, Children and Childhood, Sex Crimes, Language and Languages, Penis, Vagina

Coming Out by Christmas Card

Our holiday cards are usually a slapdash affair, saying little about our family other than that I've somehow managed to purchase stamps. But this year, for those that don't know us well, our Christmas photo reveals a bit more. Read More...

Published Sun, Nov 18 2012 5:30 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, Christmas, Photography, homosexuality, Families and Family Life, Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund

Woman Gives Birth to Own Grandson

On February 9, 2011, my son, Finnean Lee, came into the world, and at sixty-one my mother became the oldest woman in Illinois to give birth. Read More...

Published Fri, Nov 23 2012 5:50 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, infertility, _featured, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Women and Girls, Surrogate Motherhood, Menopause

'Far From the Tree' and the Literature of Autism

Among other things, "Far from the Tree" is a tribute to parents who live the daily grind, who celebrate incremental victories, and who avoid reading books about their child's diagnosis until they're ready. Read More...

Published Tue, Nov 27 2012 8:22 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, Autism, parenting, Disabilities, Books and Literature, Solomon, Andrew

'Wake Up Your Children. Open All the Windows.' The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

That's what keeps going through my mind, even days later: how the baby would have gone first. If the firefighters had arrived later, maybe the rest of us would have been fine, but Luka would have died in his sleep. Read More...

Published Fri, Nov 02 2012 11:08 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, Daylight Saving Time, Hurricane Sandy (2012), Carbon Monoxide, Hazardous and Toxic Substances

Mother of the Year

I'm wracked with guilt that we didn't notice that our 14-year-old son - who didn't want glasses - was struggling to see. My husband isn't. Read More...

Published Fri, Nov 30 2012 1:09 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized

An Overwhelmed Mother's Departure Memo

A bleak report, in the form of a law firm associate's departure memo, on the state of the upper middle class work-parent juggle. Read More...

Published Fri, Nov 09 2012 12:50 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, Child Care, parenting, Women and Girls, Families and Family Life, Work-Life Balance, Law and Legislation, Clifford Chance

Giving a Child Permission to Be Miserable

It's hard for a parent to be with a child who's suffering-but it's hard on kids when their parents push them to look on the bright side. Read More...

Published Thu, Nov 15 2012 6:41 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, hospitals, _featured, Children and Childhood, Emotions, Grief (Emotion)

When *** Isn't Best

Not being able to ***-feed has been an unexpected blessing for my marriage and career. Read More...

Published Wed, Nov 07 2012 6:49 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, Breastfeeding, Babies and Infants, Women and Girls, Nursing and Nurses

The Macro-Economics of Raising Robots (or Children)

When it comes to investing in our nation's children, parents and non-parents alike should all be on the same side. Read More...

Published Mon, Nov 19 2012 1:48 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, Children and Childhood, Women and Girls, Work-Life Balance, Economic Conditions and Trends

An Agnostic Talks to Her Children About God

While kids often really do want to know about God, at other times they are seeking reassurance that their theory-building attempts to explain the world are acceptable. Read More...

Published Sun, Nov 25 2012 5:50 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, Children and Childhood, Religion and Belief

How Children Subsidize 'Low, Low Prices'

Adolescents from households headed by a low-income worker are more likely to drop out of school, to be obese, and to take on adult roles too young. Read More...

Published Wed, Nov 28 2012 6:50 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, Child Care, parenting, poverty, Children and Childhood, Labor and Jobs, Wages and Salaries, Workplace Environment

When Parents Disagree About Politics, Will Children Learn to See Both Sides?

I would prefer to tell my children that mine is the only way moral, caring, intelligent, thoughtful people could possibly see the world. But my husband stands smack in the way of that conclusion. Read More...

Published Fri, Nov 02 2012 7:34 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, Children and Childhood, Presidential Election of 2012, Families and Family Life, United States Politics and Government, Ethics (Personal), Marriages, Harwood, John

Bottle or *** Shouldn't Define What's Best

Behind the "*** is best" push has always been an uncomfortable truth: that breastfeeding is more supported by lip service, promotion and hospital nudges than by giving women the time and opportunity to do it. Read More...

Published Wed, Nov 07 2012 1:54 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, Breastfeeding, _featured, Babies and Infants, Women and Girls

November 2012 - Motherlode

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