Editor’s note: This is a weekly digest of stories we’re following — trends, news you can use and provocative parenting reads. Do you have a good read for us? Write emurray@parentmap.com.
1.In the wake of the recent string of violence in Seattle, we’re all looking for answers. Time columnist and Seattle mom Bonnie Rochman wonders how to explain it to the kids. Crosscut columnist Anthony Robinson examines why such things can happen in the "land of lattes, joggers, and people so polite it may be hard to decide who should go at a four-way stop."
2. In some hopeful/inspiring news, U.S. News & World Report ranked Seattle Children’s Hospital as the sixth best children’s hospital in the country.
3. Should planes have kid-free zones? Maybe, argues this columnist, who looks at the case of an Everett 3-year-old and his family getting kicked off a recent flight.
4. Remember home economics, the class that taught you to sew a button and not to over-mix your muffins? A Slate columnist argues that the class — far from being outdated — is needed by kids more than ever.
5. From Edutopia, a piece saying that kids as young as kindergarteners should be taught how to protect themselves online, plus tips on how to do it.
6. We all know that maternity leave in this country is pathetic by global standards. Now we have the colorful infographic to prove it.
7. A rant from comedian and dad Jason Good on trying to follow the latest trend in healthy eating ("You also can’t seriously try to take away sugar. That magical dust that dries up tears?").
8. Speaking of eating, if you're itching for a night out, Seattle Times' food blog has the goods on 10 great date-night restaurants.
