Parenting Roundabout

New phone frustration has us wondering if we're too old to be technically savvy, or if it's technology that needs to do a better job meeting our needs.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, it's a rare all-books edition! Nicole's rediscovered her favorite author, Jonathan Kellerman, in audiobook form [https://www.jonathankellerman.com/]. Terri also recommends an audiobook, The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green [https://www.johngreenbooks.com/the-anthropocene-reviewed-book]. (While she very much enjoyed the audiobook, if you purchase the book in print you can get a copy signed by the author.) And Catherine suggests reading her pick, The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai [http://rebeccamakkai.com/work/the-hundred-year-house/], in print because you'll want to be able to flip backwards as you go.

We obsess over a few of our kids' favorite things from their little-kid days--at least the ones we still feel some fondness for, like The Lion King (Broadway show), Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars, Arthur, Dragon Tales, Cyber Chase, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Big Comfy Couch, Teletubbies, Max and Ruby, Henry and Mudge books, and iCarly.

A parenting advice column at Slate [https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/01/performance-bonuses-kids-care-feeding.html] got us complaining about how hard it is to motivate kids, whether or not you have $5,000 at your disposal to offer as a "year-end bonus." Mentioned: A past discussion about the thorny issue of motivation [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/just-trying-to-help].

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2: Ted Lasso's Coach Beard has a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad night, documented in an overlong episode that doesn't advance the show's plot at all. Then, in "No Weddings and a Funeral," there's plenty of plot, but not nearly enough jokes. Next week: We finish the season with episode 11, "Midnight Train to Royston," and episode 12, "Inverting the Pyramid of Success."

Nicole heard about a new service that sends informative text messages to new parents [https://globalnews.ca/news/8251440/ubc-new-parent-text-service/]. We, of course, determined all of the problems with that idea--but also came up with some fixes.

Even if you're not a teenager living and dying by the amount of likes your posts receive, it's always nice to get some attention for the things we put on Facebook and Instagram and what-all. Today, we chat about some of our most satisfyingly appreciated posts.

This is going to be a big year for both Catherine and Nicole: They'll both be celebrating (maybe observing is more accurate?) their 50th birthday. One thing we know for sure: They're not having a wedding dress party for the big 5-0 fete [https://www.scarymommy.com/wedding-dress-party/].

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Terri got her hands on some home Covid tests from iHealth (here's the instruction video; you don't even have to swab your brain!). Nicole made her day a little sparklier with Weiman jewelry cleaner. And after a brief detour to mention the HBO special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, Catherine shouted out a Lego set that allows you to make a wall hanging of a Hogwarts house crest. Visit http://parentingroundabout.com for links to everything.

A list of "100 ways to slightly improve your life without really trying," at the Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/01/marginal-gains-100-ways-to-improve-your-life-without-really-trying], caught our eye. We obsessed about which of these 100 tips made sense and which were just plain silly. (Do we need a special blender just for chopping onions? No, we do not. We will do it the old-fashioned way like Julia Child, or better yet, buy our onions pre-chopped).

Sure, it's a big deal when you send your child to kindergarten (or college). But are you really a parent if you haven't dealt with head lice, faced a diaper blowout, or held down a squirming kid while a lab tech jammed him with a needle? Mentioned: The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on head lice [https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/from-insects-animals/Pages/Signs-of-Lice.aspx].

On this week's entertainment-themed episode, two pretty tough episodes of Ted Lasso. Characters struggled with daddy issues, panic attacks, head injuries, and a drubbing from Manchester City (plus a probably inappropriate, but irresistible, workplace romance). Next: Season 2, episode 9, ”Beard After Dark,” and episode 10, “No Weddings and a Funeral.” Mentioned: The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Baseball-100/Joe-Posnanski/9781982180584], Linda Holmes's TL recaps at NPR.org [https://www.npr.org/series/1041961886/ted-lasso-recaps], and Roy Kent fan sweatshirts at The Shop Forward [https://www.theshopforward.com/products/i-heart-roy-kent-unisex-pullover-navy].

We totally fell for a clickbait-y headline about a mom bringing four uninvited guests to kids' birthday parties [https://www.today.com/parents/mom-5-says-she-brings-whole-family-birthday-parties-t242940], and had to talk about it. Of course, the situation was much more nuanced than the title implied--and so are the rules about who should go to birthday parties.

From the West Coast to the East Coast, from the suburbs to the sprawl, we shout out some cities we've loved or liked or had mixed feelings about. It's complicated.​

According to an article in US News and World Report [https://health.usnews.com/wellness/for-parents/articles/foods-for-anxiety-lower-kids-stress-levels-with-these-healthy-choices], eating foods including salmon, chickpeas, watercress, and sauerkraut could help soothe anxiety and stress. We note that chocolate, cookies, and Cheez-its seem to work equally well. At the very least, they don't add stress. Mentioned: Jameela Jamil on Justin Long's podcast, Life is Short [https://wondery.com/shows/justin-long/].​

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Catherine discovered she has a talent for axe-throwing. Nicole shouts out a portable projector that lets you turn any blank wall into a movie screen [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08M3ZFW2J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1]. And Terri recommends the audiobook Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624619/nine-nasty-words-by-john-mcwhorter/] (but maybe use earphones, depending on who else can hear it).

An adorable Instagram post from musician (and father of many little kids) Thomas Rhett [https://www.instagram.com/p/CXjTTVJFqgw/] got us obsessing about the old saying, "The days are long, but the years are short." It's true, but not necessarily something you want to hear when you're in the trenches. (And the days may be long, but the nights are endless!)

In lieu of a New Year's resolution, some people (like author Karen Walrond [https://www.chookooloonks.com/blog/focusing-on-words]) choose a word of the year to represent their hopes and intentions for the coming year. This, of course, is too much pressure for us, so we can't take it seriously. But we do want to know if you have a special word for 2022. Tweet it at us at https://twitter.com/roundaboutchat!

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, two more episodes of Ted Lasso, season two. "Rainbow" was a delightful rom-com tribute that nicely followed up the preceding episode, "Carol of the Bells," and its Love Actually inspirations. And "The Signal" gave us plenty of dating-app hi-jinks along with a nice victory for the team and for Nate. Next: Episodes 7 and 8 of season 2, "Headspace" and "Man City."

Happy New Year! We are not resolution people, so we figured: Why not think big, and make some ambitious pledges that we know we won't follow up on? Mentioned: Artful Agenda [https://www.artfulagenda.com/], Terri's Roundabout Roundup pick from a few months ago [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/roundabout-roundup-hofbrauhaus-las-vegas-artful-agenda-and-off-the-eaten-path]. She's still using it, which is quite an endorsement.