BROOKLYN FREE Family Where Every Child Matters
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
July 2016 BROOKLYN FREE Family Where Every Child Matters Have an NYC staycation Living in peace after a divorce 75 strategies for better parenting Linking family stability to a child’s success Find us online at www.NYParenting.com BROOKLYN Family July 2016 FEATURES COLUMNS 6 Freedom & parenting 10 Healthy Living Parallels between how we raise our BY DANIELLE SULLIVAN children and govern our country BY CAROLYN WATERBURY-TIEMAN 18 Behavior & Beyond BY DR. MARCIE BEIGEL 8 Her hope is contagious An 8-year-old from California creates a 30 Daddy Diaries book to inspire Syrian refugees BY DIMITRI EHRLICH BY TAMMY SCILEPPI 32 Family Health 12 Our guns BY DR. PRAMOD NARULA, MD A closer look at NY State’s gun laws 34 Tips for Feeding Kids BY ALISON ARDEN BESUNDER BY JOANNA DEVITA 14 Team family 36 FabuLYSS Finds After a divorce, working together when 42 BY LYss STERN you live apart BY GAYLA GRACE 38 Just Write Mom 16 Shaky ground BY DANIELLE SULLIVAN Tracing the links between a family’s 39 Dear Teacher stability and a child’s success BY PEggY GISLER AND BY MYRNA BETH HASKELL MARGE EbERTS 20 Have a New York City 40 The Book Worm staycation BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER There’s plenty to experience this summer without ever leaving the five boroughs 50 New & Noteworthy BY LISA J. CURTIS BY SHNIEKA L. JOHNSON 20 22 Become a great parent New book offers training for a very CALENDAR important job 42 July Events BY ALLISON PLITT 24 Day care 101 SPECIAL SECTIONS Choosing a place that works for your child and you 26 Pre-School/Nursery BY JUDY M. MILLER Directory 41 It’s dino-myte fun! 48 Party Planners ‘Dino Babies’ is funny and educational 49 The Marketplace BY KIDS FIRST! FILM CRITICS 14 July 2016 • BROOKLYN FAMILY 3 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER Cherishing peace and freedom was reading an ar- cuss with me the hor- very serious topics in, I trust, an on about immigrants and immi- ticle the other day ror story of the mo- intelligent way. We have an article gration. Personally, I am the prod- I that I found very ment. When I tried to by Tammy Scileppi about a young uct of four grandparents from four interesting, if not up- escape, he accused me 8-year-old writer who has written different countries who all found setting. How to dis- of hiding from the re- a book about child refugees from freedom in this nation. I also mar- cuss the news with alities of the world. I Syria. We have a passionate but ried a foreign national and I have your children, rather, believed I was protect- intelligent essay from our resident lived in other places and visit other how and when to talk ing my sanity. attorney, Alison Arden Besunder, countries often. In my opinion, we to them about the With our children about GUNS and their legal and must protect our own freedom by violence happening it is recommended constitutional right in New York cherishing it for all and offering it around the world. I’m that we let them be State. Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman to all comers. sure there was a time when one innocent as long as possible. It talks about parallels between child Have a Happy Fourth! Be safe. could perhaps escape from the bar- is highly recommended that the rearing and governing. All interest- Courage. barisms if one was lucky enough to local news not be our dinner table ing and important conversations. live in a peaceful place, but these background music. It is also recom- The Fourth of July is Indepen- days, with the barrage of media mended that we don’t bring up the dence Day, as we all know. It is also blitz, it’s almost impossible not to massacres and tragedies until we a time to celebrate the freedoms be caught up in it. absolutely have to because they we have and the relative peace we I used to be employed by a man are old enough to be aware of it enjoy here in our nation. So much Susan Weiss-Voskidis, who read the tabloids every day themselves. of the planet remains in turmoil. Publisher/Excutive Editor and was constantly trying to dis- In this issue we touch on some The conversation will go on and [email protected] Community News Group Contact Information CEO: Les Goodstein ADVERTISING: WEB OR PRINT ADDRESS PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER: Jennifer Goodstein (718) 260-4554 New York Parenting Media/CNG [email protected] 1 Metrotech Center North 10th Floor New York Parenting CIRCULATION Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 260-8336 PUBLISHER / EXECUTIVE EDITOR: [email protected] Susan Weiss PUBLISHER / BUSINESS MANAGER: EDITORIAL www.NYParenting.com Clifford Luster (718) 260-4554 [email protected] OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE: Tina Felicetti CALENDAR SALES REPS: Alexis Benson, Erin Brof, (718) 260-2523 Jay Pelc, Stephanie Stellacio, Shanika Stewart ART DIRECTOR: Leah