Aging / attention / Background / children and media / Family / Grandparents / healthy famiy / Healthy Media Choices / Holidays / Media / Parents / Rituals

Secret Sauce for Sweet Family Life – and Holidays

 When I was a kid, my father would retell familiar stories every Thanksgiving. We loved them. As I got older, there was some rolling of eyes.  Now, I regret that we didn’t record that precious voice, those old stories, for my children and grandchild.  Psychologists say that one of the gifts we can give our … Continue reading →

How to assess on-line resources about media and young children:
children and media / Early Childhood / Family / family media literacy / General information / Media / Parent and Teacher Resources / Parents

How to assess on-line resources about media and young children:

There’s a lot of information flowing about some of our conceptions/misconceptions about the “digital divide” and what young children actually need.  Articles in the NY Times  point out some of the things those most involved with developing digital technology and media have to say about their own children. So, which organizations are trustworthy? Which give … Continue reading →

children and media / Healthy Media Choices / Parents / Stereotypes

Monday – From the Archives – Interview with Peggy Orenstein

Peggy Orenstein: What was (and was not) in Cinderella Ate My Daughter Posted on March 9, 2011 by MARY ROTHSCHILD3 Comments Transcript of interview with Peggy Orenstein January 26, 2011 (Parenthesis are used for clarification where there is a cut-off sentence or cross-talk) M. R.: Thank you for taking time for this conversation this morning about Cinderella Ate My Daughter: … Continue reading →

children and media / children and television / Early Childhood / Healthy Media Choices / Media / New Parents / Parents

Addressing Parental Anger: A Way In to Re-Wiring Habits

  In the US, psychologists like Steven Stosny point to a link between anger and parental feelings of inadequacy. While the situations he cites will ring true to many of us as parents: the end of a bad day is likely to set off reactions, etc., I would advocate for a nuts-and-bolts, practical review of … Continue reading →

Technology and Media in Religious Education?
children and media / Commentary

Technology and Media in Religious Education?

Yes, that’s a question mark. Education in American society is at a watershed moment evidenced by “flipped classrooms,” synchronous and asynchronous online learning and the exchange of resources and information via social media and Google tools. Then, there’s “gamification.” Religious education is no exception and there’s no doubt, as Bud Horell points out in his … Continue reading →

Advertising / Commercialization / Girls / Media / Parents / Teachers

Girls’ Lockers: Moms and Marketers Stay Out!

When I read the October 9, 2011 New York Times Article “Middle School Girls Unlock a World of Their Own, in Miniature” my first reaction was – well, to squelch my first reaction – repulsion. Taking offense at school locker decorations (and companies creating demand for certain kinds of “locker furnishings”) might mean I’m a … Continue reading →

Alternative Stories / Interview

Rachel Prabhakar: Perpective from a Jewish-Hindu household

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 →