Editor's Blog
10/25/11Elmo's Pacifier VideoIs it just me, or does anyone find it odd that Sesame Street is starting a week-long video event featuring Elmo talking to toddlers about giving up their pacifiers? This coming less than a week after the American Academy of Pediatrics warned parents against letting their kids under 2 watch TV? Coincidence? Is this really about national "Put Down the Pacifier Day" or is Sesame Street trying to hook that next generation of toddlers with their cute, fluffy secret weapon? I don't know...I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it makes me wonder. What's Elmo up to? I watched Elmo's first installation of "Put Down the Pacifier." It was really cute. What's not to love about a furry red monster with a big orange nose who talks baby talk? I'm... Posted at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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10/21/11Half-Price Zoo Admission!If you get out to Oktoberfest fast, you can get in free. Normally, admission is $6, but it's free today -- only until 4 p.m. That's six extra dollars to spend on bratwurst, carnival rides or a chicken hat! Speaking of low cost, if you want another fun outdoor Tulsa activity to do this weekend, head out to the Tulsa Zoo. They're having half-price admission on Saturday and Sunday for anyone wearing pink. In recognition of "Turn Tulsa Pink," the zoo is not only offering half-price admission if you wear pink, they're also having some special pink events to honor the occasion. You can enjoy pink flamengo chats and enrichment. On Sunday, mascots from around Tulsa will be hanging around to show their support of all things pink from noon to 4 p.m. Also on... |
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10/19/11Is Age 4 Too Young for ADHD Diagnosis?I don't have a child with ADD or ADHD, so I certainly cannot in any way speak from personal experience as a parent. As a former teacher, I can say that I did have one student who could not focus, could not sit still, could not stop talking, could not make friends, could not finish assignments no matter how I presented them or expected them to be completed (learning styles were not an issue), and was clearly outside the norm compared with his peers. I tried to do what little I could with behavior modification, but in a class full of students, that's not very practical. The reason I bring this up is that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has expanded the age range for the diagnosis of ADHD from age 4 (previously age 6) to teenagers (previously age 12). According to... |
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10/13/11Follow Your PassionAt the risk of sounding like a cranky pessimist, I'm not so sure that we should be telling teens to "follow their passion." It seems like in just the past week, I've heard that phrase repeated over and over by a variety of people -- artists, writers and Steve Jobs and, while I know that they're well meaning, in some ways, I think telling young people that can do more harm than good. I know, I know. We all want our children to "find their passion" and go out into the world and be happy, but finding a passion can put a heavy weight on a young person's shoulders. Think about it. First, "following a passion" implies that you have one thing that you are meant to do. Well, right off the bat, that's just wrong. I used to work in career... |
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10/04/11What I Didn't Know Didn't Hurt ThemSince I get so much news-worthy parenting information in my office every day, I've decided to write about everything I've done wrong as a parent over the years. Let's start with SpongeBob SquarePants. According to a University of Virginia study, children who watch SpongeBob may have resulting inability to pay attention, solve problems and moderate behavior. Ouch. How am I going to tell my 19-year-old that she will never reach her academic potential because of a yellow porous Porifera? At least it's not my fault. Apparently, a mere nine minutes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" can send 4-year-olds into a downward spiral that severely compromises their ability to learn. Of course, the little geniouses watching that catatonic "Caillou" showed no such... |
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09/29/11Tulsa Has It Goin' On!By now, I'm sure you all know the Tulsa State Fair begins today. More on that later. I want to tell you about some other cool stuff that may be a little quieter, or not on your radar. Have you been to any of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center's Imagination Series performances? Grab the kids and go. This weekend "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" is Friday night at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. It's kind of a Cinderella story set in Africa and is probably best for kids in 1st grade and up. Tickets are a bargain at only $10 to see professional, live theater. If you're not familiar with the Imagination Series, it's a whole season of performances sponsored by the PAC Trust that is geared specifically to children and young people. Support this opportunity for... |
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09/27/11Bully in the House! Is It You?Last week I was having a discussion, OK sort of an argument, with someone I really didn't know. I called him "crazy." Or maybe I called what he was saying "crazy." Either way, it wasn't the best way to handle a disagreement, and I'm not proud of it, even if I was in my mind thinking that what he was saying to me was not quite based in factual reality. I'm glad there weren't any kids around to witness my extremely poor role modeling. In retrospect, as I thought of better ways to handle my disagreement (isn't that always the case), I thought about how much we've become an "us or them" society. That's OK in football, but it can be sort of shocking to observe in other arenas. When the crowd cheered Rick Perry's... Posted at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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09/16/11Get Out, Ya'll -- It's Festival Weekend!I really, really hope we have some breaks in the rain this weekend because there are so many family-friendly, outdoor festivals this weekend. You could seriously take a trip around the world without leaving Tulsa. And the food! It's a taste tour de force! Tacos, BBQ, baklava, haggis (okay, well, maybe not haggis). I've been to all of these festivals over the years and I can definitely vouch for them. So, here's the scoop. The Annual Greek Festival goes through Saturday at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at 12th & Guthrie. Great food, music and dancing. They also have interesting items for sale. If you're unfamiliar with the Greek Orthodox Church, take a tour. Take the family to Scotland at the Oklahoma Scottish Festival at... |
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09/06/11Three GenerationsI measure my life, not in coffee spoons, but in moving kids in and out of dorm rooms. This will be the last year of college for my middle child, Anna, and, needless to say, the emotion meter was clicking away. I think the packing and unpacking is a good thing. It helps keep everyone focused and busy so that you aren't reduced to tears at any given moment. This year, my mom went with us, so it was a three-generation girls' road trip! It also happens to be my mom's 83rd birthday on Thurs., so we kind of made it into a celebration, which it was.Galesburg, IL is a small town on the Amtrak line about three hours southwest of Chicago. It's surrounded by cornfields. Literally. My mom wanted to look at the view out of our Super 8 motel window and she opened the curtains to an endless sea... Posted at 01:07 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
08/30/11What a Relief!I'm so glad that former state legislator John Wright has gotten a $12,000 raise in the nine months he's worked for Tulsa County Assessor Ken Yazel. I have no idea whether or not Mr. Wright is skilled at his job, but Mr. Yazel assures us that he is. In fact, the Tulsa World quotes, "His salary is very commensurate with his capabilities, his education and his responsibilities," Yazel said. So he makes $84,000 a year. It's nice that former senators can get great jobs like that. Another recent hire by Yazel, Don Newberry, a brother of a state senator, got a nice $6,000 raise (from $51,000 to $57,000 annually) for completing his college degree. Good job, Don.While I know the assessor's office has nothing to do with education, I couldn't help being struck by the irony... Posted at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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Betty Casey started editing TulsaKids when her youngest child was 3 years old. That daughter is now a freshman in college. Her son is 24 and her middle daughter is 21. TulsaKids and her children literally grew up together (and she lived to tell about it)! Betty's blog ranges from commenting on current parenting issues and upcoming articles to personal reflections about being the mom of three children, who are now wonderful young adults.
