August 2007 Archives
The lazy days of summer make it easy to forget that kids today have a lot on their plate. But as college students finalize their fall schedules, and high schoolers lament the end of their “freedom,” an extensive new AP/MTV survey shows that teens experience stress at a higher rate.
The bad news got the iVillage boards buzzin’, and some members comparing the kind of lives they led (and the demands they faced) when they were younger--like member ddnlj:
“We're not offering our kids a very bright future. We're offering them demanding competition, fewer decent job opportunities, lots of personal debt, leaders that lie, cheat and steal, violence, and the mindset that one must be a millionaire to be happy. Is it any wonder that they are suffering meltdowns before they've even ventured into life? If it were me I wouldn't want to be 18 and looking at my future.”
Member mom_2twins agree that things were a lot different “back then”:
“I really don't blame teens for taking a gander at their future possibilities and fretting! It didn't look so great when I was a young adult. Now, it's much worse… Everyone is expected to be an overachiever in order to be successful… If I could turn back the hands of time I certainly would. There has always been an element of stress to living, but not like this.”
But the past week was not all about bad news for parents of teens. Another AP/MTV survey asked teens what made them happy, and their top (and very surprising) answer? Spending time with family. So the next time you see your teen roll his or her eyes at you when you suggest a dinner together, or whine on a trip to grandma’s, remember: deep down, they really enjoy it.
But one thing they may NOT enjoy is a parent checking on their online activities.
Member nikimom2 recently posted a question on the Parents of Teens board: Do you check your child’s MySpace or Facebook?
It turns out a majority of moms do check their kids’ online profiles, and even read their e-mails. Some members think it is an invasion of the child’s privacy, especially if you’re using their passwords to access the site, but others think differently. As member ejteach2007 says:
“I'm entitled to my opinion that a kid doesn't necessarily have a right to privacy in a public forum such as the Internet. Would I open their mail? No. Would I read their private journal? No. But if they're going to be communicating with God-knows-who in a public forum such as the Internet, as a child, they do not necessarily have a ‘right to privacy’ there. Not as long as I'm responsible for their welfare.”
What do you think? Is checking your kids' Facebook, MySpace or e-mails an invasion of their privacy?
A few weeks ago the topic of girly gadgets came up in a discussion about the practice of marketing pink versions of electronics, appliances and other gadgets (say, tasers) to women. Some of the gals at work didn't mind and liked the option to coordinate their accessories, while others are getting a little irritable about the whole trend. Who says girls automatically like pink anyway? Well, the neuroscientists, apparently. Now it turns out there may actually be some deep-seated ancestral reason that might explain why girls may naturally be drawn to pink -- and it has absolutely nothing to do with Barbie! What the science-y types had to say about gender-specific color preferences:
Mattel has announced its third recall in just over one month – affecting 800,000 toys, including Barbie Accessories. See the full list of affected toys here.
Last month, Mattel announced a recall of over 9 million toys, including Barbie dolls (gasp! not Barbie!) and Polly Pocket play sets, among others. See the full list of affected toys here.
Some of the toys have lead paint in higher-than-"permissible" levels (does anyone other than me and iVillage member marcellazr wonder why ANY lead paint is permissible on a kid's toy?), and some have dangerous magnets and small parts that can dislodge and become a choking hazard.
This announcement comes on the heels of some seriously scary news in toyland, including:
- Mattel's recall of 1.5 million toys due to hazardous levels of lead paint (see the full list of those toys here)
- The suicide of a Chinese executive implicated in the first lead paint recall
- The recall of millions of pieces of toy jewelry, also found to contain high levels of lead
...And one iVillager reported some eyebrow-raising behavior on the part of her local toy store around the time of the first Mattel recall announcement.
All this bad news has prompted a lot of conversation, ranting, and even soul-searching on the boards. Some blame lax government control and overseas production outsourcing for the current crop of dangers, with iVillage member ddnlj asking, "Is it still even worth manufacturing overseas?" and member rachel_not_ruthie questioning whether this kind of scare should change our buying behaviors.
