Friday thoughts 9/28/2018

Brrrrr, the mornings are getting deliciously chilly here! It was 61 in the house when we woke up yesterday morning; it may be time to start closing the windows at night!

I hope you've been having a good week. Wednesday wasn't the greatest for me, but I'll get to that on Monday's recap. Let's discuss some interesting things I found this week!


*What Should I Read Next?*

It's been a while since I didn't know exactly what I'd be reading after I finished my current book, but maybe you aren't obsessively reading through your Goodreads Want to Read list and personal bookshelves. If you're looking for some book suggestions, What Should I Read Next? is pretty cool. Simply type in the name of a book or author that you enjoyed, and the site comes back with a list of suggestions. It also categorizes each book so that you can click on the category (for example, Biographies & Memoirs) and get suggestions specific to that category. How cool is that?

Now don't blame me when your Want to Read list explodes! (Or do, I'm okay with that.)


*Later School Start Times Will Help Students Get Needed Sleep. But They Aren't Enough.*

This hits close to home.

The science is pretty clear. Teenage brains are not adult brains (any parent could tell you this!), and they shouldn't be forced to act like adult brains. They need more sleep in order to mature and function at an optimal level. Unfortunately, for our own convenience, we're forcing kids into patterns that aren't healthy for them, and then we wonder why kids are so stressed out.

In order to fit in all the classes he needs, in January, my sixteen year old son will have to start waking up every morning at 5:45 am for a gym class that will start at 6:30 am (and I'll be driving him to school, because the bus doesn't come that early). He's very involved in the Fine Arts department, with choir, scenery for the theater, and ushering for all the shows, and there are days (like yesterday) where he goes to school and doesn't get home until after 9 pm. TYesterday, he had what was basically a fourteen-hour workday. I had similar experiences in high school, although mine were for different reasons. I'd wake up at 6 am, go to school, then head to work. I'd get home around 9:30 pm, shower, then eat dinner while doing two or three hours of homework. None of that is healthy for developing brains (it wasn't healthy for me back then, and I don't think it's healthy for my son now).

Trying to Be Perfect Is Killing Our Teens and We're to Blame is another great article along these lines. We're asking- demanding, in some cases- for more than they're ready for, and the outcomes are quite literally driving kids to suicide. As a parent with a kid in this age range, I see the effect on these kids, and something needs to give, because right now it's the kids' mental health, and that's not fair.

I'm glad to see some schools pushing back against the early start times. It's a start, but the hours of homework and demands of perfection need to be the subject of focus as well.


*Products Marked As "Lazy" or "Useless" Are Often Important Tools for People With Disabilities*

 This. Is. Important.

We've all seen those infomercial ads for products that help you squeeze the toothpaste out of the tube, featuring a seemingly normal person who picks up the tube of toothpaste, squeezes it with ridiculous force, and is super confused when the toothpaste squirts out everywhere but his toothbrush, or the person who is so incompetent, they can't do simple tasks like drinking a bottle of soda or dumping out their pasta into a strainer. They're fun to laugh at, because who's that incompetent?

The thing is, many of those products were initially invented for some subset of people with disabilities. That gadget that helps squeeze the toothpaste tube was probably initially meant for someone with crippling arthritis, who can't squeeze the tube themselves. Food choppers are easier to work than knives for people who struggle with fine motor issues (including people missing a hand or the fingers needed to grip a knife). Those Roomba-style vacuums make housekeeping a lot easier for those with mobility problems.

This topic comes up frequently in a Facebook group I'm in, one dedicated to frugality. Someone will post a link to a product and then mock it, usually stating something like, "No one needs this crap! It's not hard to (fill in the blank with the end goal of the process, like crack an egg or peel a banana)." And usually someone chimes in with, "Actually, I have one of these because I have (insert physical problem that makes the task impossible, difficult, or painful), and it's really helpful." About half the time, the original poster returns, saying, "Huh, I never thought of it that way, thanks for helping me to understand." Unfortunately, the other half of the time, the person who needs that product is completely dismissed, and the original poster and sometimes others go on mocking the product and anyone who needs it.

Don't be that person, okay?

In related news, I saw this at Aldi this week:

If you have back problems, you understand immediately the usefulness of this product. My back doesn't go out badly often, but when it's all the way out, shoes and socks are pretty much The Impossible Dream. Bending down for that is slow and intensely painful. There have been times in the past when it was literally impossible for me to put on shoes with laces (I have several pairs of Crocs. Yes, they're ugly. No, I don't care about that one bit. They're footwear I can put on myself when I'm having trouble walking- and you can't necessarily tell how much pain I'm in, even when it's at its worst, so when you see someone wearing Crocs? Don't judge). I didn't purchase this item, but I admit that I was tempted, because it's really not fun to have to ask your husband or kid to help you put your socks on.

So next time you see one of those products on TV or in a store that seems to have no purpose, try to think about whom that product would best serve. Oftentimes, it's someone with a disability.


*Walgreens Making EpiPen Equivalent Available At No Cost To Many*

This has nothing to do with me; we're fortunate that no one in this family has life-threatening allergies (yet; I am aware that a serious allergy can crop up at any time). But I saw this the other day and figured I would pass it along, because this is so, so important. I know that so many people have struggled to afford the EpiPens that would save their or their child's life in the past few years. If you don't benefit from this article, share it anyway, because it could quite literally save someone's life. It's that important.


*Tom Hanks Rocks a Red Sweater in First Photo From Mister Rogers Movie*

I.

Am.

Here.

For.

This.

I adore Mister Rogers. I always have. I love his gentle spirit, his uplifting words, his reminder that we're all likable just the way we are, that we're all deserving of love, even as we grow and change to become our best selves. It seems like there's a Mister Rogers revival lately, and I can't possibly love this more. The world desperately needs more of his brand of lovingkindness, and I truly hope this movie helps to spread that.

I don't know if I'll make it to the theaters to see this- I haven't been to the theater to see a movie since...um...well, it was before I was pregnant with my daughter, and she's 4.5 now, soooooo it's been a while. But I WILL be seeing this at some point. Bring on ALL the Mister Rogers!


And there we have it, folks! I hope you're able to enjoy the weekend; mine is already packed full of plans, including a church rummage sale, a college visit with my son, and a parade with my kids and mother. It's going to be another weekend of zero rest for me, but it seems like that's just how it rolls around here.

What have you seen online this week that piqued your interest?