Social/Cultural

Mama J on January 11th, 2012

On my mind today are kids and athletics. It’s fairly well-documented that when a child and a sport find a natural match, the child experiences increased self-esteem from performance in the sport. I believe this is not only applicable to sports but can include any interest or activity in which a chlid excels. But since […]

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Mama J on June 8th, 2011

That is today’s question. My 11-year-old has started to babysit. So far she has one client,  third-grade twins in our neighborhood. She has stated her case that it would be helpful to have a cell phone while babysitting in case of emergency when she walks out of the house to take the kids to the […]

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Mama J on May 26th, 2011

I didn’t blog yesterday because the day was filled with “last days of 5th grade” events. Graduation in the morning, the outdoor celebration lunch, followed by the annual field day. Whew! At the luncheon, one of my friends asked, “Are you going to miss elementary school?” (This is truly the end of our own kids […]

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Mama J on April 27th, 2011

I am reading the book Success in Middle School: A Transition Road Map with my 11-year-old daughter. I believe that the key word in the title is “transition.” I picked that word instead of “success” because I think success becomes a very personal definition for each student. Those definitions will range from success equaling academic […]

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Mama J on April 14th, 2011

For those of you who have teens, you are well aware that prom season is upon us. I wanted to introduce you to a website that I appreciate, one that right now has several great blog entries about moms and prom, prom drama (a.k.a. prama), and how to talk to your teens about what could […]

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Mama J on April 6th, 2011

In the last month I have seen several references to the havoc that information overload can wreak on our brain power. (Most recently the cover article, “Brain Freeze,” from the March 7 issue of Newsweek.) In light of watching my youngest daughter grow up in an age of constant, excessive stimuli, I couldn’t be more […]

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Mama J on February 10th, 2009

“A lot of how kids find themselves by exclusion, as in ‘I know what I’m not.’”  — Brian M., Psychologist I’ve read several articles in the last year or so that indicate young adults are “taking longer” to find themselves and figure out what they want to do for work. And parents are kind of […]

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Mama J on January 15th, 2009

No, you’re not in a movie theater.  This post is simply an introduction to several connected themes I have whirring through my head. I had lunch with a friend yesterday and she talked about how she’s organized her five- and seven-year-old to make their school lunches, help prepare dinner, and set the table.  The two […]

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Mama J on November 27th, 2008

It’s Thanksgiving Day in the good ol’ U.S. of A!  Messages with cartoon turkeys and horns of plenty are crossing my computer screen.  The stores display sections of brown, orange, and zucchini green criss-crossing the reds and greens of Christmas (can’t we do one holiday at a time?  But, I digress….) The question that was […]

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Mama J on November 25th, 2008

It’s almost Thanksgiving Day again in the good ol’ U.S. of A.  Messages with cartoon turkeys and horns of plenty are crossing my computer screen.  The stores display sections of brown, orange, and zucchini green criss-crossing the reds and greens of Christmas (can’t we do one holiday at a time?  But, I digress….) The question […]

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