Blog 3 Columns

The Benefits of Being an Only Child 0
- Culture
- August 31, 2017
According to the (Australian) ABC, there is a lot of prejudice, negativity and downright rudeness directed towards parents of a single child. Apparently such parents get asked things like: are you going to give your child a brother or a sister? Aren’t they lonely? What happens if they die and you are left with no
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Maria von Trapp Saved Her Children from Nazis. Austria Still Won’t Honor Her with a Street Name.0
- Culture
- August 31, 2017
I’m pretty sure I can recite every single song from The Sound of Music. I grew up watching the movie back in the day when long movies had to be split onto two different VHS tapes (and yes, my family still has them), and I still love it as an adult. The Sound of Music
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J.R.R. Tolkien’s Destitute Mom Gave Him One Hell of an Education 0
- Education
- August 31, 2017
J.R.R. Tolkien’s father died when he was just four years old. The famous author, best known for The Hobbit and his Lord of the Rings trilogy, was raised by his mother, Mabel, who took great pains to see that her young son received a proper education. Mabel did not disappoint. Authors Philip Zaleski and Carol
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Homeschool Mom Receives Visit from the State Over Field Trip 0
- Education
- August 31, 2017
The Great Solar Eclipse of 2017 was met with a variety of responses by schools across the country. Some announced they would close for the day for fear that the children under their care would accidentally look at the sun and encounter eye damage. Others remained open out of fear that children would not be
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At Back-To-School Time, the Childhood Suicide Rate Rises 0
- Culture
- August 31, 2017
At this time of year our social media feeds light up with back-to-school photos. Tidy children in new fall clothes pose for their parents’ camera, marking an annual ritual commemorating the steady passage of childhood. But beyond those smiling faces and hand-held “first day” signs is the reality that for many of these young people,
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Why You Shouldn’t Worry if Your Child Can’t Read by Age Eight 2
- Culture
- August 30, 2017
Not long ago, comedian Crystal Lowery posted a Facebook status about her personal life. The post had to do with decisions she and her husband had made regarding their young son, and began as follows: “I’m not teaching my 5-year-old how to read. Don’t get me wrong, we read him books all the time. We’ve
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Should Parents Give Expensive Gifts to Children?0
- Culture
- August 30, 2017
Over at The Guardian, fashion columnist Hadley Freeman has penned an interesting piece on the rise of designer children’s clothing. Designer wear kids’ clothes, Freeman notes, seem to have gained popularity in recent years, particularly given the equation of Kim Kardashian + North West + social media accounts: “The usual celebrities, such as Victoria Beckham
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Reese Witherspoon’s Daughter Has Something Many Celebrity Children Lack: A Work Ethic 0
- Culture
- August 30, 2017
In his book, The Vanishing American Adult, Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska shared with readers his favorite hashtag game from the summer of 2016. It was called #FirstSevenJobs, which asked Twitter users to list the jobs they first encountered in their working lives. The Senator’s first jobs were mostly agricultural, having grown up in Nebraska,
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Paul Krugman Discovers the Problem with Unbridled Presidential Power 0
- Politics
- August 30, 2017
It’s always an occasion of note when Paul Krugman says a true thing. And it has happened. “Given the powers we grant to the president, who in some ways is almost like an elected dictator, giving the office to someone likely to abuse that power invites catastrophe.” Abused power is indeed potentially catastrophic. Perhaps there
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The Benefits of Being an Only Child 0