Mitch WEB DESIGNER: Sylvan Migdal The acceptance of advertising by New York Parent- New York Parenting has been recognized for ing does not constitute an endorsement of the editorial and design excellence by PMA. GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Arthur Arutyunov, products, services or information being advertised. New York Parenting is published monthly by New Daria Avvento, Gardy Charles, Yvonne Farley, We do not knowingly present any products or ser- York Parenting Media/CNG. Subscription rate is Earl Ferrer, John Napoli vices that are fraudu lent or misleading in nature. $35 annually. Reproduction of New York Parent- Editorial inquiries, calendar information, advertising ing Media in whole or part without written per- rates and schedules and subscription requests may be mission from the publisher is prohibited. All rights MANAGING EDITOR: Vince DiMiceli addressed to New York Parenting, One Metro tech reserved. Copyright©2016 Readership: 185,000. Center North, 10th Floor, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201. 2015 circulation audits by CVC. ASSISTANT EDITOR: Courtney Donahue New York Parenting can also be reached by calling COPY EDITORS: Lisa J. Curtis, (718) 260-4554, emailing [email protected] or Shavana Abruzzo by visiting our website, NYParenting.com. CALENDAR EDITOR: Joanna Del Buono Join the conversation on Facebook. 4 BROOKLYN FAMILY • July 2016 SAVE 10% with code SUMMER. BFSUMMER10 LOVE. Whether your kids are heading to camp or enjoying lazy days in the sun, Mabel’s Labels has all their summer stuff covered. Spend less time worrying about losing things and more time having fun! Personalize your own set of waterproof, UV resistant labels now. mabelslabels.com | 1-866-30-MABEL Offer valid until August 31, 2016. Coupon may be used only once, has no cash value, cannot be combined with other offers or promotions and is not applicable towards taxes, express shipping, discounted products or Write Away Labels. EXCEPTIONAL ew York Methodist has over 1,000 affiliated physicians. NThese experienced doctors, many trained at the world’s most prestigious universities and medical centers, represent just about every medical specialty you might need. They provide the kind of exceptional treatment that makes New York Methodist Brooklyn’s finest hospital. Helping Brooklyn Thrive PHYSICIAN REFERRAL SERVICE 718-499-CARE • NYM.ORG July 2016 • BROOKLYN FAMILY 5 Freedom & parenting Parallels between how we raise our children and govern our country BY CAROLYN WATERBURY- Democracy is a system of gov- TIEMAN ernment by the whole population through elected representatives. A he wide stretch of beach is democratic government depends empty except for a small col- on the active, cooperative par- T ony of seagulls. My 2-year- ticipation of its people and their old son takes off after them as fast ability to fully realize this respon- as his toddler legs will carry him. sibility. Searching online for the With dimpled, sun-kissed arms out- essential conditions of a success- stretched and damp, salty curls ful democracy repeatedly gleaned bouncing, he runs with total aban- these elements: an educated popu- don, determined to catch one. lace, vigilant protection of free- The embodiment of complete dom, local self-government, civic- freedom. Is there such a thing? mindedness, tolerance, freedom of Complete freedom implies the speech, a written constitution, and absence of constraints or conse- the absence of gross inequalities. quences, an impossibility for any Since we are raising our children form of life on Earth. The apparent in a democracy, what are the impli- freedom reflected in the picture cations of these conditions for our of my son running on the beach is parenting? merely an illusion. This simple act is actually gov- Learning to think erned by multiple constraints. The Whereas monarchies and dicta- law of gravity keeps his feet on the torships thrive with a readily con- ground, laws of nature allow the trolled, uneducated populace, de- seagulls to escape, physical limits mocracies depend on people think- allow him to run for only so long, ing for themselves. local ordinances require him to Our children are living in an age stay on a public beach, and paren- of unprecedented access to infor- tal restrictions prevent him from mation. As their first teachers, our getting too close to the water. Yet, role in guiding their informal edu- he expresses utter delight in his cation and overseeing their formal quest. education is vital. In addition to Our country’s founders, having nurturing their curiosity, we must been subject to oppression by a teach them to distinguish between centuries-old monarchy, were anx- opinion and fact, and considering ious to establish freedom. So much the credibility of sources. The abil- so, they focused almost exclusively ity to process information to formu- on outlining their rights. Yet, free- late their own opinion is essential.