vive la France!

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Miriam McCaleb

Salut mes amis,
Kia Ora e hoa ma,
G’day mates, hey y’all, hello my friends.

The resistance is rumbling. There have been courageous law changes in France meaning that the children and adolescents there are being given mandated time away from the persuasive design of the tech companies that live in all our cellphones and feed off our attention.

Speaking of which, I enjoyed this trifecta of articles about Yondr, which is a simple and exciting option for creating tech-free oases. Yes, schools are a perfect place to be phone-free, (may I remind you of this report from the London School of Economics) but also at live shows (we should all be allowed to be one with the music without fear of some meanie uploading our gyrations & undulations without permission!)

Meanwhile, the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood have sent this open letter to Mark Zuckerberg (if you know him, give him a nudge will you?) the Children’s Screen Time Action Network are continuing to advocate and agitate, which is just as well; because there are multiple layers to the weirdness of tech in kids’ lives, like how our distracted parenting can lead to bonkers patterns of child misbehaviour (and subsequent avoidance … the downward cycle of technoference, just like McDaniel told ya), OR like how our tech habits at bedtime are robbing our children of sleep.

(ah, Sleep! I love you so!)

Other stuff: crazy finding reported here by Scientific American, about the likelihood of women with heart problems dying/not dying upon admission to an emergency room depending upon the gender of the doctor on duty that day, HERE is a transcript to a wonderful interview with Ashley Montagu, and this is a link to an article I wrote aaaages ago, for my pals at OHbaby!. Love y’all!

Finally: new podcast obsession this week … Song Exploder. All hail Jonathan Van Ness, whose Getting Curious podcast led me there.

Podcasts. They are amazing. Put them on the list of things I do quite like about tech.

sharing, by clearing (tabs)

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Miriam McCaleb

Sooner or later I’m going to have to learn how to use some of the tools at my disposal. I can barely use my computer, I’m not sure I could even thread up my sewing machine, and I’m terrified of the new software I need to master. To reference, graph, and get my shit together.

I’m so mad at tech. How will I learn to love her? Appreciate the good bits. Get playful with leaning new software. Play with the wonderful communicative bits.

Like sharing stuff. That is a cool gift. Access to all the stuff. I need to share some:

Here is an awesome article (with some blue language, look out) from Esquire magazine, about Fred Rogers. The man is a hero. Apparently there is a new movie coming out about Mr Rogers’ life. If I was a diligent blogger I’d go find you a link, but I’m due at a school assembly, and my computer is running slow!

Very good resource here, based around Bruce Perry’s Regulate, Relate, Reason, which is some life changing stuff. Ain’t foolin.

Now here is an article from the Huffington Post, about how we are all checking our smartphones more than we know. It’s becoming apparent to me that the ‘checking behaviour’ is possibly more an indicator of worrisome stuff than just straight ‘time on screen’ measures.

BYO sunshine, outrage, action & poetry

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Miriam McCaleb

Kia Ora ladies and gentlegeeks,

Warm soup and winter sunshine. What a joy it is to be alive when you’re fortunate in the birth lottery (yay, NZ in the 70’s! Yay! Thanks Papatuanuku!) but jeepers, mate, there is lameness and horror a-plenty. I was just crapping on to my big brother over coffee a few days back about how if we could just ask all scenarios an overarching question (be the scenario designing a town hall, or prioritising health funding, or creating immigration policy) all would shift.

The question:
What would this mean for babies?

Whatever it is. Going for a walk. Approving an irrigation scheme. Consent processes and elected officials would all have to prove how their decisions impact babies. Most parents are pretty good at considering how their decisions impact their own babies (“if we stay for dinner, what does that mean for our bedtime routine?”), so we must now all consciously expand to our infuse all our decisions, large and small, with babyhood.

Because if it’s good for babies, it’s good for everyone (friends! You know why! Because attachment and neurobiology and human potential. Because overstimulation and pace and wellbeing. That’s why!

The only group I can think of who will suffer if we truly prioritise infant wellbeing are those with financial interests in selling nonsense to babies’ families.

And they can stuff off, anyway.

We have a rare opportunity here, because our Prime Minister just gave birth to her first child. Well done, Jacinda! And now you get to view decisions large and small through a lens you didn’t even know existed. None of us knew, till we knew. Welcome. Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome, Baby Neve, to the world. And welcome, Jacinda, to motherhood.

Tuesday cruiseday

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Miriam McCaleb

I’ve been working on a collaborative writing project, but today I’ve been stood up by my writing partner!

