Inspiration Of Motherhood

By Dana Macario

Crib notes: Is this generation of moms too overprotective

The world often feels like a big, scary place. As parents, it’s our job to do everything we can to protect our kids. But, some are beginning to worry that our fear has led to over-protection, which means kids are living more sedentary lives — lives that aren’t healthy for them. We know that previous generations of kids had a lot more freedom to roam; to walk to and from school alone, to play around the neighborhood in the afternoons, and to just generally get out and run on their own. These days, kids are more likely to be driven to school and to hang out at home, watching TV after school. As the childhood obesity rate continues to rise, many say that our fears of letting kids out of our sight is partly to blame. As the Globe and Mail reports, free-range kid activist, Lenore Skenazy, has said “Your fear … is putting your kid at risk of something far less dramatic, like obesity … and something that’s more likely to happen than getting snatched off the street.” Do you think we’re exercising appropriate caution, or are we, as a generation of moms, being overly protective?

In a video that will make you cry, inspiring kids cheer on their classmate who suffers from Cerebral Palsy All too often, we come across stories of kids being bullied and picked on because they’re different. So imagine our delight when we came across this incredible and inspiring video of a group of fifth and sixth graders. At a track and field day in Ohio, one boy, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, decided he was going to run the 400-meter race with his classmates. What, for most kids, is a fairly easy jaunt, was a real undertaking for this young trooper. In a video that Babble shared, you see him struggling along on his own, after the other kids sprinted off. Then, something incredible happens. First, his gym teacher joins him and walks along side him. That kind teacher is soon joined by one kid, then four, and before you know it, everyone’s stopped what they were doing and are running along with Matt W., chanting “Let’s go, Matt, let’s go.” Are you crying yet?

Little boy trades a toy soldier for a trip to Disney World, then gives it away If the last story hasn’t convinced you how amazing kids are these days, this next story ought to do it (and yeah, there’s a chance you might cry again). The story of Brendan Haas is the story of a little boy who traded in his toy soldier for a trip to Disney World — a trip he donated to the family of a fallen soldier. Several months ago, nine-year-old Brendan heard about a guy who started with a red paper clip and kept trading it for bigger and better things until he eventually traded his way into a house. Inspired, Brendan started the “A Soldier for a Soldier” project, where he traded a toy soldier for something bigger and better, eventually trading his way to a trip for Disney World. As whdh.com reported, he managed to convert that little, toy soldier into tickets to Disney World, air fare, a stay at the Disney Villas, and almost $900 in Disney gift certificates. Then, he did something amazing, he gave it all away. He held a raffle and gave the trip to the family of Lieutenant Timothy Steele, who was killed last August in Afghanistan. Lieutenant Steele had left behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter. That little girl, who’s already lost so much, will at least get to take a break from it all and have a fun vacation. Brendan, we salute you.

Grandma gets sued for falling while carrying her granddaughter They say that no good deed goes unpunished and that certainly seems to be the case for one Australian grandmother. While on a family vacation six years ago, a grandma offered to take her granddaughter downstairs after the baby wouldn’t go back to sleep after an early-morning feeding. The granny asked her daughter (the baby’s mom) to leave her bedside light on as she went down the stairs, but didn’t turn on the light in the rental house’s stairway, for fear of waking other family members. But the grandma stumbled and even though she grabbed for the railing, she still fell down the stairs, holding the baby the whole way down. Tragically, the baby was seriously injured in the fall and is now severely disabled  as a result. As the Australian reports, the little girl’s parents have now sued the grandma for negligence and the court sided with the parents, deciding that granny was liable because she didn’t turn the stair lights on.

 

Toddler grounded. Another kid who won’t be flying the friendly skies anytime soon What is going on with kids and planes these days?! Are kids really more out-of-control than they used to be or are airlines less tolerant of small children? Yet another toddler has been kicked off a plane for being what his dad describes as “cranky.” As KIRO FM reports, the dad describes a three-year-old who was crying and not wanting to put his seatbelt on before takeoff. The little boy’s mother, who was seated elsewhere, eventually came over, giving the boy some water and his pacifier, settling him down. By then though, it was too late and the Alaska Airlines pilot had already turned the plane back towards the gate. The grumpy tot and his dad were then asked to leave. The airline claims it was a judgment call and says the crew was worried because the little “boy did not want to sit upright and keep his seatbelt on.” The airline offered to book the family on a later flight, but the family took a pass on that offer. Do you think airlines are being too tough on families with small children these days or are parents just blaming the airlines for their kids’ bad behavior?

Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers.