On Parenting - The Washington Post

The parenting lesson our dog taught us

Tracy Grant — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:55:44 GMT

I spend so much of my time thinking of my children as just that, children, I forget that at 17 they are far closer to being parents themselves than they are to the babies I can still glimpse in their now-bearded faces.

Read full article >>

How to stop sibling fighting

Marguerite Kelly — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:32:18 GMT

My son is extremely competitive with his sister, although she doesn’t provoke him or even act like she wants to compete with him. She pesters him in other ways and then they end up in an argument no matter what we do.

Read full article >>

Snip-Its tries to make haircuts easier for children with autism

Mari-Jane Williams — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:59:40 GMT

Getting a haircut for your child can be challenging under the best of circumstances. When your child has autism, it can be even more difficult. A hair salon can cause sensory overload for an autistic child, from being touched, to the strong smells from chemical treatments, to sudden blasts of hot air from loud blow dryers.

Read full article >>

Family Filmgoer reviews ‘Man of Steel,’ ‘This is the End’ and ‘The Purge’

Jane Horwitz — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:54:00 GMT

Man of Steel. Teens will respond to this Superman origin story. It includes religious imagery and phrases, giving the film a kind of weight that may have the power to move teens in search of depth in their movies. The story is told in flashbacks and flash-forwards, forcing an audience to pay close attention. “Man of Steel” opens on Superman’s home planet of Krypton. Jor-El sends his baby, Kal-El, in a space pod toward Earth as their planet is about to disintegrate, in hopes that he will become someone the earthlings can learn from. General Zod kills Jor-El and vows to trace Kal-El, retrieve the Kryptonian “codex” and get revenge. Cut to the farm where baby Kal-El lands. His adoptive parents urge the boy to keep his emerging powers secret until he discovers his purpose. The adult Clark meets Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane at an Arctic dig where an alien spacecraft has been discovered. Inside it, Clark learns his history. General Zod and his minions land on Earth and threaten to destroy humanity.

Read full article >>

Lego figures are getting angrier, according to science

Caitlin Dewey — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Legos haven't just become astronomically expensive in the past 35 years. According to a new study from researchers in New Zealand, the popular kids' toys have also developed a bit of an attitude problem.

Read full article >>

Vegetarian children in omnivorous households

Casey Seidenberg — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:04:00 GMT

Lately I seem to be getting the same question over and over: “What do I do when my child wants to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle?” For most, it begins with powerful feelings about animals. I can relate: I refused to eat meat at the age of 6 when I discovered the cows on a neighboring New Jersey farm were my dinner. Those feelings of outrage and empathy are real, so if your child feels strongly, it is safe to support her; just ensure her vegetarian diet is nutrient-rich.

Read full article >>

The biggest book of the year: 'Sheep in a Jeep'

Ron Charles — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:10:00 GMT

We get about 150 books a day at The Washington Post, so it's hard for a title to stand out. But last week, a new version of an old classic caught my attention: "Sheep in a Jeep," written by Nancy Shaw and illustrated by Margot Apple.

Read full article >>

Family Filmgoer reviews ‘Fill the Void,’ ‘The Internship,’ ‘The East’ and ‘Now You See Me’

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:25:50 GMT

Fill the Void (PG). This intimate look at lives very different from most of ours could fascinate teen moviegoers who don’t mind subtitles. Nothing in the film is inappropriate for younger kids, but its slow pacing and nuanced emotions will bore them. Set in Tel Aviv among the Hasidic community, it’s the story of an 18-year-old girl, Shira, an accordion-playing assistant kindergarten teacher. She faces a life-altering choice when her beloved older sister dies during childbirth (not graphic). Her brother-in-law Yochay will likely remarry soon, and may move away. Shira’s mother, desperate to see her grandson grow up nearby, decides that Shira should marry her widowed brother-in-law. But Shira has a likely fiance about whom she’s quite happy.

Read full article >>

The cure for summer brain drain: Live a little

Tracy Grant — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 13:59:34 GMT

It’s summertime.

Breathe deeply. Hear the splash in the pool, the crunch of the cicadas underfoot. For a few sweet weeks, let the chaos of the school year recede; forget about schedules and stop rushing around.

Read full article >>

Young graduates need to try and to fail

Ruth Marcus — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:53:37 GMT

In this graduation season, I thought I’d share the best advice I ever received: You can’t make a mistake before you’re 30.

Granted, there are a few things wrong with this advice.

