June 2016 MANHATTAN FREE Family Where Every Child Matters First-time dads 6 summer math games Fighting the tampon tax Tweens left home alone Find us online at www.NYParenting.com TheOffered by Fidelis Care andEssential available through NY State of Health: The Official HealthPlan Plan Marketplace • Monthly premiums are either $0 or $20 a month based on income • Low out-of-pocket costs with no deductible - the plan starts paying for your health care right away • Free preventive care like checkups and screenings Enroll ALL YEAR LONG! Comprehensive Coverage: ,(),.0-+-)+0-&(' %-&0+!/(-*'-+)+"0'*0)/+)+0*&%0$.*+" #,+!-)*'0(*./"0!./+(.-!)-,&0%. +"0*&%0,./ Doctors and Hospitals Close to Home: #,,+/0, .0%,(),.0.,0-%/'-+0*./+ / )/&+-/0!.,-%/.0&/),. "0#-(#0, 0(*&0+/*.(#0,&0-%/'-+(*./,. How do I Qualify? *''0-%/'-+0*./0),0'/*.&0,./ Questions? Call 1-888-FIDELIS for more information or to meet with a Fidelis Care Health Benefit Representative. 1-888-FIDELIS fideliscare.org $$$ 0 $$$ To learn more about applying for health insurance including Child Health Plus and Medicaid through NY State of Health, the Official Health Plan Marketplace, visit www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777. MANHATTAN Family June 2016 30 FEATURES COLUMNS 6 First-time dads 24 FabuLYSS Finds Helping men adjust to a new addition to BY LYSS STERN the family BY DENISE YEARIAN 25 Ask an Attorney BY ALISON ARDEN BESUNDER, ESQ. 8 A good stepdad An important job that can be a challenge 28 Tips for Feeding Kids BY GAYLA GRACE BY JOANNA DEVITA 14 Is your tween ready to be 36 Healthy Living BY DANIELLE SULLIVAN home alone? BY JUDY M. MILLER 38 Just Write Mom 16 6 math projects that can BY DANIELLE SULLIVAN make summer count Simple games keep kids’ minds sharp this CALENDAR season 30 June Events BY DR. HEIDI SmITH LUEDTKE 36 18 Seeing red over the SPECIAL SECTIONS tampon tax These New Yorkers led the fight against a 10 Special Needs Directory discriminatory sales tax 20 Choices for Family Health BY TAmmY SCILEPPI 37 The Marketplace 22 City museums lay out welcome mat Museum Mile Festival offers a fresh look at some classic institutions BY ShNIEKA L. JOHNSON 26 The fury inside Learning to master your anger before it destroys you 38 BY CAROLYN WATERBURY-TIEMAN June 2016 • MANHATTAN FAMILY 3 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER The perfect month of June had a great Moth- will always be linked. They were always working and were that went unaddressed in years past. er’s Day and hope Maybe some of the roles seldom home. Sad, but true. We all know that not everything I you all did, too. My will have reversed a bit The reality of extended families comes naturally and that there is family was on vacation and now they may be has also changed the picture and we information we need to help us do a and that in itself made helping you in ways you now have step-dad and mom realities better job. it a super day, but in used to help them. as well. Families are complex and no We hope you find this issue in- addition to that, my June is a month that longer hidden behind the curtains formative and entertaining too! Our daughter was loving presents parents of and kept in the shadows. When I was calendar is loaded with great things and sweet in delightful kids of all ages with a nine years old my dad remarried my for every family to do around New ways and made me feel myriad of celebrations girlfriend’s mother and we became York in this glorious month of June, special. and milestones; every- an instant new family. There were which also happens to be my birth- Last month we ran an interesting thing from graduations to weddings, loads of issues associated with this day month. No wonder I love it. Have article about parenting grown chil- the beginning of camp to the begin- that went unaddressed for years. In fun! Happy summer. dren, and I personally found it had ning of summer school. It’s also the those days, people were very insu- substance I could relate to. Just be- month when we celebrate fathers, lar. They didn’t talk about things and Thanks for reading! cause they’re taller than you doesn’t and this issue has it’s share of ar- they certainly didn’t entertain things really change the parental respon- ticles relating to Dad. With increas- like counseling. Nowadays, it’s a rare sibility, it just makes the responsi- ing numbers of fathers opting to family who would respond with such bilities different. It means that new be primary caregivers rather than denial to the complexities of life’s issues will emerge, like dealing with working outside the home, the role choices. boyfriends or girlfriends or in-laws. of Dad has altered and has become We’re so much wiser and more Susan Weiss-Voskidis, It means that although they will be inclusive. When I was a kid, many open and just having these parent- Publisher/Excutive Editor independent beings, somehow they of my friends hardly saw their dads. ing resources available helps in ways [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 MANHATTAN FAMILY • June 2016 SUMMER AT ST. BRIGID SCHOOL A Catholic, Elementary School SIXTH STREET Educating Students PreK 2 to 8th Grade Summer Program for Youth Ages 8–13 Arts • Creative Writing SPRING OPEN HOUSE Urban Gardening Cooking • DIY Crafting REGISTER TODAY! LIMITED SEATS! 638 E 6th Street • www.sixthstreetcenter.org [email protected] COMMUNITY CENTER 212-677-1863 • WALL Summer is the best time to learn STREET Mandarin & Chinese characters Dates: July 6 - August 26 CHINESE Summer Mandarin Immersion New! for Pre-Teen & Teens (age 10-17) Every Mornings 10am to 12pm • 32 Broadway 1812 Tuesday Children Mandarin Immersion 9am-1pm in Chinatown (age 5-9) Every Afternoons 2-3:30pm and 3:30-5pm • 80 Bowery 302 We offer a full day, 2 and 3 year old Thursday Partner Art Oasis • Summer Home Tutoring Early Childhood Program Parents Welcome to all Programs 9am-12pm 212-785-3088 Accepting Come see... all St. Brigid has to offer! WallStreetChinese.net Applications 185 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10009 [email protected] for Fall 2016 212-677-5210 • www.stbrigidschoolny.com S A V E on Sleepaway or Day Camp Label Pack with code 10% MFCAMP10 KIDS WILL BE KIDS. Control the camp cabin chaos with Mabel’s Labels. Camp cabins are messy places. If you want to make sure everything you pack for camp returns back home again, don’t leave it up to your kid. Label their gear with Mabel’s Labels instead! Personalize your camp labels online at mabelslabels.com or by phone at 1-866-30-MABEL. Offer valid until July 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. June 2016 • MANHATTAN FAMILY 5 First-time dads Helping men BY DENISE YEARIAN hen a child is born, adjust to a much emphasis is W placed on helping the new mother and baby adjust. new addition But they aren’t the only ones un- dergoing change. Most first-time fa- thers experience stress due to sleep to the family deprivation, change in routines, and their own apprehensions about par- enting. “There are a myriad of emotions that come with being a new father,” says Armin Brott, author of multiple books and one DVD on fatherhood. “Most often, it’s a feeling of pride and excitement. At the same time there can be apprehensions — ‘Will I be a good father?’ ‘Can we afford this?’ ‘How is this going to change our lives?’ ” This was what David Wuttke found. “When my son David Jr.