Imagine entering a Thai restaurant for the first time. Menu items in a foreign language may hint at ingredients, but guidance from an experienced diner could make all the difference. Someone to describe the dishes and make recommendations may save the day. This scenario comes to mind when reviewing Henci Goer’s newest book, Labor Pain – What’s Your Best Strategy? Many people skip the pain relief menu and jump straight to the epidural because, doesn’t everyone get the epidural? Parents may be led to believe that an epidural as plan A is always the best choice. Glossed over details, confusing statistics, or feeling rushed at prenatal visits can make it…
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Santa Cruz County Children Improve their Oral Health
Life is better with teeth. You can eat, talk, make friends, and, as you get older, get a job. It’s not easy for everyone to have a healthy smile, especially for those struggling to get by. The good news is that things are better, especially for children, than they were six years ago as confirmed by Dientes Community Dental Care’s newly released study, the 2022 State of Oral Health in Santa Cruz County. Yet, there is a continued gap in dental care for low-income residents where 82,000 people had Medi-Cal, but only 38% could go to the dentist. There were some gains over the first study done in 2016 –…
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Be a Part of the Giving Revolution
Thanks to you — residents of Santa Cruz County — Santa Cruz Gives raised more than $1.1 million for a wide variety of local nonprofits during the winter holidays last year, and we’re gearing up to launch this year’s campaign. It runs from November 16-December 31. The projects that will be presented are the most diverse yet, and they cover every area of the County. Whatever you like to support, you’ll find it at SantaCruzGives.org: education and vocational training, the environment, homelessness, mental wellness, the disabled, the arts, youth, seniors, animals, local news, LGBTQ+, and more. Donations increased by 64.4% in 2021 over 2020 — and have increased just as dramatically…
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How to Help Your Child with ADHD in School
I watched my son, Luke–who was struggling with ADHD– in mainstream education for six years before finally pulling the plug on the whole operation and vowing to search for a better, alternative solution for him. Luke was a round peg trying to fit into a square hole, the child left behind, the kid falling through the cracks. But not anymore. When we left his Santa Cruz city school after his last day of 5th grade still unsure where he would end up during this scholastic year, I knew we were in for an uphill battle. THE 6-YEAR BATTLE We first learned of his condition from a Stanford research study of…
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Ask Nicole: Helping Kids Handle Big Emotions
The worst of the COVID-19 pandemic may be behind us, but the effects of nearly three years of uncertainty, disruption, and loss are still rippling through our community. Health, education, and social service professionals everywhere are sharing how the pandemic and the ongoing struggle for racial justice have intensified the mental health crisis among children and adolescents, which was growing at an alarming rate even before the pandemic. Our community isn’t immune to this mental health crisis, and none of us can solve it on our own. But together, we can support children and families wherever they live, work, learn, play, and worship. This monthly column provides tips for anyone…
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Should we R-E-S-P-E-C-T respect?
I can hardly express the joy I felt when my 6-year-old-son, Parker, won an award for being respectful at an assembly after his first month of first grade. What parent doesn’t burst with pride for any of their children’s accomplishments? But that night, I tuned in Bill Maher’s show and heard him lament that we give our children too many participation awards and make them feel entitled for the rest of their lives, regardless of their actual accomplishments. Now Maher knows as much about raising kids as I do about splitting atoms, but he was echoing the conservative platform that schools and teams now reward students just for showing up.…
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Time to Say Goodbye
Three and half years ago, my manager at Cabrillo College introduced me to Brad Kava. He and I met (him with the hope I would be his next ad rep and me with the dream of creating the paper layout.) With much confidence, I convinced him that the paper needed a redesign, and I was the only person to do it. We premiered the new logo, layout, and glossy cover in September 2019. Looking back, the paper and my skills have only improved. My time at Growing Up has been a roller coaster of uncertainty in the world, from the first months of the pandemic to the fires that displaced…
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Scaredy Cat
Scaredy Cat Submit your coloring page for a chance to be in our paper [email protected] More Coloring Pages
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John McKinley
John McKinley Local Artist Hello! I’m a cartoonist and illustrator from Aptos specializing in fun and quirky characters. My work has appeared in many publications, including the picture book Monster Academy and the popular Ready, Freddy series from Scholastic Books. I started drawing at a very early age and always knew I wanted to be an artist. Drawing skills improve with practice, so I recommend kids keep a sketchbook handy. When you fill up one sketchbook , start a new one! You can really see improvement over time. I will be participating in the Santa Cruz Arts Council Open Studios Tour in October. I’ll be open the weekends of Oct.…
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Financial Savvy
Five Estate Planning Myths by Shelli Strahle As parents and as partners, we work hard to provide the best opportunities for our children and to make sure our partners will be okay if something happens to us, but are we following through when it really matters? Myth #1: My child is protected because I have life insurance.You took out a $500,000 life insurance policy. Life insurance is a great way to provide liquidity in the event of your untimely demise. However, life insurance will not pay out to a minor. In the absence of a living trust with an adult trustee in charge, the funds will be frozen until an…
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Fall Craft
