emotions | Parenting In the Loop

Weekend Reading…My Favorites

I have a summer reading list but many summers it carries me over into fall. The last time I read all the books on my summer list was on Martha’s Vineyard probably around 15 years ago.

Primates of Park Avenue is a book I will put in my beach bag this summer based on this NY Times review.

If “Primates of Park Avenue” never quite manages to be either the satire or the tell-all I’d hoped for, it did manage to be exactly the kind of book I want in my summer beach bag. I put it down a little unsatisfied, but willing to recommend it in spite of its flaws. “Primates” is, in the end, exactly what it purports to be: a book about the lives of mothers in a small subset of wealthy families that offers a little insight into all of our choices, and a lot of entertaining appreciation for choices most of us don’t have to make. If you think you’d enjoy the spectacle, you’re probably right. I did.

Source: Love Spectacle? In ‘Primates of Park Avenue,’ Wife Bonuses Are the Least of It – NYTimes.com

As you know I am a clinical social worker and am all about feelings, so this Pixar movie is definitely on my list to see on an upcoming weekend. Children do experience difficult emotions and parents sometimes try very hard to stem these negative feelings because to them it means their child is not happy all the time and this suggests failure of the parents to create an idyllic childhood.

In Pixar movies, inventive plots, engaging characters and stunning visuals come as no surprise. But the best thing about the studio’s newest production, “Inside Out,” may be its commitment to celebrating the worst.

Source: ‘Inside Out:’ Pixar’s Convincing Argument Against Childhood Happiness – The New York Times

Life with Dad is one of my new favorite blogs and podcasts. I met Ryan E. Hamilton, a founder of Life with Dad at Mom 2.0 Summit and regret I did not get to talk with him longer. Dad bloggers are some of the best and you are missing something if you don’t know any of these great bloggers. So take a look at Bobblehead Dad Parenting and Life with Dad this weekend.

Bobblehead Dad Parenting
Posted on June 26, 2015
Current research confirms that there are numerous health benefits attributed to laughing including lower blood pressure, increased tolerance to pain and – most importantly – a reduction in stress. As parents, a better understanding of the value of laughing – for ourselves and with our children – can be one more tool to living a happy, healthier life. Children laugh a lot. About 300 to 400 times a day! The average adult laughs about 20 times a day! We’ll talk about the causes and implications of that dramatic reduction over a typical life. We’ll also discuss: How simulated laughter provides the same benefits of spontaneous laughter Why you need to integrate more laughter into your family’s life How to do a DIY Laughter Festival! The results you will enjoy if you lighten up and use some humor in your daily interactions How laughter can be a bonding element between a parent and child What you can do if you don’t think of yourself as a “funny” person So stick around. This promises to be a fun time! References from this Podcast: Dr. DeBenedet’s website

Source: Bobblehead Dad Parenting

The Weekend is my favorite time…sometimes it is relaxing sometimes not so much.

But take time to breathe and relax and renew!

Yay it’s the weekend! Sailing into Summer…

My weekend is a precious time for me and my family. I try to stay away from screens although with a blog it is difficult not to maintain some daily presence on social media. One thing that I enjoy in particular is Friday night dinner with friends. It is a time to relax and unwind for Papa and me where we can kick back and be ourselves while enjoying some good food that I don’t have to prepare.

Another favorite thing for me to do on the weekend is cook with my granddaughter when she is at our home. Sometimes we make sweet things, other times savory. We love to eat homemade pizza on Saturday and sometimes have movie night.

I also love to read so here are some of my suggestions.

Sailing into Summer

Since I recently had shingles, I found this very interesting. Luckily for me it was a mild case but since it was on my face and close to my eye, it gave me a great amount of initial anxiety and concern. One thing I can say is if you develop a rash of any sort and you have had chicken pox then you need to see your doctor right away so he can check it out and prescribe an anti-viral medication to keep the virus from spreading. The sooner the better in the case of shingles.

Shingles, kids and pregnant women – know the facts Many pregnant women have written to us expressing concern about being exposed to a family member who has shingles. Usually it is their parent or grandparent, or another older adult who has the virus. However, did you know that children can get shingles, too?

While I am happy that Caitlyn Jenner has raised the transgender discussion to a new level, personally I find it difficult to put my thoughts into the right words. So I have relied on reading many of the more serious articles concerning the transgender topic. Certainly we as women can relate to this particular article as a important aspect of transgender dignity.

People who haven’t lived their whole lives as women, whether Ms. Jenner or Mr. Summers, shouldn’t get to define us. That’s something men have been doing for much too long. And as much as I recognize and endorse the right of men to throw off the mantle of maleness, they cannot stake their claim to dignity as transgender people by trampling on mine as a woman.

How do you read people you come in contact with on a daily basis? This is kind of a fun article which will test your ability to read people’s emotions. Try it out and then use your ability this weekend.

If you are among those people who are mystified by moods, new research offers hope. A new study shows that certain types of reading can actually help us improve our sensitivity IQ. To find out how well you read the emotions of others, take the Well quiz, which is based on an assessment tool developed by University of Cambridge professor Simon Baron-Cohen.