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  • Best Place to Raise Kids Depends on What Kind of Kids You Want to Raise

     

    In June, an article in Forbes.com offered a top-ten list of the best places to raise kids.  The article goes on about the process of selection, but in the end, it seems to add up to “uniformly white and middle-class” when you look closely at both the criteria and the final list.  The article even suggests that proximity to shopping malls is a plus, because hanging out in them is important to teenagers' social development.  

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  • Pollution is as Bad for Kids as Secondhand Smoke

    pollutionLet's talk about ways to lower kids' IQs: one thing that works pretty well is smoking in utero, and another is exposing them to lead. And still another is simply living in a high traffic-pollution area. Ouch.

    Sad-but-true: kids living in high-traffic areas rife with pollution were measured IQ-wise, and the resultant IQ drops were consistent with those found in kids exposed to secondhand or in utero smoking or lead exposure.

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  • Strollerderby Playdate: Mired in Misery? Not So Much.

    Misery index? I'll give you a misery index!

    Karen wrote this week about the fact that Forbes Magazine recently released a list of the most miserable cities in America, and guess what? I'm living in the worst one! Whee!

    Admittedly, right about now it’s hard to disagree. We're embroiled in a huge political scandal, my neighborhood streets are so icy I can hardly negotiate them, and there are for sale signs just everywhere, including on the homes of some of my favorite neighbors. Boo.

    But there is so much reason to be optimistic, including that some of the best parent bloggers out there live in my very own city.

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  • Babble Talk: Interview With Mary-Louise Parker

    Mary Louise Parker WeedsI admit, I've always had a bit of a thing for Mary-Louise Parker ever since I saw her in Fried Green TomatoesMary-Louise seemed quirky and eccentric yet strong, just the sort of person I'd be if I was shorter and a brunette.  And famous.  (And buff!  Have you seen her lately?  She does "over-40" proud.)  And Ada Calhoun's recent interview with Mary-Louise does not disappoint; in fact, the actress seems to be living an idyllic life with her three-year-old son, playing the urban mom while introducing him to the joys of art through frequent museum trips and walks through the park while at the same time trying to provide him with balance and down-time.  In short, Mary-Louise Parker seems to be doing what we all aspire to: enjoying our children, teaching them about the things we feel are important in life, while at the same time remaining true to ourselves.
  • Toy Rooms: Suburban Myth?

    One of my best friends, James, has the uniquely distinct ability to separate the chaff from his life and focus on the truly important things in life.  His general philosophy revolves around the fact that, as America has become a more affluent and suburban nation, people have lost perspective and tend to spend a lot of time bitching about their "high-class problems." 

    Needless to say, James' words were at the forefront of my mind when I read this article telling me why I absolutely needed to have a "toy room." 

    First of all, I didn't even know what the fuck a "toy room" was until I read this article.  Apparently, a toy room is "a special place where children can escape and get lost in their own imagination...because every child needs a special, magical place."  It's a separate private room in the house where a child can keep all his toys so that the entire house doesn't become overrun with them.

    Bwahahaha!

    I laugh because the first thing any of my single or childless friends says when they come over to our apartment is, "Holy shit, dude!  What the fuck happened to your apartment?"  Needless to say, our entire apartment is a "toy room."  I'm constantly stepping on crayons, wiping play-dough off my clothes, or spiking my foot with Legos.

    Yes, it's true. I live in Manhattan, a city where 750 square feet of apartment can run well over a million dollars.  However, I have friends who live in the suburbs whom I think would also find the concept of a "toy room" equally laughable.  For most of us, having a "toy room" is like one of those legendary parenting myths...like affordable daycare or safe public schools.

    I don't know.  Maybe I've just been living in the concrete jungle too long.  Do you people actually have "toy rooms" for your kids? 



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