Hellobee

It has been one of those weeks. We had Charlie’s 8th birthday party last weekend, which always ends up being a ton of work no matter how simple I keep it. Then early the next morning I had to take five of our dogs and cats to the vet 6 hours away in a van, which was an adventure itself. While I was at the vet, Mr. Bee called to tell me that he had been in a motorcycle accident and had broken his clavicle and needed stitches on his leg. I had to rush back home with 4 pets recovering from surgery and 1 pet absolutely terrified of having left home for the first time. Of course I also came down with the worst flu I’ve had in years so the ride back home was terrible, and I was completely bedridden as soon as I got home. Now Mr. Bee is in great pain with limited mobility for months, our pets require medication twice a day, I’m still sick, it’s our busiest time of year workwise and we’re very understaffed. And because the kids have largely been left to their own devices while all this has been going on, their room has been an absolute disaster scene no matter how many times I ask them to clean it up. That leads me to getting mad at them every single day! Can we just fast forward two weeks to Christmas already?

But… at least there are some interesting things to read this week!

E D U C A T I O N

What Pre-K Means for Your Pre-Teenager via New York Times

Schools Disagree Over How To Prepare For Active Shooters via NPR

Rise of the home ‘unschoolers’ – where children learn only what they want to via The Guardian

The Feminist Legacy of the Baby-Sitters Club via New Yorker

A new study shows that reading to babies has major benefits for their brains via Business Insider

H E A L T H

So This New Study May Explain Why Some Parents Don’t Vaccinate Their Kids via Popsugar

Birth Control and Breast Cancer: Putting the Risk in Perspective via New York Times

Yet Another Study Links Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy to ADHD via The Bump

Black Mothers Keep Dying After Giving Birth. Shalon Irving’s Story Explains Why via NPR

The Rebirth of America’s Pro-Natalist Movement via The Atlantic

Advanced Maternal Age at 35: Accurate or Artifactual? via Fit Pregnancy

When Women Choose Sterilization via New York Times

5 Amazing Things You Should Know About Colostrum via Fit Pregnancy

Should Kids Be Allowed to Take Mental Health Days? via Psychology Today

Should You Be Worried About the Arsenic in Your Baby Food? via New York Times

A mother got the flu from her children — and was dead two days later via Washington Post

P A R E N T I N G

How to avoid parental burnout this holiday season via Washington Post

Permission to Say Nope this Holiday Season via Wonderoak

How to Raise a Sweet Son in an Era of Angry Men via Time

Why your 3-year-old acts like a ‘threenager’ via Motherly

Why Toddlers Deserve More Respect: Young kids might be smarter and more empathetic than adults think. via The Atlantic

When kids get their first cell phones around the world via CNN

Helping your child fall asleep may mean listening to your heart, not science via Motherly

A Psychological Explanation for Kids’ Love of Dinosaurs via The Cut

Going From 1 to 2 Kids Was Way Easier Than 0 to 1 via Mom.me

Science says kids who become successful have parents who teach them 8 things via Business Insider

We are Wired to Raise Children in Community via Medium

How Not to Talk to a Child Who Is Overweight via New York Times

The Park Slope ‘Blue Hat’ Incident, 10 Years Later via The Cut

Is It Unethical for People to Pass Their Wealth On to Their Children? via The Atlantic

I Just Found Out I’m a Highly Sensitive Parent—And It Changed My Life via Real Simple

Michelle Kwan on Perfectionism, Tiger Parents, and Never Winning Gold via The Cut

7 key phrases Montessori teachers use and why we should use them, too via Motherly

The Mom Who Didn’t Go Into Foster Parenting Blindly via The Cut

TED Talks for Parents Who Have Lost a Child

Here’s An Idea: Let’s Stop Forcing Kids To ‘Clean Up’ All The Time via Scary Mommy

How An Episode Of ‘Chopped Junior’ Changed The Way I Parent via Scary Mommy