Instead of fretting, I’m embracing. Feels like an unexpected day off, to catch up on stuff like updating the ol’ bloggity blog (Kia Ora!) and I just might fold some washing and do a bit more work on an article I’ve been slogging away at.

Oooooh … or I could unroll my mat and indulge some sneaky online practice: Yoga with Adriene, I love you. What would you do with some unexpected hours to yourself?

First, please enjoy some links from your geeky friend (that’s me).

First, another angle on the importance of relationship. This is from the folks at Harvard Medical School and it touches on the value of existing relationships between patients and doctors. You don’t say … !

Here is a link to a piece by the Scientific American summarising some interesting findings from (their descriptor, not mine!) a Giant Brain Fest. And even though they shouldn’t have to, here is some info about the ways that the American Academy of Pediatrics is advocating for children to have access to recess (we’d call it ‘playtime’).

Here is a li’l something from Mothering mag, about the ways that loving touch can alter an infant’s DNA, and HERE is a piece from the Atlantic about Tristan Harris, who I love. He founded the “Time Well Spent” movement, and he is like Jamie Oliver promoting healthy eating to fast food lovers … except the fast food is addictive technology, and his name is Tristan, not Jamie. But still … you get my analogy, eh?

I love how they use WMD – not as “Weapons of Mass Destruction” as that abbreviation has historically been used, but as “Wireless Mobile Devices”, with the destructive potential implied.

Also, same but different, this from the Guardian … a piece about a rehab in Washington State for those addicted to tech.

Finally, a sweet video from the lovely outgoing editor of OHbaby! mag, Ellie. Enjoy x x x

things I get to do …

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Miriam McCaleb

Alrighty … so the power of language is well documented (*never more enjoyably than in THIS EPISODE of the podcast “On Being”) and just lately I’ve been playing with “get to” instead of “have to”, or “should”.

I have to feed the calf. I have to organise an early dinner for my kids tonight, so we can go out. I should weed my veggie garden. I should write that essay.

I get to feed the calf. I get to organise an early dinner for my kids tonight, so we can go out. I get to weed my veggie garden. I get to write that essay.

Reminds me to have gratitude for the blessings that are wrapped up in those sentences. Reminds me to look for the blessings.

Quick link dump, then.

Fab article here about the many and unexpected benefits of teaching kids philosophy in schools (YUM!!) Even pro-business publications are making the case for it!

Parents want some life skills in schools, too, apparently. Could we categorise philosophising as a life skill? Man, teachers are going to be busy.

Good paper here, balanced and calm writing about adolescents and tech. FLIP. We gotta set some limits.

(OH MY GOODNESS it works here too. Instead of “We have to set limits on our kids’ and our own tech use …We get to set limits on our kids’ and our own tech use. Empowering. Yeah!)

Anyway, This is a quote from that aforementioned paper:

The Pew Internet and American Life Project Foundation synthesized results from their survey of over 1000 technology stakeholders and critics in a report with the less-than-decisive, but I think ultimately accurate, title of “Millennials will benefit and suffer due to their hyperconnected lives”

Here is a list of scary things about the internet (with an outdated Halloween theme. Sorry.) And here is an article by a doctor from Harvard about what parents need to know (*Get to know!!) about children and mobile digital devices. Kids and cellphones. Y’know.

I read this some years ago, but it’s still great … and for some reason, this week it recrossed my path so, SHARE I shall. Wild Play. God, I loved the book Savage Park.

In other news, I was super proud of the kiwi doctor who has had self care put in the medical oath. Is it called Hippocratic?

Finally, for joy’s sake:

Flower beards: I love them SO MUCH.

deep breaths and crossed eyes

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Miriam McCaleb

at last … I’ve made it out into my glorious office and photographed the OHbaby! mag which houses my article about Technoference. Oh, friends and gentlegeeks, if money (and courage!) were limitless I’d rush off to Rome for the World Infant Mental Health Congress in May next year. Just to hear Jenny Radesky and her “Digital Media in the Dyad” prez. Swoon!

But alas … I’m neither rich enough NOR am I sufficiently brave. Travel often feels pretty daunting. I managed a trip to Canada last year, communing with other disciples of the Gospel according to Bruce.

But a foreign language, another whole continent away? For a New Zealander to even think about Rome you’d have to pad it with ages either side, to justify the costs. Both the monetary expense and the time. Uproot the whole family for a good month. Spend as much as it’s going to cost to fix the laundry/kitchen conundrum.

Too much, too soon for this geek.

Ah … a wise local recently reminded me: for everything there is a season, etc.

