Strollerderby

Browse by Tags

• Why Wait? Start the Competitive Pressure Before Birth

  Flip through any pregnancy magazine or take a walk through your average baby superstore, and you'll be confronted with gadgets that will, if you have any retained any sense, make your eyes roll clear out of your head. My favorite ridiculous thing when I was pregnant with my daughter was the special CD player that had  headphones you could stretch over your belly so the baby could listen to  classical music before it was  born. Now, the "Mozart effect" is in fact disputed, no studies have been done on the effect of music in utero, and even if it were as accepted as folic acid and putting down the smokes, why this ridiculous contraption is any more effective than a regularold Discman which you can probably find on eBay for $5 escapes me. This time, it's the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System (it makes my heart hurt a little to even type that out). Read More... Posted Dec 17 2007, 06:00 PM by Amy Kuras with | with no comments Filed under: pressure to be perfect, bad idea, silly products, BabyPlus

• More Gross Parents From the NYT--Be Skinny and Popular!

  I guess it's yucky parent week at the NYT. Now we have a bit on parents who pressure their kids to be thin and alluring and play sports and suck up to the mean, popular kids. Nice, huh? Oh, and when parents fail to take on this role, there's always a helpful aunt or uncle or other relative to step in and fill the void. Like this: "'All I ever think about is whether my niece is popular, thin and happy enough,' said Peggy Siegal, the movie screening doyenne and New York social engine. 'Her mother tells me I have very bad values.'" Hmm, ya think? I love how popular, thin, and happy all go hand-in-hand.   One theory behind why these parents are pushing their kids to be school stars is that the folks are living vicariously through the children. Read More... Posted Nov 06 2007, 11:01 AM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: new york times, popularity, pressure to be perfect, thingamababy, bad behavior, shallow

• Kids Under Pressure

  I suppose it's hard, as a parent, to find that nice balance between encouraging our kids to excel and grinding their little souls into the dirt with a "BE THE BEST!" set of expectations. But wow, I read this story of anxiety-riddled little kids terrified of letting their parents down and thought, "Ugh." How sad is that, kids faking injuries so they don't risk failure on the sports field? Or having a sport go from fun to frightening just because mom is watching? I guess I'm lucky my kid could give a rat's ass what I think of her t-ball performance, because I'd hate to send her into this kind of panic just because she dropped the ball. At the risk of getting all afterschool special on y'all, one of the lessons we've worked on as a family is the whole idea of mistakes as an opportunity to learn. And I loved what Jessica had to say on this topic a while back. In my other job as a trainer, I sometimes see adults who have been so traumatized by aggressive coach parents that they are afraid to even attempt anything athletic. I wish these grown ups could have played on my kid's t-ball team, where there is no such thing as keeping score and it's not uncommon for the batter to hug the first base player on the way to home.    Posted Jul 19 2007, 03:53 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: sports, stress in kids, pressure to be perfect, team sports

• "Naming the Baby" - John and Jamie Buckle Under the Pressure

  They've hit a nerve among parents, and they know it, so Chris Henchy, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and the rest of the guys behind the web video sensation, Funny or Die, are kicking the parenting parodies into high gear.  The latest comes in the form of "Naming the Baby," which chronicles a night in the lives of an expectant couple driven to the bottle and the blow by the pressure of naming their unborn child, and the generations-old challenge of putting that goddamn crib together.  Jump here to feel better about yourself as a parent. And praise the powers that be for Funny or Die - it's like an inside joke that we're all actually in on!  Feels good, doesn't it? Posted Jun 11 2007, 10:10 AM by Alisyn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: baby names, will ferrell, pressure to be perfect, funny or die, naming the baby, john and jamie

• Salma Hayek Sounds Off on Motherhood, the Bible, and the Pressure to be Perfect That All Women Face

  Newly engaged and pregnant with her first child at age 40, outspoken actress Salma Hayek sounded off to Marie Claire magazine about the mounting pressures that all women today face - and how the Bible is partially responsible for it.  "Motherhood is for me, [but] it's not for everyone... " she said.  "Society thinks if you don't have children, you've failed as a woman, even if you are CEO of a company.  You've got to be beautiful, smart, skinny, tall, rich, successful at your job, married to the right guy – and have genius children. And by the way, you also have to be a nun!" Let's see... we have to have kids, raise them, keep your day job, stay skinny, make a lot of money, have a happy marriage, all while living by a strict moral code... just to be considered "good enough" as a woman?   Yep, that sounds about right.   Read More... Posted Apr 16 2007, 07:11 PM by Alisyn with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: celebrity babies, salma hayek, pressure to be perfect, the bible