Recent family-related news included a personal look at what “motherhood” means, understanding and addressing childcare issues for those working in the theatre, conclusive research on the toll of physical and emotional adverse child experiences on brain development and future behavior, how your mother’s dating history affects your dating behavior, and the toll of emotional stress and tips on how to cope with it.
My Almost Motherhood Janet Lee, The New York Times, November 1, 2018 When I was 34 and single, a social services caseworker asked me if I wanted to adopt a 14-year-old girl. Wanted. The word wilted in my chest. How had my life meandered to a place where someone thought I wanted to be a mother? How could I explain to the caseworker that becoming a mother was never part of my plan?
Taking Your Child to Work, When Your Job is Making Theatre Michael Paulson, The New York Times, November 6, 2018 Child care is a challenge for many working parents and a career in theater brings its own additional challenges as artists are often self-employed freelancers who don’t get parental leave with long hours, especially during rehearsals and previews. The playwright Sarah Ruhl was so concerned about the issue that she took $5,000 from her $200,000 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award and made it available, through New Dramatists, to playwrights who needed money for child care so they could take part in workshops or productions.
The American Academy of Pediatrics on Spanking Children: Don’t Do It, Ever Cameron Jenkins, Lulu Garcia-Navoarro, NPR, November 11, 2018 “Anything that’s verbally abusive in addition to being physically abusive can change the brain architecture,” according to Dr. Jennifer Shu, pediatrician. “Basically, these are adverse childhood events that can cause toxic stress that can lead to health problems as well as emotional problems as a child reaches the preteen and teen years.”
Your Mother’s Romantic Past Affects Your Own Dating Adventures Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, November 13, 2018 People whose mothers have been married multiple times or have lived with multiple romantic partners are more likely to do so themselves, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal PLoSOne. The longer people are exposed to their mother’s cohabitation, the more sexual partners they tend to have. The authors looked at data from surveys of thousands of Americans followed for 24 years.
There is a Stress Gap Between Men and Women and This Is Why It’s Important Kristin Wong, The New York Times, November 14, 2018 Like domestic labor, emotional labor, the duties that are expected of you, but go unnoticed, is generally dismissed and not labeled work, but research shows it can be just as exhausting as paid work. Emotional labor can lead to insomnia and family conflict, according to a study published in Personnel Psychology.
To suggest articles for inclusion in the FamilyKind Weekly Roundup please email us at info@familykind.org.