This week’s family-related news included a look at the “helicopter” parent syndrome as it relates to the college age child, the concept of “nesting” as it applies to living arrangements for separated families, how New Orleans is supporting their students who have experienced trauma, a call for interracial couples who would like to be interviewed by The New York Times, a study about how yoga can help heal trauma, a new novel addressing the concept of parenting as it relates to a biracial adoption, a touching photographic essay shot by a young adult experiencing her parents’ concurrent cancer treatments and a look at childhood in the 1940’s and today.
The Ethos of the Over-Involved Parent Laura McKenna, The Atlantic, May 18, 2017 Colleges are adjusting to increasing contact with adults who are more ingrained in their children’s lives than ever…While some parents might focus on career goals for their children and others care more about their daughters’ social lives, there is no question that parents’ involvement in the lives of their college-aged kids as a whole has intensified — at least among middle-class and wealthy families whose children attend selective colleges.
After Divorce, Giving Our Kids Custody of the Home Beth Behrendt, The New York Times, May 30, 2017 “Bird nesting” or “nesting”… means, in non-ornithological terms, that after a divorce the kids continue to stay in the family home while the parents take turns moving in and out. When Schools Meet Trauma With Understanding, Not Discipline Mallory Falk, Eve Troeh, NPR, May 30, 2017 The thing is, students across New Orleans face high rates of exposure to trauma, but school discipline policies have rarely accounted for that. Crocker College Prep is now one of five New Orleans charter schools in a collective to become more trauma-informed. Crocker aims to account for the social, emotional and behavioral needs of all students, and their lives outside of school.
Are You in an Interracial Marriage? Share Your Story The New York Times, May 30, 2017 June 12 marks the 50th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the landmark Supreme Court decision that invalidated state laws that restricted interracial marriage. While interracial weddings have been on the rise, …we’d like to hear from couples in mixed-race marriages about their experiences.
The Role of Yoga in Healing Trauma Anya Kamentz, NPR, June 2, 2017 A study from the Center on Poverty and Inequality at Georgetown University’s law school, says that for young people, who have been through trauma, there is mounting evidence that yoga can have specific benefits… The study focuses on girls in the juvenile justice system. It also reviews more than 40 published studies on the mental health benefits of yoga.
A Man Learns The Truth About His Adoption in Everybody’s Son Scott Simon — Author Interview, NPR, June 3, 2107 Everybody’s Son, a new novel by Thrity Umrigar reflects the fact that Anton belongs to both his black biological mother and his white adopted family. “They all have competing claims on him and they all perhaps love him and need him for slightly different reasons,” she says. “But if I have done my job right, the reader will understand that there is not one of these characters who would not give their life for this boy.”
Our Last Year Together: What My Camera Captured as My Parents Died Of Cancer Nancy Borowick, NPR, June 4, 2017 As a photojournalist, I did the only thing I knew: I picked up my camera and documented my parents’ dual cancer treatments for the next 24 months and our lives as they unfolded. From the seven-hour chemotherapy infusions to running errands with Mom according to her to-do lists, I was there with my camera slung across my shoulder.
The Work You Do, The Person You Are Toni Morrison, The New Yorker, June 5 and 12 The pleasure of being necessary to my parents was profound…In those days, the forties, children were not just loved or liked; they were needed. They could earn money; they could care for children younger than themselves; they could work the farm, take care of the herd, run errands, and much more. I suspect that children aren’t needed in that way now. They are loved, doted on, protected, and helped. Fine, and yet…
To suggest articles for inclusion in the FamilyKind Weekly News Roundup please email us at info@familykind.org.