In 1994, when my younger daughter was six years old, I saw firsthand that the commercialized media was impacting the environments of and affecting the attention of children her age. One example was when, at a Power Rangers birthday party for a classmate, the favors were only given if a child could answer questions about … Continue reading
Stop. Take a Step Back Before Buying Image by Pixabay at Pexels It mystifies me. No one else in my family likes turkey. That, and the fact that my husband has worked with indigenous peoples and is sensitive to the story around Thanksgiving, landed us having Thai food on November 23rd this year. I think … Continue reading
Family meal times are getting a lot of press right now, and high time. Recent articles in The Christian Science Monitor by Mary Beth McCauley and the New York Times by Susan Dominus as well as the Huffington Post’s on-going series “Family Dinner Table Talk” extoll the virtues of this time-honored (but oft neglected) family … Continue reading
Welcome to Monday from the Archives: each Monday, something from the archives of Mary Rothschild: interviews, articles, insights. Today, the audio and transcript of an interview with author Lillian Firestone about her book The Forgotten Language of Children: A Journey in Living Authentically, originally aired on Brattleboro Community Radio in Vermont on October 18, 2011. … Continue reading
Link to transcript Excerpts from the book (not included in the transcript are read at the end of the recording The work described in The Forgotten Language Language of Children: A Journey in Living Authentically is based on the ideas of G. I. Gurdjieff, a teacher who appeared in Europe in the early 20th century … Continue reading
Next week, April 18-24, is both Screen-Free Week, and a week that is sacred for both Jews and Christians. This convergence presents a unique opportunity for members of those faith communities, as well as others who perceive spring as an appropriate time for renewal, to go on a “technology and media fast,” to the extent that … Continue reading
Peggy Orenstein is gracious and open. In this transcript of my interview with her in late January, you’ll see that she does not stand above the fray. As a parent of a young child herself, she knows the pressures that are brought to bear by commercial interests and says that she didn’t realize how much … Continue reading
Here’s another story of a family where there are intentional alternatives to the popular culture. The world is not “media-saturated” for these children. In fact, Rachel Prabhakar , who lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two daughters, ages 10 and 7, says she hasn’t had a conversation with a parent about television in … Continue reading
This interview is among those I’ve recorded that are categorized as “alternative stories,” meaning stories of families who have found ways to side-step popular culture, at least in their homes. We need these stories to offset the narrative of the “media-saturated world” and remind us that we do have some leverage. Ozlem Parlak, who is … Continue reading
Healthy Media Choices™ 
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