First, it’s ambiguous. The intended meaning is not zero tolerance for youthful error — quite the opposite. The point is that youth and early adulthood is the time for some — since I have teenage daughters, emphasis on the some — risk-taking and experimentation.

Read full article >>

The inspiration of an opera singer with donated lungs

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:48:16 GMT

I know personally of the joy of Charity Tillemann-Dick’s soaring soprano and the agony and pain she endured to be able to share it with those of us fortunate to hear her [“The Voice,” May 28]. For years, I attended Hungarian embassy events — piano recitals, poetry readings, string quartet concerts — but there was nothing like the times when Charity took the stage, belted out Broadway show tunes, an Italian aria or a little Bartok concerto. We all sat up straighter, became totally enthralled with her vocal range — even tapped our feet and hummed along.

Read full article >>

‘Worst end of school year mom ever’: Jen Hatmaker’s blog post is a reminder that the end of the school year chaos is universal

Mari-Jane Williams — Fri, 31 May 2013 15:56:57 GMT

This morning, I guiltily glanced at my daughter’s unfinished kindergarten homework packet for May, figuring that I would try to sneak it in on Monday, and that’s still pretty close to the end of May, right? Turns out it was due May 24.

Read full article >>

Family Filmgoer reviews ‘Epic,’ ‘Fast & Furious 6,’ ‘Before Midnight,’ ‘Frances Ha’ and ‘The Hangover Part III’

Jane Horwitz — Thu, 30 May 2013 21:14:00 GMT

Epic (PG). There’s enough visual beauty and wit in this 3-D animated fable to keep kids 6 and older entertained. Still, the film feels occasionally fidget-worthy at one hour and 42 minutes. A strongminded 17-year-old named M.K. comes to live with her estranged dad, Prof. Bomba, after the apparent (implied, not discussed) death of her mom. Kind but absentminded, Bomba is obsessed with his research. He is convinced that tiny people live in the woods. The people there are Leafmen. They and all the lesser forest creatures around them have a whole civilization. Queen Tara and her realm are threatened by Mandrake, evil leader of the Boggans, who want to destroy the forest. Leafmen warriors fly on armored hummingbirds to fight the Boggans. M.K. gets caught in the middle of a battle. She shrinks to Leafmen size and is befriended by Queen Tara and the brave Ronin.

Read full article >>

When is it time for a child to quit an activity?

Karima A. Haynes — Thu, 30 May 2013 15:36:59 GMT

Kristen Thomen can’t seem to sit still.

The 15-year-old takes advanced placement classes at Riverdale Baptist School and has a 4.1 grade-point average. She spends her afternoons running track, playing tennis, working on the yearbook and acting in the spring musical.

Read full article >>

Bicycle buying guide: How to choose the right one for your child

Mari-Jane Williams — Wed, 29 May 2013 15:03:29 GMT

Read full article >>

Nearly 40 percent of mothers are now the family breadwinners, report says

Brigid Schulte — Wed, 29 May 2013 04:01:00 GMT

In a trend accelerated by the recent recession and an increase in births to single mothers, nearly four in 10 families with children under the age of 18 are now headed by women who are the sole or primary breadwinners for their families, according to a report released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center.

Read full article >>

Gatorade vs. water: Which is better for kids?

Casey Seidenberg — Tue, 28 May 2013 19:56:00 GMT

Like many little athletes, my boys enjoy Gatorade, Powerade and all of those other brightly colored sports drinks. I don’t. I have seen the commercials, so I gather that these drinks are designed to replenish electrolytes lost through sweat and that celebrity athletes drink them. Yet what kid actually needs 34 grams of sugar and a dose of chemical food dye in order to replenish after a one-hour sports game?

Read full article >>

Bernard Waber’s ‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ books still resonate with children, parents

Mari-Jane Williams — Tue, 28 May 2013 16:21:46 GMT

When children’s author Bernard Waber died earlier this month, the staff at Politics & Prose in the District set up a table displaying his books, including “The House on 88th Street” and “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” to honor his work. The books, some of them 50 years old, flew off the shelves, according to Heidi Powell, the manager of the children and teens section at the store.

Read full article >>

Paul Tudor Jones: In macro trading, babies are a ‘killer’ to a woman’s focus

Jenna Johnson — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:35:00 GMT

Paul Tudor Jones, the hedge fund billionaire, told an audience of University of Virginia students, alumni and others that it is difficult for mothers to be successful traders because connecting with a child is a focus “killer.” As long as women continue having children, he said, the industry is likely to be dominated by men.

