For the last 15 years, Pixar has been known for some amazing animation, ideal, for the most part, for even younger children. Toy Story 1, 2, and 3 were all wonderful films, according to both kids and critics. WALL-E is a great lesson in what can happen if we don’t take care of our planet. And I will certainly admit that I still cry at the end of Cars when Lightning gives up the race to do the right thing. But have recent Pixar films become too violent for young kids?
Archive for the ‘Parenting Issues’ Category
Has Pixar Become Too Grown-Up?
Sunday, June 26th, 2011American Families Come Up Short In Emergencies
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
If you were suddenly faced with an emergency — a necessary repair or unexpected medical expense — how well could you handle it, financially? According to a new study, more than half of American families would likely be unable to come up with the cash to cover a significant expense in a month’s time. As the economy remains in the doldrums, even those who are still employed are no longer financially secure.
It’s a 3-way Street
Saturday, June 11th, 2011
It’s an old joke — A nice old lady encounters a little boy standing on a street corner holding a bundle tied to the end of a stick. She asks where he’s going and he tells her that he’s running away from home. Concerned, she asks where “home” is and he points to a house just a couple of doors from the corner where he’s standing. Less worried, she asks if this is as far as he’s going and the boy sighs and tells her “I guess so. I’m not allowed to cross the street by myself.”
But in the real world, is there really reason to worry about kids a crossing the street? Certainly, when they’re four or five years old, they shouldn’t be going anywhere by themselves but what about at, say, age ten or twelve? Is a middle-school student old enough to cross the street by himself? You might think so, but watch this video and you may very well change your mind.
Too Much Information
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
There is a lot of information that can help a teacher figure out how best to help a student learn. Seemingly irrelevant data such as who the child lives with, what language (or languages) are spoken at home, and if the child has any medical issues are all clues a teacher can use tailor lessons to a child’s specific situation. There’s one bit of information, however, that I simply can’t imagine anyone at a child’s school needing to know — but that didn’t stop one school district from asking for it.
Sending Kids Off To School In Style
Sunday, June 5th, 2011
It may seem odd to be talking about putting kids on the bus to school when the school year is winding down or even, for many school districts, over and done with, but for one high school sophomore in American Fork, Utah, the morning send-off may be the best part about being through with school. It seems his dad loves him so much, he was willing to go to some pretty extreme lengths to show that love — including by putting on a wedding dress.
Click It or Ticket — For Kids Too
Saturday, June 4th, 2011
When I was growing up, my siblings and I were absolutely required to wear seatbelts at all times when traveling in a car. Considering the way my mother drove, that’s a very good thing. Back then, it was a matter of personal choice; today it’s the law. Electronic signs along the freeways I drive to work proclaim “click it or ticket”, the slogan law enforcement agencies are using to remind people to wear their seatbelts and officers are indeed handing out tickets for failing to comply. As one Texas ten-year-old found out, that applies to kids as well as adults.
A Summer of Cinema
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
Has summer vacation snuck up on you as it has the rest of us? Are you staring at three months of “I’m bored!” and wracking your brain (and searching the internet) for activities that will keep them busy and happy without driving you insane or sending you to the poorhouse? Are you looking at the cost of summer camps and wondering how much your kidney would sell for — assuming you could even find a spot at any price? Well, help is here.
Of Bicycles and Inspiration
Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
There have been many great speeches in our history. From Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address to Martin Luther King’s I Have A Dream, the power of words to move and to motivate us should never be underestimated. That inspiration, too, can come from the most unexpected places. While we expect wisdom from political leaders and activists and occasionally find someone on television with something important to say and the ability to express it, sometimes powerful insight and motivation comes from the most unexpected places — like a little boy who just learned to ride his bike.
Dancing Is For Boys
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
My oldest son is turning into quite the hoofer. He’s no Gene Kelly, yet, but at only nine years old, I wouldn’t expect him to be. If he keeps at it, however — and he certainly seems to have the motivation to do so — by the time he graduates from high school he very well could be up there with the likes of Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, The Nicholas Brothers, Sandman Sims, and so on. He’s always tapping his toes and practicing his dances.
Disrupting Graduation
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
It’s a time for Sir Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance. It’s a time for formal dances and the robes of academia. For many, it signifies the end of childhood and the start of their adult life. Graduation from high school is no minor event and should be treated with the reverence it deserves. In Duncan, South Carolina, school officials and law enforcement are serious about making sure that’s the case.
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