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How local parents cope with the coronavirus

Posted by LizGH on March 19, 2020 - 2:00pm

By Liz Gordon-Hancock
If the last couple days are any indication, I’m in for a very bumpy, noisy, hectic ride. Parents across the state are scrambling to find childcare and/or helping their children accomplish learning at home, all whilst preparing for the possibility of enforced isolation from the coronavirus.

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Smart technology or smart parenting?

Posted by LizGH on March 4, 2020 - 2:00pm

By Liz Gordon-Hancock
How much “screen time” should parents allow?
When do you give your child their own cell phone?
Do you allow cell phones at the dinner table?

We all rely on technology: we’re more likely to leave the house without our wallet than our cell phone. We take it for granted that we can, at a glance, know the exact time, the weather, traffic, or who’s texted, emailed, phoned or posted on Facebook, and so on, simply by glancing at our smart phone.

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"Now Papa..." said Mama Bear

A salute to the Berenstain Bears books
Posted by LizGH on February 19, 2020 - 2:00pm

By Liz Gordon-Hancock
I have been known to quote Mama Bear from the Berenstain Bears books.

Not only is she always calm, collected and right (sorry daddies), but she speaks some great pearls of wisdom. She also knows when NOT to speak or intervene, allowing her cubs (or Papa) to learn for themselves.

I quote Mama Bear when I’m instructing my children about tattletales: “Tattling is telling just to be mean” according to Mama Bear, and she goes on to explain that telling on someone because you’re worried about them is different from tattling.

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Let's talk Bluffton for a moment

The good, the bad, the hopes, the threats
Posted by Fred Steiner on February 14, 2020 - 3:26pm

By Fred Steiner 
An opinion
The story above links to a survey about Bluffton and Allen County. The Icon answered the survey and our responses follow. We encourage other viewers to take the survey. Or click here.

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Lowdown on cloth diapers… they’ve come a long way

A mother's musing
Posted by LizGH on February 5, 2020 - 2:00pm

By Liz Gordon-Hancock
Bambino Mio, GroVia, Fill Your Pants, bumgenius, AppleCheeks, and Rumparooz - these are all brands of cloth diapers.

Cloth diapers have had a total revamp. I'm not talking about the big terrycloth squares that you perform a type of origami on, and then use giant safety pins to secure around your baby.

Cloth diapers nowadays come in dozens of different types, materials, shapes and colors: all-in-one, prefolds, envelope-style, pocket diaper with inserts, and choice of snaps or velcro closures and so on.

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Who was Miss Muffet anyway?

Why we read nursery rhymes to our children
Posted by LizGH on January 15, 2020 - 2:00pm

By Liz Gordon-Hancock
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can...
Humpty dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty dumpty had a great fall...

I'm reading these Mother Goose rhymes to my two-year-old, as part of his bed-time stories.

Have you ever stopped to think about these nursery rhymes and what these stories or words mean?

So many of these rhymes just don't make sense: Hey diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle. The cow jumped over the what?

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