now posting regularly

It's Wednesday, so it's time for some NPR love. I'm always ready to declare my happiness with NPR, but it seems especially important this week as our local station, WAMU, is running its winter campaign, and Congress is poised to act on legislation to cut the federal funding that goes toward NPR, as meager as it already is. Bah. Time for some interesting stories.

• "Dodging Disney In The Delivery Room"-- I know that it seems that I can't stop talking about Peggy Orenstein, author of the incredible new book Cinderella Ate My Daughter, but... I just can't because I have a huge author-crush on her right now! I was thrilled to see this piece that she wrote for NPR, even though its topic absolutely incensed me. If I thought Disney couldn't get any lower... well, I was seriously wrong.

• "Cartoonist Sees Bad Relationships In A Funny Way"-- From Weekend Edition Saturday comes this story about a book by Nick Galifianakis, a cartoonist for The Washington Post, that would have been perfect for a very un-Valentine's Day-ish kind of gift. I had no idea that he is actually the ex-husband of Carolyn Hax, for whose column he provides cartoon illustrations!

• "The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day"-- Another not-so-roses-and-candy kind of Valentine's Day story intrigued me... I had never heard of these ideas of the origin of this Hallmark holiday!

• "To Win Toddler Food Battles, Take A Softer Approach"-- Okay, so I heard this and the next story on Morning Edition while I was in the shower, and I wished that they had gone into a little more depth about how these two particular characteristics could also factor into a larger picture for children. We've tried a wide variety of ways to get JAM to expand his culinary experiences, but he's ten, WAY past the toddler years, and there is no getting anything beyond a very basic menu of pasta, breads, a couple of fruits and two veggies to go from his plate to his mouth, and...

• "For Kids, Self-Control Factors Into Future Success"-- ... this continues to be a challenge for him as well. Taken individually, these two issues appear to be singular challenges, but what the stories did not explore is the possibility that they can simply be two pieces of an overall puzzle. For JAM, that puzzle is labeled ADHD, and these two pieces are not as easy to alleviate as the stories may individually present. Especially on this one-- regulating emotions, controlling impulsivity, and the memory and attention necessary to self-manage are key challenges in ADHD, making it a much more complex issue for some children.

• "A Houston Police Officer's Brush With Death"-- This All Things Considered story is heartwarming and encouraging to hear, and my heart went out to the police officer profiled, as well as to Rep. Giffords for their continued recovery.

Sharing in the love for NPR,