Monday Medley: Daycare horror

This story about kids dying in daycares across the country—especially in my own state—really hits home. I was abused in a church daycare as a child and I vowed to never offer my children to such a horrendous experience. The thing is, we can do so much better; nations across the world host wonderful daycare centers where kids not only are treated well and fed nutritious foods, but parents also often receive these services for free.

It just boggles my mind that Americans love the refrain, “We’re number one!” when in dozens of ways—from protecting our children like this to protecting citizens from harmful substances through food regulation—we really aren’t. A little humility and a willingness to learn and adopt new practices could go a long way toward our country’s benefit.

Also for your Monday reading pleasure, some tips on authoritative parenting styles that go pretty well with attachment parenting. And on that note, these thoughts about time-outs versus time-ins are really worth considering. This lovely article about the curriculum of play by John Taylor Gatto goes well along with these subjects, too.

For parents who use curriculum, however, here is a whole butterfly unit to go with this gorgeous weather we’re having in the Midwest right now. Make sure you do as much as you can of it outside!

If you missed the Frontline movie Medicating Kids, you can watch it on PBS for free. It’s pretty scary stuff.

Here is some interesting news about kids who skip college (and its debt) and make better lives for themselves anyway. Of course, you can always attend one of the many free or cheap colleges online, like Udacity.

Got a fledgling zoologist in the family? Be sure to share these amazing findings about the platypus.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia