From our April issue, a selection of thought-provoking, laugh-inducing, and just plain interesting throughs from around the web and the world of parenting.
"This is probably the closest any man can get to experiencing childbirth. (Except, of course, it’s absolutely not. Not even close. Shut up, already.)"—description following Dad 2.0 Summit’s (@dad2summit) announcement of round three of their 2012 lineup of speakers for their annual conference, where parents and media chew over the changing perception of modern fatherhood; we look forward to hearing about what was discussed last month, and hope the delivery went smoothly—and kudos to two NY-area moms who made the cut, HuffPo’s Lisa Belkin (@lisabelkin) and Stephanie Smirnov, president of Devries Public Relations (@ssmirnov, or read her blog likethevodka.com and search for one of our favorite LOL posts, “Do You Chew Your Child’s Food?”)
This Is What a Child With a Disability Looks Like, Right? Wrong.
“Looks don’t tell you anything. Labels don’t tell you anything. And yet, that’s something many people just don’t understand when it comes to those with disabilities...Laws can help enforce the accommodation of people with disabilities. But until the world gets past the stereotypes, perceptions, and misconceptions of what a person with a disability ‘is,’ there will never really be true acceptance or accommodation of people with disabilities.” —Ellen Seidman, journalist and local mom of two, on her blog Love That Max; her writings typically focus on “kids with special needs who kick butt” (inspired by her son, who has cerebral palsy). Follow her @LoveThatMax
One and Only “Why chance it and throw a baby into the mix? Things are easier now. Why risk that it would be too much—for us as a couple, for us as a family, for my body?…Sometimes I wish I was 10 years or even five years younger—I think then I would throw caution to the wind and have another baby. And keep that highchair I just cleaned up for an hour so I can resell it...” —Dagmar Bleasdale, Katonah mom of one, on her blog Dagmar’s Momsense, where she makes sense of motherhood, green and frugal living, breastfeeding, attachment parenting, and more, in a post entitled "‘Not Me!’ Monday—Baby Blues”
“Prince Henrik decided he didn’t want to marry a real princess…He wanted to marry the exact opposite. She didn’t have to be beautiful or sensitive. She just had to like hockey and camping and have a nice smile.” —from the new picture book "The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas" by Tony Wilson and Sue deGennaro (Peachtree; $16.95)
Take Note
“When I first started making my daughter lunch for camp when she was 4, I started putting notes in her lunch. I did it partly because she was starting to spend more time away from me and I wanted her to have a part of me with her. I also wrote notes in her lunchbox because that’s just the way I am—I’m sentimental and a letter writer. I would slip in notes like: ‘You are my sunshine. Love, Mommy’…They always included drawings to illustrate the words. After all, she couldn’t read….My daughter actually commented on my notes on occasion, especially on the days that I didn’t include them when she noticed their absence.” —Holly Rosen Fink, founder of Culture Mom, on her blog theculturemom.com—“for moms who aren’t ready to trade sushi for hot dogs”—which includes fab reviews of books (yes, adult reads, moms!), theater, art, music, and more; Holly lives in Larchmont with her husband and two children
“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.” —the Once-ler character in Dr. Seuss’s prescient 1971 kids’ book "The Lorax" (now also a feature film from Illumination Entertainment and Universal Films), the whimsical tale with a powerful message about conservation and caring, one that resonates even more today than when the book first came out; Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House have partnered to sponsor The Lorax Project to raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire earth-friendly action by kids of all ages
Twitter Talk @NYMetroParents
Oh boy. Who wants to touch this one? Dad = babysitter? Mom = designated parent? WHAT?! nymetroparents.com/nyt-census-fathers (cc:
@NYCDadsGroup)
Excited to partner w @ALM_Project, a documentary focusing on fathers w autistic children. An impressive, revealing project. #AutisticLikeMe
OMG RT @DawnRoode @JessicaSDukes Hubbie sent out a pic of me 1 min into recovery after 12hr labor & emerg-C—while nursing no less. #exposed (not) #primpingbeforelabor
Other top topics last month: #sorelosers, #ToyFairNY, #mommywarsredux, #jcpenney, #ellendegeneres
