Saturday, May 19, 2012
Betsy and Sal take on a recent Time magazine cover story and answer the question, "Are you mom enough?"
Have you seen the shocker on the cover of this week’s Time magazine? Our jaws dropped when we picked up the issue: it’s $4.99! We bought it anyway, because of the provocative photo and headline: “Are You Mom Enough?” Surely you’ve seen the picture of the chilly looking twenty-six year old mother standing erect and staring blankly at the camera as her three-year-old son, old enough to stand on a wooden chair, is suction cupped to her nipple, having a little snack. The article details a worrisome trend in child rearing called “Attachment Parenting.” There’s a lot of posturing in the article, which we’ll sum up as follows: as soon as the doctor cuts the cord, a mother’s life is over. We paraphrase, of course. Here’s what it states in the…
Friday, May 18, 2012
After four years of high school, I share something I have learned from experience that everyone should keep in mind.
Through the past four years of the same exact routine over every single day of the week, many high school seniors can bring some words of wisdom from their experiences. Because a good portion of my time at school has been spent on the track team, I learned a lot from my experiences. Eighteen weeks of my thirty-four week school year are spent in the track season. During this season that takes up over half of my year, I spend every afternoon with my teammates and coach. I have had many memorable moments during the season but a something that I will always take with me in my life is a phrase my coach, Jeremy Kauffman, said to me. “Champions are made on their last attempt." Now, while these words were meant to be applied to my last attempt at…
Thursday, May 17, 2012
District 113 Superintendent George Fornero gives detailed response to District’s denial of FOIA request.
Editor's Note—Patch asked Township High School District 113 Superintendent George Fornero to respond to questions for a story. He wrote the following letter. Though parts of his response are incorporated into a separate story on this page, the letter is published here in its entirety. In May, 2011, District 113 reached out to residents to volunteer for study groups that would analyze and prioritize the needs at Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools. Six groups were established, one of those groups was the Market Research Committee. This group was made up of professionals with expertise in the field. We would not have been able to afford their services if members hadn’t volunteered for free. The market research group decided to conduct…
The decision of whether to open gifts at a kid's birthday party isn't always easy.
Birthday parties mean birthday presents which brings up the question, “Do you open the gifts at the party or not?” When I ask people this question I get some adamant "Yes" and "No" answers, but quite a few Moms I talk to, especially new Moms, aren’t quite sure what to do. My vague answer is, “It depends.” There are quite a few things you need to consider regarding your child’s birthday party and the answer may not be the same every year. First and foremost you need to do what is right for your child. Does he or she want to open gifts or just keep playing with friends? You also need to consider what you can handle as the party hostess. Sometimes it is hard to gauge how much time it will take. But, don’t let anyone tell you how it should …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
THEATER REVIEW. This show about writing a show could have been more tightly edited, but at times seems so spontaneous it creates an in-the-moment feel. It's playing in Skokie at Northlight Theatre.
THEATER REVIEW When all the members of an ensemble cast pull their own weight and play off their characters' personality differences, they create a pleasure for the audience to watch. The four actors in Northlight Theatre's [title of show] nailed it on that count. Yes, [title of show] is the title of the show. It's a bit confusing until you learn the characters are writing a show to enter into a theater festival, and they don't have a ready answer for the part of the entry form that says [title of show]. So-- in this show about writing a show, Matthew Krowle lets his demons and his creative juices all hang out as he plays Hunter, the main scribe, and that's balanced nicely by the way Stephen Schellhardt plays Jeff, his composer-…
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Obama makes a statement in support of gay marriage.
President Barack Obama said that he supported gay marriage this week, while Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.
Gay marriage came to the forefront of the 2012 presidential campaign this week. President Barack Obama said on ABC's Good Morning America that he personally supported gay marriage. "You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently," Obama said in the interview with ABC. Obama's support for gay marriage came one day after North Carolina passed an amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, the Huffington Post Reported. Republican …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Betsy and Sal talk Mother's Day cards and brunches in this week's column.
The answer is: Sideboard and cardboard. The question is: How do we celebrate Mother’s Day? Let’s start with the sideboard, which is code for brunch, because be honest, have you ever in your life been invited to a Mother’s Day dinner? Neither have we. By about 4 in the afternoon, Mother’s Day is long forgotten. But brunch? That seems to be the mother of all meals. In our family, here’s how the planning proceeds: Email from Matriarch: “Your father and I would like to host a brunch for Mother’s Day. What are people eating?” On the surface, nothing could be lovelier. Not only is “Grandma” having the gang over for a meal, she’s also asking what we’d like to have served. Scratch the surface and behold the chaos and mayhem known as eating in the …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
A Mother's Day reminder of the joys of motherhood
Mother's Day is this Sunday, just in case you were too busy being a Mother to notice. It got me thinking about how sometimes I'm so busy, tired, and stressed that I don't stop to appreciate why being a Mom is worth it. Some days it's easier to focus on the negatives and I ask myself why did I go through all of the pain, nausea, sleepless nights, insecurity, and the extra 10 pounds that won’t go away? So, I wrote a post on Why Being a Mom is Worth It that I wanted to share. But more importantly, I'd love to hear from you. Why Do You Love Being a Mom? Please comment below and let's create a great list of why Motherhood is amazing. The reminder is a nice gift to ourselves. I want to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. I hope your day is …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Mark your calendars! Save the date! Lots to do before the Deerfield Library closes for three weeks, starting May 19 and re-opening in its temporary site at Cadwell’s Corners on June 11.
As an almost daily visitor to the Deerfield Public Library, I feel very prepared for the upcoming closing. I thought I would share my Top Five Library Closing Tips. 5. Check Out Lots of Books Before May 18 The great thing about checking out books right now is unless they are a seven-day book; they do not have to be returned until June 11. And, by checking out hordes of books, I feel I am contributing to the moving efforts of the library. 4. Register at Another Local Library Most other local libraries have borrowing reciprocity with the Deerfield Library but your card needs to be registered with the other library before our library closes at 6 p.m. May 18. I already contacted my alternate library, the Northbrook Public Library, and I am …
Laurie
7:34 pm on Saturday, May 19, 2012
Selena, Anna,Ashley, Amy, jb, thank you for posting great responses to the uneducated article, which by the way was insulting and hurtful to parents following their instincts and parenting their children in a loving, natural way. Ashley I agree that the authors of the article perhaps have some regret about how they parented their children. I'm so glad I have a great group if supportive friends … more ›