Watching professional athletes successfully complete daring acts, one often thinks, "Yeah, they're great at it now, but what was it like the first time they tried it?" How does a person make up their mind to try skateboarding on the half pipe or jump off a big ski ramp for the first time? By the time most of us see them, they're Olympic athletes, full of skill and confidence. But, a new viral video is giving us a glimpse of someone attempting a hard, new technique for the first time. 9News in Colorado shares the video shot from a fourth grader's helmet cam as she tries a 40-foot ski jump for the first time. At the beginning, the young girl is at the top of the ramp, trying to convince herself she can do this next challenge in a timid voice. "Here goes something, I guess," Zia says, seemingly unsure. Here goes something was right. She nails the jump and the change in her tone of voice is amazing. Full of confidence and pride, it's an incredible demonstration of conquering one's fears.
A lover among all those baby-haters
Lately, it seems everyone's hating on babies. They're no longer welcome in restaurants or airplanes. If their parents think they're cute and post pictures of them or dare to acknowledge their presence on Facebook, they'll be scorned and might even be included in a round of STFU Parents. Well, for all the baby-haters out there, we finally have an unapologetic baby-lover. Writing at xojane, single-gal Emily, proclaims her love of other people's babies. This funny gal wants to see pictures of your baby, on a regular basis, but especially on Halloween, when they're wearing their cute costumes. If they do something cute, she wants you to email her and tell her about it. If you'll let her, she wants to kiss on their feet and put those adorable little baby toes in her mouth. She's the co-worker every new mother loves -- the one who will rush to your cubicle the second she hears your baby's made an appearance in the office. She believes that "parents with cute babies in a public space should be required to parade around with the baby in the air Simba-style so we can all get a good look at it. Seriously, you know people want to see that s*%$." When a baby's in a stroller and covered by a blanket, she's "quietly freaking out because I want to see your baby's face. SHOW ME YOUR FACE BABY!" Admit it, moms, you totally want to send her a friend request on Facebook right now, don't you?
Dad wonders if he was right to let his underage kids have a sip of wine now and then
When it comes to kids and alcohol, does a sip now prevent them from chugging it wildly later on? Or, should fermented drinks not pass their lips until they're 21? Believing that moderation is the key, one dad gave his son his first taste of wine at just 10 months old, rubbing a bit of Bordeaux over the baby's gums. As he writes over at Slate magazine, he has hoped that by not making alcohol a tantalizing taboo, his children will be better prepared to drink in moderation. But lately, he's begun questioning whether early, controlled exposure really does help promote responsible drinking later on. Many, including this dad, have long looked to French (and Italian) cultures, where kids are able to drink wine with dinner from a rather young age. The belief was that, when older, these kids were less likely to binge and get drunk than their American counterparts, who found alcohol to be a novelty and thus, drank in excess. But, with new reports out showing that French youth are bingeing more, this dad's worried that his theory may be flawed. He's talked to some people who say that any early exposure can be dangerous and increase a kid's chances of becoming an alcoholic. Of course, he's talked to other people who disagree and say that as long as you demonstrate moderation and control in your own consumption, and talk to your kids about it, early exposure can be a great way to prevent excessive drinking in kids later. Do you let your kids have a sip of your beer or wine now and then?
Knit, purl, ovulate
When it comes to women's healthcare, the personal is political -- especially this political season. Thus far, during the presidential primaries, issues of contraception and abortion have been gaining a lot of attention. Mitt Romney has made headlines for making noises about getting rid of Planned Parenthood. The debates are not just on a national level, but at the state level as well. Many states are proposing laws that would restrict women's access to contraception. Arizona has even proposed a law that would allow employers to deny women insurance coverage for birth control pills unless they can prove it's for a medical reason, rather than for contraceptive reasons. One group of women has had it and they're not afraid to knit about it. Government Free VJJ claims to not support any particular political party, nor are they either pro-choice or pro-life. They do however, want lawmakers, particularly male lawmakers, to stop interfering in women's healthcare. As Babble reported, they're asking women to join them in knitting or crocheting vaginas and uteruses to send to the male representatives of Congress. Their thought process? “If they have their own, they can leave ours alone.” Not sure how one would go about crafting a uterus out of yarn? Their site contains knitting patterns and suggested messages to send to Congress. Who knew knitting had gotten so political, or anatomically correct?
Is granny better than a nanny?
When it comes to childcare, grandparents aren't just grand, they're great. As the Daily Telegraph reported, kids whose grandparents babysat for them while their parents worked, were found to have bigger vocabularies and were more emotionally secure than kids who went to nice, expensive daycares. Not only do kids benefit from having granny as a nanny, but parents reported the expected benefits as well. First off, grandparents are easy on the wallet, but even more importantly, they're people you can trust and whom you know will love your children, which is reassuring as you head off to work every morning. However, the researchers found that lower-income kids did benefit from the school-readiness aspects of daycare, rather than being cared for by grandparents. No nana on hand? Some believe that hiring a nanny, rather than placing kids in daycare, is also a good route, as kids get more one-on-one attention."
Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers. Once properly caffeinated, she also blogs at www.18years2life.com.