Parents Magazine - June 2011

cross-posting on tvjames x blog

I've always intended to read Parents magazine when it arrives (we've subscribed for years), but it usually just ends up on my wife's nightstand and I never get to it. But this time, I left it in my car until I had time to read it. It is obviously aimed at women, from the articles to the advertising.

I don't think they'd show as many ads with women wearing almost nothing if they thought men were reading the magazine. I think more men would read the magazine if they knew how much skin was shown.

The magazine also has a really annoying habit of starting articles on the left side of a page with an ad on the right. I think the whole design of the magazine is to make it as difficult as possible to determine what's an ad and what's content. On one hand, shame on you. On the other, well-played.

I read it rather quickly in one afternoon and here's the stuff that stood out to me.

Raise a Kid Who Gives -- Is this really worth it? I wondered, as I directed my girls -- Drew, 3, and Blair, 5 -- to carry the unwrapped present we were donating to a needy child their preschool had chosen to help last December. Even though I had explained the situation to them a bunch of times, they still didn't seem to get why they couldn't keep the toy. Read more...

Little Big Fan - an article about a guy who has to start paying attention to sports because his son is interested in sports. Sadly, apparently not available to read online.

A Wall of Silence - about why Post-Partum Depression should be taken seriously -- and not be something that's considered shameful or a failure if you're suffering from. Again, apparently not available online. Lame.

Odds and Ends

The always good reminder of securing your ladders -- and what happened to a child when a parent didn't.

Why kids shouldn't take a sip of water after spitting while brushing their teeth. (Dilutes the fluoride.)

Teaching gratitude early - one mom had recorded her 3-year-old thanking people for his birthday gifts and loaded each as a YouTube video and emailed the link to the gift-givers.

Ha - Even if you breastfeed exclusively, pump and let your husband help - just because you made the meal doesn't mean you have to serve it.

Why kids will eat something at school but not at home - at school they see their friends eating them, but at home, their family members aren't. So if you want him to eat carrot sticks, don't pressure him to, just put them on his plate and yours, too.

Books - I requested these from the library for our daughter.

* Iggy Peck, Architect (Andrea Beaty)
* The Dot (Peter Reynolds)

While most of the magazine isn't actually online, you can read more of the articles from that issue here.