Many iVillage moms are feeling a little bit freaked out, like nrmh112575: "I'm ready to order some home lead test kits for all my mattel toys now...do you know how many Dora things my dd has, and has had in her mouth????"
There's also a healthy amount of plain old irritation, especially as people try to make their way through the lengthy (and paperwork-intensive) refund process, like tabitha515:
"WTF I am so sick and tired of this! They will replace the item however you have to mail it in. Who has time for that? I sure don't. This is getting on my last nerve!"
But as mimomtobe pointed out in response to the Mattel toy recall earlier this month (a recall several orders of magnitude smaller than the current one, even), recalls seem to be the high cost of affordable toys: "I guess to be able to afford anything, we get to check for recalls all the time. Bummer."
Of course, there's a lot you can do to help protect your kids -- check out these toy safety basics, know what kinds of toys to look out for at the store, and find out how to act if your child accidentally ingests something harmful. Today's Janice Lieberman also offers up a toy safety checklist.
Have the recent recalls affected you? And whether they've affected you or not, how do you think we as consumers should respond? What are you doing differently, if anything? Let's hear it...
It's that time again ... time to buzz around the iVillage community and take a peek at what's on everyone's minds this week. From the serious to seriously crazy ... it's your Beehive Roundup!
-- White House advisor Karl Rove announced that he's resigning at the end of the month. I know of a few political bloggers who are probably willing to help him pack up his stuff. But is this only the tip of the iceberg? The bets are being placed on who may be next. [on the Politics Today message board]
-- It seems like everywhere you turn, there are mentions of back to school clothes ... but just because you're not in school anymore doesn't mean you can't tune up your work wardrobe for fall. Note to self: stretch pants are still out. [on the Beauty & Style at Work message board]
-- "My child just beat me in a debate..." After the initial shock and possibly a sting to your ego, isn't this one of the greatest experiences as a parent? To know you've raised a smart kid? I mean, as long as the debate isn't about curfew or allowance. [on the Stay-At-Home vs. Work message board]
-- I will admit that this next item made me think of a Seinfeld episode starring one George Costanza, but if you're working in a basement with no windows, is it time to find a new job? Do you have a "worst working conditions" story to tell? [on the I Hate My Job! message board]
-- Being in over your head with debt can be a scary thing and that anxiety can make it hard to take action to get out of that debt. Maybe you've been there and can offer some advice or support -- or take advantage of some of the great input from women who've made it through. [on the Debt Q&A message board]
As if moms of babies and young children didn't have enough to worry about with the latest toy recalls, a recent report by the Journal of Pediatrics states that educational videos geared toward babies and toddlers, such as the Baby Einstein series, have no clear benefit to a child's development and in some cases may hinder their language skills. The study of over 1,000 families with infants or toddlers found that for every hour of video per day, babies between the ages of 6 and 18 months actually knew fewer words than their non-video-watching counterparts. Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, even went so far as to quip "I would rather babies watch 'American Idol' than these videos." Because we all know babies love Randy Jackson. So are you a bad mom for letting your baby or toddler watch an educational video? Lord knows my daughter watched her fair share (and then some) of Barney back in the day. Have we ruined their lives forever?
Moms are discussing this study on the May 2007 Playgroup:
"Baby Einstein was a 20 minute break for me, not an educational tool. I think nothing on TV is as "educational" as the marketing teams make them out to be."
The November 2003 Playgroup moms come to pretty much the same conclusion:
"I think "everything in moderation" is important here, and letting them watch a video here and there shouldn't be a problem. When kids are left to sit and watch hours of TV on a regular basis, with no interaction with their parents, that is a problem..."
Ok, so no one is going to prescribe 24/7 television for babies -- or kids of any age for that matter. Is this study "news"? Do you feel that videos for babies and toddlers meet a need, whether it's educational or entertainment? Or should we just round up all the DVDs and throw them into the bonfire?