Spooky Fall Creations By Carmen Clark There are so many fun Halloween projects to do; from costume making to home decor, it’s hard to know where to start! These two paintings are simple and fun, and hopefully, the supplies needed are already in your art box or easily attainable. Both these projects use watercolors, which really allows the colors to overlap and create layers of colors. Watercolor and Crayon Spider Web Materials: White paper, white crayon, watercolor paints Because crayon is made with wax, it repels water, so when you put crayon on paper and then paint over it, the water will leave the crayon alone. This is especially fun…
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Model UN
Model UN Training Conference for Local Students Hosted by Mount Madonna School By Lisa Martin Model UN is found in a handful of schools in the region, but there is an opportunity to expand this offering by helping students learn the academic and debate skills needed for successful MUN participation. On October 8, 2022, Mount Madonna School (MMS) will host a one-day Model United Nations (Model UN or MUN) Training Conference, with a singular purpose: introducing Model UN to students, grades 6-12, and developing a network of schools interested in bringing this exceptional educational program to more schools and students in the region. Model UN is found in a handful…
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Teach Peace
Teach Peace By Lisa Catterall One exercise we had to do was to use a long list of “invisible privileges” to rate ourselves and our own privilege. It was painful on an empathetic level, and for me, as a woman, and as a person who identifies as bisexual, on a very direct level as well. Many of the privileges on the list are ones that I didn’t have due to one or both of those statuses in my own life. Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do… nothing to kill or die for –John Lennon At the beginning of this year, our administration announced that the school would…
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Pregnancy Health
Pilates for Motherhood by Sandy Novembre& Amelia Foster DPT The foundation of Pilates teaches core control, breath and alignment. Understanding body awareness and form are an essential part of strengthening a Diastasis Recti, tending to pelvic floor health and improving posture. The props in a mat class or springs on the pilates equipment give both assistance and resistance to challenge muscles at their full length. Each exercise brings focus and intention to how you move your body. An integrated workout will leave you feeling elongated and connected. Physical Therapy and Pilates for prenatal and postpartum care helps with pregnancy comfort, ease of delivery and a resilient postpartum experience. As the…
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Doula Profile Beth Lillienthal
Beth Lillienthal, Mama Extraordinaire by Carmen Clark Beth has been to a lot of one-year-old parties, and often when she leaves her job, people have tears in their eyes, tears of gratitude, and tears of sadness. They don’t want her to go. As a post-partum doula, Beth is a professional nurturer. She explains that doulas have areas of expertise or strengths that help mothers and the whole family get used to a new baby in the house. Beth offers breastfeeding counseling and is a lactation consultant. She visits the home as a support to the family, whether for an hour at a time or a full day; she’ll counsel on…
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Happy Diapers
4 Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Disposable Diapers BY Molly Ressler Choosing the right kind of diaper is an important decision and is a matter of baby’s comfort, your personal preference, time constraints, budget, and for some, environmental impact. Photo courtesy of REDYPER™ Powered by EarthBaby It’s a fact that babies go through a lot of diapers. And we’re talking A LOT. From age 0-3, the average baby will go through up to 7,000 diapers. That means we’re throwing an estimated 20 billion disposable diapers into the trash every year in the U.S. Diapers are the third largest contributor to U.S. landfill sites in volume where they take 500+ years to…
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Tips for New Parents
Tips for New Parents Nicole M. Young, MSW Every year on my kids’ birthdays, I retell the stories of their births and lives as newborns: endless hours of painful contractions, difficulty breastfeeding, sleepless nights, nonstop crying that could only be soothed by turning on the vacuum, and immense and deep love for them. It’s partly a humorous way to remind them of how much pain and effort it took to bring them into this world (there’s a reason why it’s called labor). But it’s also a way for my husband and I to remind our kids of how much we’ve always loved them, even before they were born, and to…
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Leo Tischler
About the Cover by tina tischler Leo Tischler was named for his strength and determination shown from the very beginning. During the early weeks of pregnancy, Tina Tischler, (Leo’s mom) was told by doctors that her pregnancy was non-viable and a miscarriage was expected. During an ultrasound weeks later, they were surprised to find a healthy baby growing in her belly! After feeling many different emotions from the news, happiness set in and their pregnancy was back on track. At that time, Tina and Damian Tischler (dad) knew this baby was meant to be part of their family and the name Leo stuck. Things felt normal for a while and…
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Local Profile Juggler
Life’s A Juggling Act So Why Not Buy the Right Equipment? By Kimberly Hickok As a quirky, eclectic beachside community, it should come as no surprise that Santa Cruz is home to Renegade Juggling, a small, family-operated business that is one of the biggest manufacturers and retailers of juggling and circling equipment in the country. Since 1982, owner, founder, and juggler extraordinaire Tom Renegade has been using his juggling and manufacturing expertise to craft and sell every kind of juggling device or circus prop you can imagine. If you need a rechargable LED lit juggling ball, he’s got them for $33 each. How about a Fire Devil Stick for twirling…
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Book Review
Raising Kind Kids: Q&A with Author Melinda Wenner Moyer By Kim Hickok Probably all parents can agree that they want their kids to grow up to be good, kind people. In her book, “How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes: Science-based strategies for better parenting – from tots to teens,” (Headline Home, 2021) award-winning science journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer shares the most relevant scientific research on how to raise kids who are kind. Recently, we spoke with Moyer to learn more about her book and what she learned while writing it. Here’s what she had to say. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.) Your background is in…
