(Here’s a round-up of some recent reads I thought worth sharing – enjoy!)
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There are, apparently, still people in the world who think daughters should not seek higher education or employment and career under any circumstances. I won’t rant about all the logical fallacies that position yet, but I’m glad there are people who do a great job of poking fun at this foolishness, exemplified in “Six reasons not to send your SON to college!” 

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I’m relatively unimpressed by hip baby photography with props and contortions and unrealistic settings. My “newborn photo” was taken by a hospital nurse on the day my parents took me home and even though one of my eyes was closed — talk about “unflattering” — I haven’t felt like it really hurt me in any way later in life. However. I just found this article about a woman who had “newborn style” pictures taken of her teenage son right after he was adopted and now I can’t stop laughing. 

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I appreciated this memorial for Sheldon Vanauken (1914-1996), who was the author of one of my favorite books: A Severe Mercy. (Anyone who has loved someone, and loved — or hated — God should read the book!)

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This article about kids and safety made me especially grateful for parents who valued adventure, hard work, and responsibility over false safety nets. Yes, I may have buzzed myself with a screwdriver near a live outlet and my sister accidentally somersaulted a full 360′ flip off a roof once. (We didn’t tell Mom about that one until we reached adulthood, for obvious reasons.) We put the sprinkler underneath the un-netted trampoline. Our life on the mission field wasn’t safe and sterile. I’m convinced this prepared us for life much better than an artificial safety umbrella would have. (Also, I began using power tools from a very young age and I’m really proud of that.)
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