I'm happy to announce that the third installment of Night Conversations has been posted. This evening a young man in his twenties sits down with me to discuss the death of his father, haunting feelings of inadequacy, and his abiding passion to join the ranks in service of God. Stop over for a glass of home brewed mead and listen in on Still Calling. (As always, if you are interested in participating in Night Conversations, please contact me! Each experience has been meaningful not only for the guest and me, but for all who come to share in the conversation.)
Also, please stop by Ello's blog for a special event. Ello writes: "Dr. Gigi Durham, the author of the Lolita Effect, the media sexualization of young girls and what we can do about it, is guest appearing on my blog today to answer questions on this very important topic." Feel free to help spread the word and to join in on the Q&A discussions.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Sorry to hijack your thread, Jason. I will definitely stop by Night Conversations.
Aine, what you said at Ello's is powerful. I'll copy and post it here:
I think that parenting is more confusing now than it ever had been. Many parents are so stressed and exhausted that the job of parenting is dropping on their priority list (moms are juggling too many roles and many parents are fighting to maintain or protect marriages in a world that is not always "family friendly"). Americans tend to push their kids to be independent at a younger and younger age. Infants are placed in carriers and containers for the convenience of mom (for more hours per day in America than in any other culture in the world). Six year olds are expected to dress themselves, do homework, participate in team sports, and manage their feelings so that they won't inconvenience others (we medicate them if they can't sit still and scold them for having a tantrum after ignoring their needs...) Parents seem to be in a rush for their children to grow up. My daughter's 2nd grade friends talk to boys on their cell phones after school (and we are not in an affluent school!). It's no wonder that many parents don't raise their eyebrows when their 9 year old starts wearing makeup.
*****
I do believe parents are stretched and stressed and don't have the time/tools to parent the way they know they should. It's very very hard. I try not to judge parents (except the wealthy ones who have the nannies do all the childrearing).
Thanks, Chris! (I'm sure Jason doesn't mind you hijacking his thread. Now I'm going to participate in said hijacking...)
Mothering is a topic dear to my heart (and also of clinical/professional interest to me). You are right-- many don't have the time or tools. I wish there were more mandatory courses in high school about "life skills" such as parenting, child development, stress reduction, marriage & family relationships. I also think cross-cultural study of family values and parenting practices would improve the situation for American families. We need to stop and look at what we're doing compared to others instead of charging forward (with blinders on) at such a fast pace.
And, like you, I don't judge or place blame with parents either.
Except for those using nannies...
;)
Your blog is like red wine at a friend's house to me. I'd be happy to take it that one step further and share some more someday; Lisa has called me 'enigmatic', when I believe I've been anything but! I guess blogging is a very subjective experience.
Chris and Aine, I'm happy we all waded into that great discussion. Aine's points were very well taken. I'm also glad that we were able to back the author off a little from the notion that media is the enemy, rather than deep seated problems in our culture.
EOC, thank you! That's the nicest thing someone has said to me in a while. Stop over for a glass of St. Emilion anytime. As for Night Conversations, if you ever want to kick back in that nice leather chair, you will be most welcome.
Post a Comment