Parenting Roundabout

Prompted by a researcher's "hey that's not what I meant!" article on note-taking by laptop [https://characterlab.org/tips-of-the-week/take-note/], we discussed the ups, downs, pros, and cons of kids using laptops and other tech to learn. Plus, what happens when hackers take out a school district's technology (hint: It's not pretty).

This or that: Sand and a sunburn or roller coasters and expensive fun? We're not all that enthusiastic about either one, TBH.​

Not only are we obsessed with embarrassing things that happened to us in high school, we're obsessed with trying to protect our kids from having the same obsession (and some of the other growing pains that come with adulthood). ​

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: In spite of the skepticism [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/second-listen-saturday-airpods-more-like-wherepods] she once expressed about AirPods [https://www.apple.com/airpods/], Terri has now acquired a pair and thinks they are pretty cool. Nicole left the desert to visit Vancouver and brought some cute rain boots [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086D4TZTK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1] with her. And Catherine's totally on the Wordle [https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/] train (but not spamming her Facebook friends with her daily results).

Some moms might find a group primal scream therapeutic, but we're not buying it. We don't want witnesses to our screaming, so we suggest some alternatives.

An article titled "Being the Mom of Older Kids Is an On-Call Position" [https://grownandflown.com/always-available-for-my-teens/] definitely resonated with us. Our kids might not cry for us in the middle of the night anymore, but they still need us!

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we wrap up our Ted Lasso watch with the final two episodes of season 2. It's the less universally beloved season, and we definitely have quibbles with some of the storylines. But we still enjoyed it very much, and look forward to season 3. Next week, a George Clooney double feature: Up in the Air (2009), in which he stars [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/], and The Tender Bar (2021!), which he directs [https://www.amazon.com/Tender-Bar-Ben-Affleck/dp/B09J67JJGC].

An article about uncertain incentives led us to talk about whether our kids are motivated by praise that's intermittent or constant. Say it with us: Parenting is hard! Motivating kids is hard!! Also mentioned: Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach by Howard Glasser; Funds of Knowledge by Norma Gonzalez, Luis C. Moll, and Cathy Amanti; our most recent discussion about motivation [visit https://parentingroundabout.com for links].Fact check: Terri said she heard about the article "Uncertain Incentives" on the podcast No Stupid Questions. But while she did read the article at about the same time she listened to the similarly themed "Which Is More Powerful: Reward or Punishment?" episode of No Stupid Questions, it in fact came in her email as a Tip of the Week from Character Lab, which she heard about from No Stupid Questions cohost Angela Duckworth. It was not something that was mentioned on the podcast episode.

It's a delicate subject, but we do all have some bad diet story or other, from grapefruits to cabbage to partial vegan. There's one we give thumbs-up to, too.

New phone frustration has us wondering if we're too old to be technically savvy, or if it's technology that needs to do a better job meeting our needs.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, it's a rare all-books edition! Nicole's rediscovered her favorite author, Jonathan Kellerman, in audiobook form [https://www.jonathankellerman.com/]. Terri also recommends an audiobook, The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green [https://www.johngreenbooks.com/the-anthropocene-reviewed-book]. (While she very much enjoyed the audiobook, if you purchase the book in print you can get a copy signed by the author.) And Catherine suggests reading her pick, The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai [http://rebeccamakkai.com/work/the-hundred-year-house/], in print because you'll want to be able to flip backwards as you go.

We obsess over a few of our kids' favorite things from their little-kid days--at least the ones we still feel some fondness for, like The Lion King (Broadway show), Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars, Arthur, Dragon Tales, Cyber Chase, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Big Comfy Couch, Teletubbies, Max and Ruby, Henry and Mudge books, and iCarly.

A parenting advice column at Slate [https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/01/performance-bonuses-kids-care-feeding.html] got us complaining about how hard it is to motivate kids, whether or not you have $5,000 at your disposal to offer as a "year-end bonus." Mentioned: A past discussion about the thorny issue of motivation [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/just-trying-to-help].

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2: Ted Lasso's Coach Beard has a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad night, documented in an overlong episode that doesn't advance the show's plot at all. Then, in "No Weddings and a Funeral," there's plenty of plot, but not nearly enough jokes. Next week: We finish the season with episode 11, "Midnight Train to Royston," and episode 12, "Inverting the Pyramid of Success."

Nicole heard about a new service that sends informative text messages to new parents [https://globalnews.ca/news/8251440/ubc-new-parent-text-service/]. We, of course, determined all of the problems with that idea--but also came up with some fixes.

Even if you're not a teenager living and dying by the amount of likes your posts receive, it's always nice to get some attention for the things we put on Facebook and Instagram and what-all. Today, we chat about some of our most satisfyingly appreciated posts.

This is going to be a big year for both Catherine and Nicole: They'll both be celebrating (maybe observing is more accurate?) their 50th birthday. One thing we know for sure: They're not having a wedding dress party for the big 5-0 fete [https://www.scarymommy.com/wedding-dress-party/].

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Terri got her hands on some home Covid tests from iHealth (here's the instruction video; you don't even have to swab your brain!). Nicole made her day a little sparklier with Weiman jewelry cleaner. And after a brief detour to mention the HBO special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, Catherine shouted out a Lego set that allows you to make a wall hanging of a Hogwarts house crest. Visit http://parentingroundabout.com for links to everything.

A list of "100 ways to slightly improve your life without really trying," at the Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/01/marginal-gains-100-ways-to-improve-your-life-without-really-trying], caught our eye. We obsessed about which of these 100 tips made sense and which were just plain silly. (Do we need a special blender just for chopping onions? No, we do not. We will do it the old-fashioned way like Julia Child, or better yet, buy our onions pre-chopped).

Sure, it's a big deal when you send your child to kindergarten (or college). But are you really a parent if you haven't dealt with head lice, faced a diaper blowout, or held down a squirming kid while a lab tech jammed him with a needle? Mentioned: The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on head lice [https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/from-insects-animals/Pages/Signs-of-Lice.aspx].