Recent family-related news included tips from a divorce attorney on how parents should address visitation refusal, a look at the high cost of divorce and reasons why the birth rate may be declining. Also in the news: Sesame Street embraces gay parenthood by introducing a family with two dads and research supports the practice of encouraging children rather than simply praising them.
Family with two dads debuts on ‘Sesame Street’ during Pride Week Paulina Firozi, The Washington Post, June 21, 2021 Christy Tirrell-Corbin, executive director of the Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention at the University of Maryland, encourages parents to watch shows such as “Sesame Street” with their children as “It allows for conversation to happen naturally, it opens up the opportunity for a parent to talk to their children about different family types and express support for families of same-sex parents, blended families, single-parent families and biracial families.”
The High Cost of Divorce Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, June 23, 2021 Divorce is so expensive and complicated that it leaves many poor people trapped in bad marriages. Paying a private attorney to help with a divorce can cost $10,000 to $20,000. People can seek help at legal-aid organizations, but there aren’t enough pro bono attorneys to help everyone.
The 2 Ways to Raise a Country’s Birth Rate Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic, July 6, 2021 In the U.S., mothers’ average age at their first birth rose from 21 in 1972 to 26 in 2018. Although unwanted pregnancies may be down, some survey data indicate that many Americans aren’t having as many children as they’d like to have. That’s a sign that having—and raising—a kid in America is too hard. The author of the article shares that the two main ways to help people have the babies they want are to give them time and give them money.
A psychotherapist says parents who raise confident, mentally strong kids always do these 3 things when praising their children Jessica Vanderwier, CNBC, July 15, 2021 The author of this article, a psychotherapist, cautions that “overpraising” can have negative effects on children. She suggests the following three strategies regarding encouragement, to support healthy development: praise the process; never make it a competition and use observational language.
How Can I Get My Child To Go On Visits With The Other Parent? Patricia Fersch, Forbes, July 16, 2021 The author of the article gives parents excellent advice: “Refusing to visit the other parent is not a choice the child gets to make. By the same token, your role as a parent is to protect your child. If you believe the child is refusing to visit because of physical or emotional abuse by the other parent, you must take legal action proactively to protect them. You cannot disobey a court order. Until modified, you must comply.”