Adventure Playgrounds Outdoors: What and Why?

May 20, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Cultural Reflections, Education, Learning Resources, Reflections on Parenting

Have you heard about adventure playgrounds? They're old news, actually. Adults started establishing such spaces in Europe in the forties because they felt children needed to opportunities to develop courage in the face of a world at war. (There are over 1,000 adventure parks for children in Europe, and more than 400 in Germany alone.) These parks are growing in popularity in the U.S. now as American parents realize that children aren't getting enough playtime outdoors and have few opportunities for play in non-landscaped settings.

Breastfeeding Five Years Straight: What I've Learned

May 15, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Learning Resources, Reflections on Parenting

I've breastfed my children since I became a mama more than five years ago. Honestly, I can hardly believe I've been nursing one or both children for five years straight, but my firstborn daughter continued to nurse through my pregnancy with her little brother, and now he's two years old and still breastfeeding a few times per day. How much I've learned about breastfeeding in these five years! Here's what I think you should know too:

Birth, Two Worlds Apart: Part 3 - Julie and Regina's Story

May 10, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Cultural Reflections, Reflections on Parenting

What a joy it is to know Julie Engeman (a former classmate) and follow her journey as an American midwife living in Zambia! Julie's stories have opened my eyes to the realities of birth and maternal care in less developed countries. She has seen the injustice of Zambian hospitals where the care that people receive is entirely based on their income level or tribal group. She has seen the corruption and life-threatening "treatments" that are common there--and yet she chooses to persist in her work, bringing life and encouragement to mothers and babies. Just last week, Julie shared Regina's story:

Birth, Two Worlds Apart: Part 2 of 3 - My Son's Birth

May 09, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Reflections on Parenting

I've brought two children into the world, births where pain inextricably led to an overwhelming awe in meeting each child face to face. Their births were beautiful, a testament to God's grace, textbook examples of modern hospital birth in America without interventions. Yesterday I shared the story of my daughter's birth; today I share about the second time I became a mother.

My son's birth mimicked the hurtling of a bobsled, all rush and speed and intensity, yet still echoing the beauty of his sister's birth.

Birth, Two Worlds Apart: Part 1 of 3 - My Daughter's Birth

May 08, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Reflections on Parenting

My first labor began in predawn darkness, burning contractions sweeping over my belly like a brushfire before dissipating into stillness. By evening, my husband and I decided the contractions were frequent enough to drive to the hospital. There I labored through the night, focused on enduring, knowing each contraction brought me closer to a life-changing embrace with our first child. My husband comforted me with gentle coaching, and a series of nurses entered regularly to chart vital signs--particularly since they'd allowed me to forgo an IV lock and internal exams.

10 Myths about Stay-At-Home Moms and Dads

May 06, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Home Management, Reflections on Parenting

I'm guilty of believing a few of these stay-at-home parent myths--at least, until I became a stay-at-home mama myself. Have you caught yourself believing any of these statements?

1. Their house is always clean. Sure, stay-at-home parents may have more time to clean, but their homes are in active use much of the day, meaning that no rooms stay clean for long.

2. They have lots of time to accomplish what they want. Modern parenting frequently involves reshuffling personal priorities below the needs of children, according to Jennifer Senior in her book All Fun and No Joy: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood (released in January 2014). Parenting certainly requires flexible priorities in light of family schedules and childhood illnesses.

What Critics Get Wrong About Alicia Silverstone's New Book

April 26, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Reflections on Parenting, Parenting Books, American Culture

America: The land where What to Expect When You're Expecting has sold more than 34 million copies as the self-proclaimed "pregnancy Bible" since its publication in the mid-eighties. Nevermind that it inflates hypochondriac concerns in a patronizing tone. Nevermind that until 2008, its diet recommendations emphasized carbs and listed bran muffins as an indulgence. Enter Alicia Silverstone, whose book The Kind Mama was just released April 15th. In her "Simple Guide to Supercharged Fertility, a Radiant Pregnancy, a Sweeter Birth, and A Healthier, More Beautiful Beginning," Silverstone advocates for purposeful pregnancy and parenting choices such as a plant-rich diet, natural birth, co-sleeping, and breastfeeding. But in response, online book critics has been anything but kind.