Episode #10 – Slim Chance of Uppers
Discussed:
-Free-Range Kids: the origin and the controversy
-English kids’ “roaming” distance through the decades
-Personal anecdotes
-Jenny defends attachment parenting. And maybe family beds, too.
-Away We Go, wherein Maggie Gyllenhaal is too darn likeable
-Cynara HATES hugs; Jenny explains object permanence, for those of you who haven’t taken an intro psych course at some time in your life.
-What got us started on the topic of “Free-Range Kids”: Mila’s Daydreams and the obligatory accompanying backlash
-Lower infant mortality = higher rates of helicopter parenting? An hypothesis
-Obligatory Mad Men reference (NB: non-spoiler)
-Cynara’s teenage adventures at the infamous Portage Place
-Jenny discovers Wholphin
-Jenny enjoys “The Room Before and After” and explains it to you and Cynara. This is the James Franco part. (Correction: the issue discussed is actually Wholphin 8, not 6.)
-What is the deal with James Franco?
NOTE: A connection I didn’t notice at the time — Away We Go was written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida of McSweeney’s.
Links:
Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone [NY Sun]
Lenore Skenazy’s Blog [Free-Range Kids]
How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Four Generations [Daily Mail]
Mila’s Daydreams [Blogspot.com]
Wholphin 8 [WholphinDVD.com]
End clip:
James Franco and Ronnie Marmo in the December 18, 2009 episode of General Hospital.
Hi ladies. I have enjoyed the last podcast about parenting. I found myself talking to you both but of couse you heard me not. Cynara you owe the fountain at Portage Place some change me thinks ,(you know Karma!) As your parent, Cynara it was very interesting to me,especially how you as an adult now view things about how you were raised. I related to the recoiling from hugs as you may have got that from me. Handshakes no problem as that is a German thing. Anyways congrats ladies and please let me know when you go viral. This is my first time sending this type of message as I am new to this whole computer thing. I am sure me sending a message may be somewhat surprising ,so surprise then! MOM
This dedicated listener finally got around to listening–loved it as always. My fanaticism is deep enough that I had seen clips of Mr Franco destroying the room but not so deep that I had heard of the Wholphin. I am compelled to both buy the DVD and enroll in several additional grad programs.
“Francowned.” Heehee.