Alternative Stories / attention / children and media / consumerism / Early Childhood / Healthy Media Choices / Media / Media Ecology

Attention, the Thread Through the Maze, is the Heart of the Matter

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

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

Supporting Sensory Health in Young Children
Early Childhood / Nature / Parents / Rituals / Sensory Health

Supporting Sensory Health in Young Children

In Last Child in the Woods, his seminal work on children and nature, Richard Louv quotes Paul Gorman, Founding Executive Director of the Religious Partnership for the Environment: Kids have to feel that this connection (with nature) is vital and deep in their parents. They see through us all the time…As the connection becomes more … Continue reading

Possible Marriage: “Medical” and Media Literacy Approaches to Technology in Early Childhood
Early Childhood / family media literacy / Healthy Media Choices / Media Literacy Education / Parents / Teachers

Possible Marriage: “Medical” and Media Literacy Approaches to Technology in Early Childhood

Reading “Media Literacy In Early Childhood: Inquiry-Based Technology Integration” by Faith Rogow sharpened my understanding of the different paradigms that govern thinking about technology in early childhood education. First, the fundamental difference between what Rogow calls the “medical model” based on the recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Media Literacy Educators model … Continue reading

Advertising / Commercialization / Family / gender / Grandparents / Parents

Gender Identification Begins…

This was originally posted on February 28. I’m updating because I want to add JeongMee Yoon’s work: “Pink is For Girls….” from Slate.com “The consumer embryo begins to develop in the first year of existence…Children begin their consumer journey in infancy…and they certainly deserve consideration as consumers at that time.”   James U. McNeal, Pioneering Youth … Continue reading

children / children and media / Early Childhood / Gurdjieff / Healthy Media Choices / Interview / New Parents / Parents / Sensory Health / Teachers

Interview with Lillian Firestone on The Forgotten Language of Children

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

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