Parenting

Rocker Dad Jorma Kaukonen talks Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and his adopted daughter

pandaroo — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:48 +0800

He’s played guitar for Jefferson Airplane, David Crosby, and Janis Joplin. But Jorma Kaukonen says none of those collaborations can compare to bonding with a Chinese orphan.

"Eagle Dad" Forces 4-Year-Old Son to Run Naked

Happy_Eggplant — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0800

How many more crazy parent stories will surface until we run out of fierce animal names? A Nanjing man calling himself “eagle dad” created a firestorm when he uploaded a video of his 4-year-old son running in his underwear in a -13°C snow storm. The incident happened while the family was vacationing in New York City during the Spring Festival holidays.

Move Over Amy Chua, Here Comes Le Tigre Mom

pandaroo — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:00:31 +0800

Tiger Mother Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (available on Amazon.cn here), has had plenty of time in the spotlight since she was featured in the Wall Street Journal (our coverage here and here). But most recently, parents have turned to France for parenting tips.

Be There

charcey — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0800

I have a pre-tween daughter, Leah, who is exercising her independence these days. She tests me with her words, and she certainly challenges authority. She's still a little girl, yet she knows that bigger things are just around the corner. To provide her with some much-requested liberation, I don't meet her at the bus stop anymore, and she doesn't have a great desire to hang out with me if there are other -- better -- options around.

Unnatural Birth: The Rise of C-Sections in China

Happy_Eggplant — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0800

In a Slate article called “Cesarean Nation: Why do nearly half of Chinese women deliver babies via C-section?”, author and journalist Mara Hvistendahl looks at the reasons behind China’s skyrocketing cesarean rates. Between 2007 and 2008, a whopping 46 percent of Chinese babies were born via C-section – the highest documented rate in the world. This number is three times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended 15 percent threshold.

A Treasure Trove of Math Apps to Sharpen Your Child’s Mind

dibeijing — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:32 +0800

With some kids on holiday, and more about to take a break from school for Chinese New Year, the time is right to stock up on some educational, yet entertaining, math apps to help sharpen the skills of the young minds in the family.

The first app in our math roundup is Grow Your Garden by Learning Yard. This adorable app uses visual cues in the shape of water droplets to encourage kids to add and subtract the correct amount of water for each flower that they grow in their garden. Little by little, the plants get properly cared for and eventually fill your child’s garden. Reina (4.5 years of age) enjoyed solving the problems to get to the flowers, with only occasional assistance from mama and baba. Grow Your Garden is rated 4+ and is available for $0.99 for the iPhone and $1.99 for the iPad at the App Store.

Keeping the Lines of Communication Open

charcey — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0800

My 10-year old daughter is in that tender pre-adolescent stage that can be difficult for all involved. She no longer wants to be a little girl, certainly not in public, yet she’s not confident enough (nor old enough) to go it alone. She’s gradually maturing, sometimes stumbling along the way. Yet ask for help? Mom is beginning to fall into that you-don’t-know-anything phase that I’m so not looking forward to.

How do you keep your daughter close? How do you make sure those lines of communication stay open, especially when the tough stuff is right around the corner?

Tiger Cubs Strike Back: Top 5 Ways to Evade A Screaming Parent

Happy_Eggplant — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0800

Tiger moms and wolf dads, beware! Ten-year-old Beijing students Chen Leshui (陈乐水) and Deng Xinyi (邓欣熠) have you all figured out. They’ve collected their wisdom into a crude but effective guide to dealing with overbearing parents. Aimed at 6-12-year olds, the book is written in blue ballpoint pen and contains helpful diagrams for aspiring rebels. The story went viral after Chen Leshui’s dad posted the scanned images on Weibo, causing parents everywhere to break out into a cold sweat.

Educational App Gives Kids a Fun Inside View of Being a Firefighter

dibeijing — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:00:37 +0800

Growing up in a small town, if I wanted to check out the fire department, about all I needed to do was ask. If not otherwise engaged, a fire fighter would gladly provide a tour. I can remember trying on the gear (so big it could have fit three of me), climbing on the fire engine, and getting to slide down the pole in the station from the second floor down to the first.

P.E.T. Part 2 – Who’s a “Good Girl? “

dibeijing — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:00:37 +0800

Two weeks ago, I began to dissect my experience with the Parenting Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.) workshop that I am taking with Cindy Tarratz and a handful of other parents at the Western Academy of Beijing. The sessions on active listening, the subject of my previous blog, were revelatory for most of us, but effective communication is always a two-way process, and at some point, parents need to be more than active listeners. Fortunately, the P.E.T. workshop also helped enlighten us parents on the more effective ways of choosing our words when interacting with our kids (my mom always did say I should think before I speak – I’m still trying Mom!).