For today, I’ll stay home with an ailing teen and tend to some office time.

First … may I share some links?

I’ll start with some light reading for the nerdily inclined … a paper published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. It’s by Jenny Radesky and others, and then an awesome longread article by the Guardian about smartphone addiction … the dude who invented the “Like” button and his peers all send their kids to schools without screens.

Mark my bloody words: To learn to think creatively enough to be able to build such immensely complex and innovative things as iPads and apps and pull-down refresh functions. … you gotta have a childhood full of relational richness and hands-on play. Nature and sunshine and eye contact. Opportunities to lose yourself in discovery and enjoyment.

Meanwhile … what are we like?

What are we actually like?

Honestly, I could go on all day.

Between the angsting about technoference (think of the children! And not just to sell stuff to them!) and the all the coveting I’ve been doing (WANT and WANT) I’ve barely had time for much else. School holidays are over, of course, which changes things a bit.

Speaking of schools, there’s been another conversation about teaching values/life skills (dare I say it! Social and emotional intelligence stuff!) in the classroom. I’m kinda all for it, but remind us all that amazing things like Roots of Empathy, and the Nurture Groups, and other cool things exist. We can call on existing ideas with evidence based results. We can do better than dodgy posture and other forms of self harm. We can find ways to heal.

We bloody well ought to. Digital focus, my eye.

Life, eh! What, ho! What a ride.

a few links on a Thursday

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Miriam McCaleb

Kia Ora te whānau

What a week! Had a beautiful workshop with teachers on Tuesday arvo, I’ll be back to work with the parents of the self-same preschool on Tuesday night. Groovester. Meanwhile, tomorrow I’m teaching a coupla workshops (play as springboard to classroom curriculum, yes, even in primary school!) and delivering a keynote (technoference-ish stuff). Big! Busy!

Irony not lost – perfect late-winter weather out there, and what am I doing? Tapping away indoors, encouraging less engagement with screens by … what, what! … engaging with my screen.

Anyway, let’s share a few links, shall we? First, from the Atlantic, an excellent piece about the free preschools of Boston. Play, you say? Well supported & educated teachers? Radical! (not) Now, from the Guardian, enjoy this write up about the rise of low-tech schools in high-tech regions.

It’s been a wee while since I shared the excellent organisation known as TRUCE (teachers resisting unhealthy children’s entertainment) … their ideas are excellent and their toy guides are worth downloading/sharing. Speaking of unhealthy entertainment, this is a link to a v good episode of the EXCELLENT ‘Hidden Brain’ podcast, from NPR. This episode deals with the tomfoolery that exists within social media.

Essential reading, now … This is an article from Psychology Today that just made my heart bounce with recognition. YES! We know what works, evolutionarily. We deviate at our peril!

All this stuff is worth paying attention to … apparently rates of empathy are on the decline, and as Dr Bruce Perry would say, empathy is both endangered and ESSENTIAL.

Finally, Life is Fine xxx

articles, links and love

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Miriam McCaleb

Tena koutou, e geek ma. Here is the sweet cover picture of the latest issue of OHbaby! I’m proud of the articles in there that I created … one is full of wisdom from my friends/colleagues (i.e., frolleagues) and the other is about play. YEAH.

Speaking of wisdom: check out this excellent interview from Scientific American about an education system producing “smart fools”. Robert Sternberg is talking about the situation in the US, but I wonder how different things are here in NZ? Discuss.

You know what would help? An emphasis on the li’l kid versions … like promoting social-emotional learning in preschools, as described by this work supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

This link will take you to an account of how infant massage just might have benefits that extend even beyond the all-important mother:baby relationship, and here is a serious set of trauma statistics. All the more reason for solid relationships: they anchor us when the world gets stormy. Which it does. And probably will.

This link is from Zero to Three and has some chilling news about the impact of the most recent US budget on the lives of children, families, and the poor. Speaking of the T-word, check out this beautiful and horrifying art installation in New York.

Now: from the Chicago Tribune … about the way that smartphones can interfere with relationships EVEN WHEN THEY ARE SWITCHED OFF, and what a surprise, more research about how tech use is interfering with relationships, this from BYU.

Those of use who’ve studied how kids grow & learn won’t be surprised to learn that all this ‘technoference’ points to problematic child behaviour … as described in this study in the journal Child Development. The study is also reported in a reader-friendly way … right here.

Join the resistance! Behold: Time Well Spent. Check out the work of Sherry Turkle (thanks, Lauren), Anil Dash, and consider a relationship with Common Sense Media.

