Over the past few years, I’ve been increasingly drawn to social entrepeneurship and the power to change the world that has been demonstrated by individuals. With the rise of technology, globalization, and wealth, the power to create positive change in the world is ever-increasing. Still, there are serious global challenges that humanity must face. This blog will highlight individuals and organizations who are solving problems, not just treating them, in new and interesting ways. It is my hope to inform and inspire others to rise to the challenge and create an upward spiral of change making throughout the world.
Laurie Thompson
My first “review”
This month I got to review a new children’s museum which opened near our neighborhood. I was excited to see the museum, and excited to try something a little bit different with my writing — a review. It turned out I loved the museum and couldn’t wait to take my kids there, so here is the glowing review.
“KidsQuest Children’s Museum — Exciting new Eastside space for fun and learning”, ParentMap, January 2006
Write what you know
This is an article in which I got to be my own expert. My husband and I have had plenty of experience traveling with our two small children. Many of our friends and family think we’re crazy (and some of our trips have occasionally bordered on insanity), but we love having the opportunity to expose them to new things. I’m confident it is good for their development, even if they’re too young to remember the actual experiences.
“Holiday travel with babies and toddlers”, ParentMap, December 2005
Ask the experts
This was an easy one — not much writing or interviewing. I just found a bunch of parenting experts and asked each one the same question, “What’s the most important thing for new parents to know?” Here’s what they said.
“Expert education tips for new parents”, ParentMap, October 2005
Decisions, decisions
BabyMap runs a regular column called Decision Digest, where they summarize all sides of important issues that expectant and new parents face. In this issue, I tackled two questions: whether to bank cord blood for personal use, and using cloth diapers versus disposables.
“Decision digest — Private cord blood banking and diapers”, BabyMap, Fall/Winter 2005–2006
Unite for Children. Unite against AIDS.
Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS is a global Campaign to alert the world to the fact that children are missing from the global AIDS agenda. It provides a platform for urgent and sustained programs, advocacy and fundraising to limit the impact of HIV/AIDS on children and help halt the spread of the disease. Policymakers and the global public must become aware that AIDS not only affect adults, but is having a devastating affect on children throughout the world. Please find out more at http://www.unicef.org/uniteforchildren/index.html.
Keeping love alive after baby arrives
Here’s one where I have some hands-on experience — maintaining a healthy marriage after kids join the family. My extraordinary husband and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary this year. We make time to care for each other and our relationship, as well as for our two young children.
“Keeping love alive after baby arrives”, ParentMap, September 2005, pages 13–14
Book Review — Swimming with Maya
I picked up this book because the picture on the cover looks like my own daughter. When I read the back notes and learned that she was dead, I quickly put it back down. I didn’t want to read about Eleanor Vincent’s devastating loss. For some reason, though, I felt compelled to try to comprehend her experience.
What I found was indeed distressing, but inspirational at the same time. The book is in many ways a postmortem tribute to Vincent’s daughter and an exploration of the healing effects of organ donation. Taken in its entirety, however, this book is really about a journey through the process of healing from a lifetime of psychological traumas. The extreme grief over her daughter’s sudden death and the struggle to cope with it lead Vincent down buried paths of pain going all the way back to her childhood. She emerges transformed. She lost her daughter, but therein found herself, and we can’t help but applaud her success.
Jogging? Ugh.
I love hiking, but my bike has been parked for years and jogging has never been my thing. To look at me is to clearly see that I am not a great authority on fitness. Nevertheless, I accepted an assignment for an article on exercising outdoors with a child under two. Yes, I actually got out the sneakers and went jogging for this one, all in the name of research. I broke a sweat but had a good time. If you look closely, you can see I also took the photo.
“Get out and get fit — with your baby”, ParentMap, July 2005, page 13
A little stretch
All of the articles I’ve written before this one have been on topics that I already knew something about or have had some firsthand experience with. Not this one! It was really fun to do, though. Most of the research came from interviews, so at first I was a little nervous. Everybody I talked to was so helpful and inspiring, however, that now I look forward to interviewing.
“Young teens need practice managing money”, ParentMap, June 2005, pages 19–20