August 2014 - Motherlode - The Network of Care

‘Would You Like Us to Arrest Him?’

After my 15-year-old was flashed on the street, my instinct was to shelter her. She had a stronger response in mind. Read More...

Published Wed, Aug 06 2014 5:59 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, sexual harassment, Teenagers and Adolescence, Women and Girls, Highlights

If We Link Boys With Bedlam, What Does That Say to Our Girls?

Our hosts this summer, all parents of girls, shook their heads ruefully as my sons romped. If I hear disapproval of my sons’ behavior in their comments, surely their daughters hear approval of more placid ways. Read More...

Published Thu, Aug 07 2014 9:14 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: gender, parenting, Women and Girls, Highlights

Weekly Quandary: Should Siblings Spectate?

Is sibling attendance at a brother or sister’s sports or other events part of being a supportive family, or “dragging them along?” Read More...

Published Tue, Aug 19 2014 10:18 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Siblings, parenting, advice, Families and Family Life, Athletics and Sports

In a Stepfamily, Whose Fairness Wins Out?

In my new husband's family, what was "fair" in family life was governed by seniority. I preferred to rely on egalitarian turn taking. "Fair" turns out to be subject to interpretation. Read More...

Published Sun, Aug 24 2014 5:29 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Divorce, Separations and Annulments, Families and Family Life, Highlights

Rent a Toy, Learn a Lesson

What would children learn if we made them give away some of their favorite toys after a month? Maybe that ownership and appreciation aren't linked. Read More...

Published Thu, Aug 14 2014 7:11 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, toys, Lieber, Ron, Highlights, The Opposite of Spoiled

Harry Potter Casts a Spell for Tolerance

Students who read and discussed a scene from Harry Potter in which the cruel Draco Malfoy calls Hermione a “filthy little Mudblood,” and her friends react with outrage reported more positive feelings about immigrants. Read More...

Published Thu, Aug 14 2014 11:05 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Research, discrimination, Friendship, Highlights, Paul, Annie Murphy, Brilliant, Rowling, J K, Harry Potter (Fictional Character)

Hookup Line. Carpool. Same Rituals, New School.

Some things are the same no matter where you are: the car pool line (called "hookup" in our new town). The health forms. The classrooms, the desks, the cubbies. It's not Mars, it's just school. They know how to do school. Read More....

Published Tue, Aug 26 2014 8:29 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Children and Childhood, Education (K-12), Highlights, New In Town, Nashville (Tenn)

A 6-Year-Old Shouldn’t Inherit a Stiff Upper Lip

My mother was sent away from her mother during the Blitz. She was expected to be stoic, and she expected the same from me. Now, I’m trying not to pass her dismissal of all fears on to my daughter. Read More...

Published Fri, Aug 22 2014 9:38 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Children and Childhood, Grief (Emotion), Great Britain, Highlights, World War II (1939-45)

13, and Surviving in the Woods on Squirrel Pizza

The 20-something mastermind behind my son's outdoor survival program presented parents with no medical forms or really any assurances for our children’s safety. Yet my son has never been hurt any worse than he has playing with friends in our finished...

Published Fri, Aug 29 2014 9:57 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Camps and Camping, Highlights

If My Son Loves Football, Can He Still Love Me?

My husband and I consider our family progressive. We're all for boys in pink playing with dolls. But progressive really means letting your children choose what to love, and my son loves football. Read More...

Published Sun, Aug 10 2014 6:16 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, football, Highlights, Homosexuality and Bisexuality

Telling the Kids: ‘We’re Moving.’

Telling my children we were moving from Atlanta to Nashville was easier than I thought it would be. Getting over worrying about how the move would affect them was not. Read More...

Published Tue, Aug 05 2014 6:18 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Children and Childhood, Books and Literature, Moving and Moving Industry, Highlights, New In Town

When Sports and Family Time Conflict, Speak Up

Try saying this out loud: “Family and academics are more important than sports, until sports conflict, then sports win.” Read More...

Published Fri, Aug 15 2014 6:15 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Children and Childhood, Families and Family Life, Feiler, Bruce, Athletics and Sports, Highlights

After a Miscarriage, Seeking Permission to Grieve

I bought the milk in the refrigerator while I was still pregnant. When I sent that text, the baby was already dead, and I didn’t know it yet. Read More...

Published Sun, Aug 17 2014 5:01 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Babies and Infants, Grief (Emotion), Miscarriages, Highlights

Helping Children Find Friends in a New Town (That Aren’t Your Friends, Too)

My children say they've made plenty of friends in our new town. Trouble is, they're all my co-workers. And as awesome as their grown-up friends are, children need kid friends, too. Read More...

Published Tue, Aug 12 2014 7:53 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Moving and Moving Industry, Friendship, Highlights, New In Town

The Case for Bribing Kids to Memorize Poetry

I offered an hour and 15 minutes of Minecraft in exchange for memorizing a poem, and my son was in. Read More...

Published Sun, Aug 03 2014 6:08 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Education (K-12), Highlights, Poetry and Poets

August 2014 - Motherlode

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