Comments for Generation X Raising Generation O

Comment on What We Did on the National Day of Service by john s.

john s. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:41:02 +0000

In our house, those are known as “Kung Fu Panda Puffs,” and they are a favorite.

Comment on A New Activity for the Kids by lisacatherineharper

lisacatherineharper — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:51:47 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Dave. This is an interesting point. I haven’t really thought about it too much, but I do think that we can’t anymore, exclusively, to raise a child on “track” to go to Standford/Harvard/Yale/Princeton, etc. and achieve, achieve, achieve without society/culture paying a severe price. I think the hyper-competitive mentality that you can sometimes see in well-off suburbs and cities can in fact contribute to the death of community and civic responsibility.

Of course, for me academic education is paramount, but equally important is raising a child with who can empathize, who has a real sense of her place in the world, of his local and global community, and who will grow up to work and act in concert with values that will sustain community/environment. Of course, this involves empowering children to be involved with their peers, to make good decisions, not hovering and over-protecting/sheltering.

Comment on A New Activity for the Kids by Dave Sohigian

Dave Sohigian — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:30:55 +0000

Thanks for your posts. I am wondering what your take is on the point where us Gen-X parents go overboard in taking care of our kids? I realize that many of us were raised almost entirely hands-off, but what happens when we go to the other (over)-protective extreme? I have encountered this behavior at several schools, and I think our ability to create community hangs in the balance.

I have been writing a bit about generations lately and would be happy to hear your comments: http://blog.sohigian.com/2009/01/27/the-x-community/

Go X!

Comment on The Why: Universal Voluntary Service by Call to Action: National Day of Service, January 19, 2009 « Generation X Raising Generation O

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:58:15 +0000

[...] The Why: Universal Voluntary Service [...]

Comment on Why _is_ Obama our first Black President? by lisacatherineharper

lisacatherineharper — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:23:17 +0000

Wow. Libby. That’s a hard one to respond to–&I have 2 years on you. It’s funny thought, that Ella actually was *very* concerned about whether or not our ancestors actually owned slaves,,,I was glad to be able to say definitively no to that, but I also wanted to emphasize that racism isn’t just about having owned slaves, but how about freed slaves, and people of color have been treated historically by white people in this country.

Comment on Why _is_ Obama our first Black President? by Libby

Libby — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:12:48 +0000

what a great conversation you had. And you handled it much better than I did when Mariah, age four, came home from preschool with the news that her best friend had told her they couldn’t be friends anymore “because your ancestors owned my ancestors.” That was precisely *not* the way I wanted to get into the discussion of institutionalized racism! Wish I’d had these books.

Comment on Why _is_ Obama our first Black President? by lisacatherineharper

lisacatherineharper — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:21:53 +0000

Thanks for this , Peter. I love your idea of a Goodreads group or other way of compiling a working bibliography. I especially love suggestions, too, for other books for kids of all ages…

Comment on Why _is_ Obama our first Black President? by Peter Gutierrez

Peter Gutierrez — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:05:32 +0000

Wow, what a thoughtful conversation to have with a young child — and what an excellent capture of it for other parents/caregivers to ponder.

The suggested books are a great idea, too. Maybe start a goodreads group or other way of sharing these with like-minded parents or teachers? (There are also several strong works of graphic nonfiction for older kids: Rosen’s bio of Harriet Tubman is one I recommend.)

Comment on Generation X Raising Generation O: The Prequel by lisacatherineharper

lisacatherineharper — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:21:36 +0000

Maybe I even handed you a flyer…

Comment on Generation X Raising Generation O: The Prequel by caroline

caroline — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:23:56 +0000

I’m sure we must have crossed paths in NYC… I was working full-time, volunteering nights at a couple indie film places, and protesting the war weekends in DC and NY. Funny that we should finally meet here, after grad school and marriage and kids. I have these same impulses, about trying to find ways to include my kids in some form of activism. It’ll be interesting to see how these next few years develop.