Motherhood and Saying Goodbye, Harsh Parenting, and Baby Talk (Modern Parent 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.
Let’s get into it!
Motherhood — Just a Lifetime of Saying Goodbye…..
Sandy Gold | 4 min read
The Story: This is a tear-inducing story that chronicles certain moments in any mother’s life as their children grow up. Our author captures intimate moments where we send our children off at various stages, whether that’s preschool, summer camp, high school (“you realized it was more fun to hang out with these friends on weekends as opposed to being with your family”) and then college.
The Lesson: Being a parent means overwhelming moments of joy, but also separation and pain as we see our children move on from clinging to our legs. Cherish the moments we have with our children. And strive to develop and evolve our relationships with our children as they become parents of their own one day.
The Pressure to Have a Baby Almost Broke Me
Ali Hall | 5 min read
The Story: Our author talks about the pressure she received from her then partner’s mother to have a child, which included unwanted advances and intrusions that peppered her with requests for a grandchild.
The Lesson: While many of us are parents, and enjoy (and sometimes dread) the experiences that come with it, we must remember to respect that choice to embrace a child-free life. The toxicity and air of superiority that some parents can sometimes manifest itself in venomous pressure. Some of us may have always known we wanted children, some of us are on the fence, and some know definitively that this is not for them. We should respect the discussion and process that leads to whether one wishes to have children or not.
Should We Indulge in Childhood Fantasies Like Santa and the Easter Bunny?
Jessica Lucia | 3 min read
The Story: We had published a story earlier this week from an anonymous parent’s perspective on lying. They emphasized being honest with our children that Santa and the Easter Bunny are fictional characters but that other children and adults may pretend-play and characterize these characters in a certain way.
Coincidentally, our author here argues for the pros of believing in Santa. She mentions that we have the permission to enter a world of creativity and magic and teach our children to understand Santa as a concept, not just a person. The lessons and virtues that Christmas and Santa depict — selflessness, good behavior — are another plus.
The Lesson: We believe that every child is unique, and thus the approach will differ on a case-by-case basis. We have all come across children who are lost in a magical world of their own and children who seem wise beyond their years. The explanation of concepts and reality, especially as they relate to fantastical objects and people, is a cornerstone of growing up and understanding the world we live in. Different approaches have different merits, but sometimes, explaining reality to our children requires us as parents to face the music.
Susan Poole
Susan is a mother, lawyer, nonprofit executive, breast cancer survivor, and aspiring author. She recently left her day job to write about topics that she’s passionate about. She also happens to be one of our latest contributors to Modern Parent and has written some of our latest hits.
Check out some of Susan’s most popular stories on Modern Parent below:
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.
The Lourve Museum Goes Digital
Earlier this week, the Louvre museum put its entire art collection online. With over 480,000 pieces of art, there should be no end of amazing artworks to see. For art lovers in parents and children alike
"Today, the Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known," Jean-Luc Martinez, the president and director of the Louvre said in a statement. "For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage."
You can search through the museum’s colossal collection or browse the interactive map to explore the museum room by room.
According to a new study, harsh parenting — which involves getting angry, hitting, shaking, or yelling at children — is linked with smaller brain structures in adolescence. Read more here.
Babies prefer baby talk to adult speech. Who would have thought?! :) This is generally due to a slower speech rate, more variable pitch, and animated and happy tones. Read more here.
A new study has found that women during the pandemic were doing most of the domestic work, even with both partners working for home. And they are not happy about it. Many men believe they’re doing a lot, but women sampled in five different countries disagreed. 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!
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