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Let's look at things a little differently. . .
So, do you dress your youngest children to match the offspring of the Hollywood elite? These moms do – and they are the subject of this week’s column.
This was recently in the Wall Street Journal – ouch!
Dress-up: Moms Put their Tykes in Stars’ Clothes
Thanks for stopping by.
Betsy Hart
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Hi friends – here’s this week’s column. Apparently it hits close to home for many folks. I’ve already gotten a lot of response to it!
Have a great weekend – and thanks for stopping by.
Betsy Hart
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Hi Everybody – I hope you are having a great week.
Here’s a very interesting article from the Wall Street Journal about how some kindergartens in Germany are going – back to nature. I think this may go even further than I would like on lightening up on kids in the early years of school, but it’s interesting to see what may be (an extreme version) of a new trend. Maybe even the beginning of the backlash to the “all school all the time” routine we seem to have in the U.S.
Enjoy -
New Kindergartens – Answering the Call of Nature?
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Friends, I’ve received a lot of comments and e-mails in response to this column – apparently it’s touched where a lot of people are, and I’m grateful for what some of you have shared with me.
Here’s a piece I’d wanted to post since I came across it last week anyway, and now it seems like a good time. It’s all about the wonderful, scary, all-consuming dopamine high of love, and because it’s so true (and so funny!) – it will make you laugh out loud.
An Affair of the Head
I hope you are having a lovely weekend.
Betsy
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Hi friends – here’s this week’s column about something – positive! – that happened recently in my own back yard! Grown-ups acting like adults, and protecting kids.
Have a great weekend. Betsy
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Hi Friends – I hope you get a chance to listen today to “It Takes a Parent,” as I interview Carol Liebau, author of the new book, “Prude: How the Sex Obsessed Culture Damages Girls – And America Too.” Carol and I talk about taking on what Laura Ingraham calls the “Pornified Culture” when it comes to our kids, and helping them value themselves rightly in this crazy world. We also look at the New York Times magazine story from last week about kids on college campuses, even elite campuses like MIT and Harvard, who are saying “no” to the hook-up culture. Are these kids setting a new standard, or are they just swimming upstream?
You can listen to the show at 2:00 central time every week on AM1160 WYLL or www.wyll.com, or afterward here or easily get a podcast from NationalReview.com
As always – thanks for listening!
Betsy
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Read This!
8-year-old girls dressed as chamber maids for Halloween. . . 9-year-olds dressed as “Miss-Behavin”. . .
Even Newsweek seems shocked that the hottest selling little girls Halloween costumes are, well, “hot.”
Before the trick-or-treaters come to your front door, read this – it’s scarier out there than you think!
http://www.newsweek.com/id/62474?GT1=10450
Happy parenting.
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Rush Little Baby. . .
Can we, should we, work to make our babies the smartest on the block?
Neil Swidey wrote this feature piece for yesterday’s Boston Globe magazine. He shows why the rush to turn our babies into “little Einsteins” may not only be a waste of time, it may have some pretty negative consequences!
Why are parents doing this, anyway? You’ll like the piece!
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2007/10/28/rush_little_baby/?page=1
Happy Parenting!
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Hi Friends – Today producer Lynne and I talked about wedding season and the new trend in “all about me” weddings – including choreographed first dances worthy of a broadway production. Have we forgotten that a wedding isn’t just about the two people involved, but is a compact with the community? Answer = YES. The more marriages become “all about me,” the more weddings will reflect ridiculous “look at me” excess.
Then we talked to David Staal at Willow Creek Community Church. He’s my good friend, and the director of the Promiseland Ministry there which oversees thousands of kids from infant through 5th grade. Dave is a GREAT resource for leading kids to Christ, and is the author of “Leading Your Child to Jesus,” and “Leading Kids to Jesus.” I asked Dave to talk with us about the coming summer, and we parents can use that time to build our relationships with our kids, build them spiritually, AND keep from going crazy!
Dave said three things are really important:
Have your kids read parts of the Bible. Almost every child is told by their school they have to keep up with summer reading, so pick some great books of the Bible and have your child read them start to finish – hey there are some great stories in there! How about the Book of Esther, or Ruth, or 1st and 2nd Samuel?
Then, most of us will take some kind of vacation with our kids. Dave suggests picking just a few Bible verses that matter a lot to you as a parent, and sort of make them your “vacation” verses. Learn them, talk about them, ask you kids what THEY think the Bible is teaching them there? Just a few minutes a day batting them around between roller coaster rides could be great.
Finally – keep going to church. David points out that so many families, even when they are in town, take a “break” from church during the summer. He fears that kids then associate the church schedule with the school calendar and guess what – when they are “done” with school after college might they think they are “done” with church too?? In the meantime, as Christians we are called to worship in every season. So don’t teach your kids to take summer “off!” After all, God doesn’t take time off from us, right?
And how do we parents keep from going crazy with the kids home? Lots of summer projects where they are forced to cooperate – from gardening to small repairs to painting (that’s what Dave have his kids do) are a great idea. Lynne and I definitely think we are asking too little of our own kids!
A few resources I love: for little kids this summer consider “Tell me About God” by Susan Harding. “A” is for Almighty, “B” is for “Blessed” and so it goes with a little lesson for little ears and hearts (and boy does that make things easier for mom and dad.)
For older kids, I love Training Hearts and Teaching Minds by Starr Meade. Each week takes one lesson from the Westminster Confession of Faith (a distillation of basic christian teaching written some 400years ago) and breaks it down into short easy bites the whole family can feed on!
Here’s what I’m going to do with my kids this summer: “The Young Peacmaker” by Corlette Sande. We need it! It’s an entirely different way of looking at sibling relations and dealing with conflict in a way that honors God, and prepares kids (and all of us) for the real world.
And for those long car trips? How about putting down the videos, and renting some great books on tape, or borrowing them from the library. Listening together will give you all something to talk about when you get to the hotel.
And now – I’m developing a list of projects for my kids to do around the house this summer (per David’s suggestions!)
In the meantime, I’d love to meet you on June 9th at the Huntington Learning Center in Lake Villa. Please let us know you’re coming by clicking on the form at the right. Come and bring a friend, and I’ll sign my book “It Takes a Parent” for you!
And tune in next week when we talk to David Briggs of the Good Sense Ministry at Willow Creek Community Church – (and before that with GE) or says “don’t panic about breaking the bank to send your kids to an elite college” – he’ll tell us why next week. . .
Have a great week – blessings – Betsy
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Hi friends – this week producer Lynne and I talked about the fact that I live in “Animal House” now that I’ve recently adopted two kittens and one dog. I’m also trying to teach my kids that I’m the “Leader of the Pack” – but only the dog seems to understand that one!
Then we talked with Jim Ritter from the Chicago Sub-Times about the alarming trend in childhood obesity. (That’s also the subject of my column this week.) Did you know that it’s predicted that by 2010 HALF of American Children will be overweight or obese? This isn’t about appearance – it’s about our kids’ health!
Here’s a great resource if you are struggling with weight issues in your house, particularly when it comes to your children – lots of help and advice flows from this one link.
http://www.aap.org/obesity/physeducation.htm
Hey, I’d love to meet you. We’re getting lots of responses to “Breakfast with Betsy” at the Huntington Learning Center in Lake Villa on June 9th. I hope to see you there, and to sign my book, “It Takes a Parent, for you. Please sign up by clicking the button at the right.
Blessings to you – Betsy
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