Corporate America and Parents, Teach Empathy with this One Phrase, and Never Buy a Book Again (Modern Parent Weekly Roundup)
Hello Modern Parents!
Welcome to our weekly round-up. Every Sunday, we feature our stories of the week, parent of the week, and pick of the week. We also share the latest science behind parenting and some entertainment.
Before we get into it, we want to make a quick announcement about a research interview opportunity. Zhao Peng, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Journalism at MSU, is looking to interview parents and learn about their attitudes toward sharenting. For a 30 minute conversation over Zoom, Zhao will compensate you $20 for your time.
If you’re interested in learning more or participating, please reach out to Zhao at pengzhao@msu.edu.
On to the update!
The One Phrase I Used to Teach My Kids Empathy and Kindness
Albiona M. Rakipi | 4 min read
The Story: “Children will typically see things in a binary way — good/bad, right/wrong, happy/sad, etc. In part, it’s because they haven’t had the same life experiences as an adult to understand the many gray areas of life.” Life is complex and not binary. How do we develop empathy in such nuanced circumstances?
The Lesson: Albiona, a parent with over 20 years of experience working with children and family, uses a key phrase to help her children understand what it means to be empathetic. We won’t spoil the story here, but the phrase helps us reset and see things from others’ perspectives whenever we’re too quick to jump to conclusions.
Don’t miss our other stories:
The mental toll of motherhood and being in charge. How do you find your way after tragedy strikes? A mother complains about dealing with her tired husband. Is refusing an anti-vaccination playdate acceptable? The trouble with the in-laws around baby visitation. According to this mother, corporate America’s treatment of parents is unacceptable.
Jessica N. Goddard
Jessica is a Modern Parent Ambassador and frequent contributor, as well as a transformational consultant who coaches top corporate executives on the importance of creating empowering contexts for themselves and their work. A mother of two, we’re consistently amazed at how she finds the time to do everything that she does (but she helpfully lays out the process for us here).
Take a look at some of Jessica’s wonderful writing, and thoughtful insights:
Modern Parent receives no compensation for the Picks of the Weeks. We make recommendations based on our experiences with the pick of the week and/or a thorough review of a particular vertical.
Libby: millions of ebooks and audiobooks for free
Libby is an app you can get on your smartphone (iPhone or Android) that allows you to borrow and read ebooks and audiobooks from your local public library, all from the comfort of your couch.
You can enjoy audiobooks in your car, read across different devices, and access your books even on the go when you’re offline. We frequently forget about all the resources that are available from our local library, and Libby is so convenient that we can now access everything they have to offer for free, digitally!
You’ll need a library card, and Libby works worldwide. Learn more about the app here.
COVID-19 pandemic may have increased mental health issues within families
We probably all felt this but now the data is out. “In the first months of the pandemic, parents reported that their children were experiencing much higher levels of “internalizing” problems like depression and anxiety, and “externalizing” problems such as disruptive and aggressive behavior, than before the pandemic. Parents also reported that they themselves were experiencing much higher levels of depression and lower levels of parenting quality with their partners.” Read more here
How do you know when abuse is happening?
“Bruising on a young child is often dismissed as a minor injury, but depending on where the bruise appears, it can be an early sign of child abuse,” said lead author Mary Clyde Pierce, MD, a pediatric emergency medicine physician. Pay attention to “TEN” or the torso, ear, and neck and “FACES,” which is the frenulum, angle of the jaw, cheeks, eyelids, and subconjunctival (red bruise on the white part of the eye). We must all do better and more vigilant in noticing these signals. Read more here
We recognize some parents may not be comfortable discussing their circumstances under their real names but may still desire to tell their stories and impart their experiences with the wider parenting community.
If you’re one of those parents, please email us, and as we’ll happily tell your story through Modern Parent. If you email rebecca@modernparent.io, we’ll review your story, and if approved, we’ll post it from our anonymous Modern Parent account and let you know it’s been posted so you can track reactions and responses.
Thank you, Modern Parent Family, and we hope you have a wonderful week!