Read full article >>

Family Almanac: A too-smart-by-half 8-year-old

Marguerite Kelly — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:36:12 GMT

And yet she is delightful and she charms all the adults with her conversational skills, her kindness and her joy of life. This, combined with her remarkable intelligence, has let her coast through school, but she can’t fake or charm her way through cursive writing, multiplication tables and journal writing.

Read full article >>

A new mother wonders how to get past the ‘am I doing it right?’ anxiety

Carolyn Hax — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Hi there:

I’m a new mom of a pretty fun but challenging 6-month-old boy. I am a naturally decisive person, but the anxiety I’m feeling over making the “right” decisions or providing him the “right” things has been difficult to cope with.

Read full article >>

Family Filmgoer reviews ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ and ‘The Iceman’

Jane Horwitz — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:49:00 GMT

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s. Teens who have a taste for fashion, art and celebrity could be entranced by this unabashed love letter to the high-end Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman. Many of the people interviewed are from older generations, but they’re interesting characters. Filmmaker Matthew Miele shows how deeply store regulars love the place, how Bergdorf’s Linda Fargo selects new designers and how designers desperately want Bergdorf’s to feature their collections. The theme of conspicuous consumption by the rich could curdle this film for some, but it also takes a look at fashion as art.

Read full article >>

The meaning of life over the dinner table

Tracy Grant — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:59:00 GMT

Summer can’t get here soon enough. No alarms going off at ungodly hours. No hectoring about homework. No imposed bedtimes.

But mostly I’m looking forward to the return of “the question.”

This summer mealtime tradition was started by my son Andrew. At age 8 or 9, he had correctly figured out that during summer we spent more time around the breakfast or dinner table. Meals were often eaten on the screened-in back porch, which invited lingering conversation. Even as a young child, Andrew was never one to put up with idle chatter. Conversation, he seemed to know innately, should lead to greater understanding of people, of nature, of the world.

Read full article >>

What’s keeping Baby up?

Marguerite Kelly — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:57:03 GMT

Although my son’s cold left two weeks ago, his teeth still seem to hurt even with Tylenol and numbing gels. Why is he this fussy? Our son eats three meals a day and drinks four bottles of formula, so I don’t think he is hungry. We keep the house at 70 degrees, so I don’t think he’s cold, even though his pajamas are light and his diapers get wet in the night.

Read full article >>

Kids and nutrition: Getting them to eat greens

Casey Seidenberg — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:37:33 GMT

Dark leafy greens, especially the typified kale, are enjoying their season in the spotlight. It’s about time! Leafy greens are now found on menus at high-end restaurants and even some fast-food joints. Families across the country are roasting kale, and these kale chips are now sold in many grocery stores. The green smoothie is a familiar sight, and T-shirts imprinted with “Eat More Kale” have drawn the attention of Chick-fil-A, which contends the buzzwords infringe on its slogan “Eat Mor Chikin.”

Read full article >>

On Parenting - The Washington Post

The parenting lesson our dog taught us

How to stop sibling fighting

Snip-Its tries to make haircuts easier for children with autism

Family Filmgoer reviews ‘Man of Steel,’ ‘This is the End’ and ‘The Purge’

Lego figures are getting angrier, according to science

Vegetarian children in omnivorous households

The biggest book of the year: 'Sheep in a Jeep'

Family Filmgoer reviews ‘Fill the Void,’ ‘The Internship,’ ‘The East’ and ‘Now You See Me’

The cure for summer brain drain: Live a little

Young graduates need to try and to fail

The inspiration of an opera singer with donated lungs

‘Worst end of school year mom ever’: Jen Hatmaker’s blog post is a reminder that the end of the school year chaos is universal

Family Filmgoer reviews ‘Epic,’ ‘Fast & Furious 6,’ ‘Before Midnight,’ ‘Frances Ha’ and ‘The Hangover Part III’

When is it time for a child to quit an activity?

Bicycle buying guide: How to choose the right one for your child

Nearly 40 percent of mothers are now the family breadwinners, report says

Ga­tor­ade vs. water: Which is better for kids?

Bernard Waber’s ‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ books still resonate with children, parents

Paul Tudor Jones: In macro trading, babies are a ‘killer’ to a woman’s focus

Family Almanac: A too-smart-by-half 8-year-old

A new mother wonders how to get past the ‘am I doing it right?’ anxiety

Family Filmgoer reviews ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ and ‘The Iceman’

The meaning of life over the dinner table

What’s keeping Baby up?

Kids and nutrition: Getting them to eat greens

Gatorade vs. water: Which is better for kids?