Nov 20, 2015
It’s been a rough week out in the world and in our own little worlds too. We started with a gripe session about a pair of issues most parents have faced: a child's health crisis, and a doctor's clueless attitude that makes said crisis so very much worse. From prescriptions given to mollify mom to casual announcements that "It could be nothing, or it could be a brain tumor," we tell our bad doctor stories and praise the white-coats who really seem to get it.
A scary story that's been on our minds this week, especially when it comes to how to explain it to children, is of course the tragedy in Paris. Where once we only had to worry about giving our kids the gentlest possible understanding of a horrific event, now we have to factor in what they're going to see on social media and what they're going to say on social media. Should they change their profile pictures in solidarity? If they make a post or a comment, will their understanding be peer-appropriate? Are social-media gestures in these situations like the Instagram likes of the news world, done more to fit in than to make a statement? Do we need to worry about that? We think back nostalgically to the days when you could just hide the newspaper and turn off the TV.
Finally, we share our recommendations for the week: Catherine liked blogger Rebecca Woolf's post on dealing with worldwide heartache; Amanda recommended a PBS Parents article on "How to Help Kids Feel Safe After Tragedy" and one from the Washington Post on "Don't Let the Paris Attacks Infuse Your Parenting With Fear"; Nicole appreciated Terri's article on the dreaded wait-and-see; and Terri passed on articles about choosing the right pediatrician.
Thanks as always to Jon Morin for producing our episodes and Kristen Eredics for our happy in-and-out music. If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.