My husband shared this cynical piece from Slate with me, on Mother’s Day … It’s kinda funny but also a bit depressing, so I will make this my final gem for the day: a link shared with me by my Big Girl, from the beautiful Flow magazine.

Waiau, Lincoln, and in between

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Miriam McCaleb

If I were a cleverer geek I’d be able to insert a nice graphic from Saturday’s ECE Expo. Alas, I am supremely human (ie: flawed as can be!) so I’ll ask you to just tolerate one of the ultra uncool, non-web-wonderful posts that are my default setting.

What a time it’s been. I never reported back on the excellence of a visit to Waiau with the glorious Dr. Jackie and the extraordinary Steph from the Brainwave Trust Aotearoa. What an amazing opportunity to connect with a warm, authentic, courageous group of families. I honour the whole darned lot of yiz.

And this weekend was also an utter treat: Libby and her crew organised a professional and enriching day and I greatly cherished being able to present. The folks in my session were open and engaged and willing … we had some fun, eh?

If you’d like to hear more from Dr. Perry and his profoundly transformative recipe: “Regulate, Relate, Reason”, check out this link, which includes a podcast. Listen while you prep dinner!

And here is a link to the Buddhify app, which is just one of a quadrillion breath/meditation type helpers. I adore it. And give Adriene’s “Yoga Quickies” a try, for if you’ve just got a few minutes and need a reboot. Love her! Amazing!

(*btw two things I should have referenced on the day: the line “set yourself up for greatness” is one of Adriene’s, and the Imaginary Extra Day activity was inspired by a book called “The Gift of Play: Why Adult Women Stop Playing and How to Start Again”, by author Barbara Brannen. )

Also I referred to the awesomeness of Dr. Rick Hanson, you can find more about him here. I enjoy all of his writing, including his weekly newsletters, and I subscribe to his podcast, too. Check out Episode 4 for more of that “noticing that you are already oK” practice. SO YUMMY AND WISE.

In other news, a couple here from Scientific American, first a graphic look at the impact of poverty on the brain (ugh) and this article expands the ideas represented in the first.

Another one from the “What the HECK?” file, this is a piece from Harvard Medical School about the far reaching benefits and implications of supporting breastfeeding. American data, but interesting nonetheless.

This episode of the podcast ‘On Being’ blew my mind, and now I’m going to have to check out more from Anil Dash, because he might be the hope for a generation. The latest episode of On Being has an interview with Bessel Van der Kolk, he of the Body Keeps the Score. Y’know, I keep trying to get everyone to read it! Can’t wait to listen to that one.

Another podcast in my queue, recommended by one of my favourite gals, and from one of my favourite ‘casts! This looks awesome, from Radiolab.

Oh, and did I share this yet? It’s about parenting teens. Love them! Trust them! Cuddle their big bodies whenever they let you!

I haven’t time for much else this morning. But look after yourself, please. And look after your people. And look after our beautiful land that we love as much as we love our people!

the normal baby geek thang

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Miriam McCaleb

Kia Ora my friends

Today I’ll quickly do what I usually, traditionally do. That is: to consolidate a variety of links of interest to today’s nerdy family enthusiast. A one-stop shop for the modern overthinker.

I’ve been a bit derailed of late, and that is how life goes. Bear with: I will return to the campaign to free children from the tyranny of cellphones, but until then, enjoy some links. Here they come, no particular order!

What Ho! We begin with a couple of articles about screens! Here is information about the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood’s annual screen free week, and won’t you please read this article in which the writer describes being without her smartphone and draws attention to MoodOff Day. Right on!!!

No doubt: tech may have benefits but there are oh-so many ways she oversteps her bounds in the lives of families. Check out this story from Germany.

Next up: an article to file under “I cannot believe this is a concept that needs defending” – it’s about the need to protect what Americans call recess. We’d call it playtime. Anyway – the article is from the Atlantic and here it is. Speaking of Americans, one of my favourite gals on the globe shared this link with me this morn. It’s the 5 Phrases that can Change Your Child’s Life. Love it! Thanks, MInne. x

Here is a very useful summary of Attachment Theory, in an article from the New York Times, and WHAT THE WHAT? Trees talk to each other and recognise their offspring. Science said so!

Two more: this is a super cool PDF about Play from the Alliance for Childhood (the book on their homepage looks wicked cool) and this is about marketing food to children (as in, let’s not).

That’s all for now my geeky friends. It’s AUTUMNAL out there, and I wanna be in it.

www.baby.geek.nz

Category Archives: play