The first thing my 8-year-old son does in the morning is go to the Duolingo website on his iPhone to study Spanish. The last thing he does at night is play eight games of Word Chums, the Scrabble-like game. His vocabulary in both languages is growing in leaps and bounds. I bring this up because there’s a new best-selling book out by Jonathan Haidt called “The Anxious Generation” that basically blames our kids’ mental health problems on the preponderance of smartphones. He claims depression, anxiety and suicide picked up in 2012 when the phones became omnipresent. “The phone-based life produces spiritual degradation, not just in adolescents but in all of…
-
-
Santa Cruz County Youth Poet Laureate Announced
Santa Cruz County’s first ever Youth Poet Laureate honor was given to Dina Lusztig Noyes at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, CA. SC County Youth Poet Laureate finalists include Gregory Souza, Simon Ellefson, Madeline Aliah, and Sylvi Kayser. During the inauguration ceremony, each youth poet performed several of their poems, demonstrating their unique voices and talents. The cohort will continue to be a team of artistic excellence and community engagement through poetry work. Some members of the cohort will be reading their poetry at the Scotts Valley Multicultural Fair on May 4. Dina Lusztig Noyes will be Community Writers’ featured reader in-person on Sept. 28 from 2:30-4:30pm at…
-
Trick Your Family Into Spring Cleaning!
Okay, I know this sounds impossible, but I actually got my kids (and husband!) to VOLUNTEER to spring clean my house! No, I didn’t bribe them, or threaten them. So here’s how I did it: I made a list of all of the things that needed spring cleaning: organizing closets, rearranging gardening supplies, cleaning out the fridge, cleaning windows – you get the idea. Spring cleaning can feel daunting because there is so much that can be done, so pick 3-4 things that are your top priorities for each room. The rest you can do in another spring cleaning day later or even next year. By listing specific tasks for my…
-
Tech Exec Breaks Through
Someone once told Tracye Mingo, “Don’t get mad when you are underestimated. Be glad. Because they will never see you coming.” That person was her father and number one mentor. Tracye carried those words throughout her career in technology, ultimately becoming the Vice President of Technical Operations at Comcast California. For parents eager to see their children pursue a career in STEM, Tracye’s story is especially inspiring because she was able to pursue a high-paying career in technology without obtaining a degree from a four-year (or longer) college. This saved her significant time and expense, and enabled her to seize opportunities to propel her career forward quickly. As a Black…
-
Overcoming Tragedy By Helping Others
Mother’s Day is about celebrating the sacrifices in which moms throughout the community make every day for their children. Few parents have made more sacrifices than 40-year-old Amy Ramsey, who, in April 2020, lost her 5-year-old son Jett after a year-long fight with brain cancer. “It’s like losing a limb and trying to find it all the time,” Ramsey said. “You always kind of feel like a part of you is missing. But I would say that our hope comes from God and that’s what has gotten our family through.” Ramsey is the owner of Jett&Rose – a home decor and gift shop in Corralitos – and loves working every…
-
Rhogam: The Miracle Shot
A pregnant person might not know their exact blood type, but they’ll usually know if it’s the kind that needs “the shot.” Calling it “the shot” doesn’t really convey the amazing protection offered against Rh isoimmunization by the injection of Rho(D) Immune Globulin (RhIG), also known as RhoGAM Why is the Rhogam shot needed? Just a few generations ago, over 10,000 babies a year were lost to Rh incompatibility in the United States. Until 1968 there was nothing to prevent this disease and the many sad outcomes related to it: miscarriage or stillbirth, and extremely ill newborns. What is Rh isoimmunization or incompatibility? Everyone’s blood type, A, B, AB, or…
-
Summer Reading Program Sparks Imagination and Creativity
Santa Cruz Public Libraries is excited to kick off summer with the 2024 Summer Reading Program. This year’s theme is Read, Renew, Repeat! This conservation message invites participants to reduce consumption, reuse materials, and take the time to read as a restorative measure of self-care and renewal as reading transports us to magical worlds, sparking our imagination and creativity. The Summer Reading Program encourages children to explore the world of books and reading during their summer break. Participation in the Summer Reading Program fosters a love for reading and learning and prevents the “Summer Slip” — a term used to describe the loss over the summer months of academic skills…
-
Family Meetings Can Be Meaningful and Fun
Have you ever run a business, led an event team, or organized a group of people with a common goal? If you experienced success, you probably shared ideas, problems were given time to be resolved, protocols were established, grievances were aired, appreciation was expressed and jobs divided. Am I right? Whether it’s two people or twenty, families are an organization in need of all of those listed elements in order to be less chaotic, predictable, and, ultimately, an emotionally safe place to be. Family Meetings, Problem-solving sessions, Family Summit, Talk Time…whatever you’d like to call it, taking 10 minutes a week to focus on important aspects of household issues and…
-
How Do I Prepare My Teen for His or Her First Job?
Q: My teen started looking for their first official job and, as their parent, I’d love to help them through this process. How can I prepare my teen for their first job? A: You sound like an involved, responsible and caring parent. Preparing your teen for their first job will help ensure their foray into the working world is as smooth and successful as possible. Here’s how to prepare your teen for their first job. Talk about their goals Help your teen hash out their goals before looking for their first job. Sit down with them and ask what they hope to achieve with their job. Do they want to…
-
Mock Trial Competition Teaches Teens About Justice
This year, a group of teenagers was tasked with bringing justice following the death of Kieran Sunshine, a biomedical executive found with apparent stab wounds in a hotel room as it began to emerge the company’s ForeverFlex5000 wasn’t such a wonder-device after all. Thankfully no one actually died—it was just a storyline dreamed-up for the 2024 Santa Cruz County Mock Trial competition. But the way the scenario played out (in the courtroom where people really do get sent to jail), had legal practitioners commenting that the kids were doing a better job than what they’ve even seen from some lawyers. “Congratulations on making it to the final round,” said Santa…
-
Grandparenting Outside the Box
Before my granddaughter was born, I had a sense about what kind of grandmother I would be. I may have underestimated how obsessed I would be with her, but other than that, I am the sort of grandmother I imagined I would be. After all, grandparenting is just an extension of who we are as parents, which is an extension of who we are as human beings. Now that we’re older (sorry to break the news), we may have mellowed in some ways while some personality traits might have gotten even more annoying, but we’re basically the same people we’ve always been (no matter how many self-help books we’ve read).…
-
A Tribute to Motherhood: The Heroes of Everyday Life
Let’s be real. Motherhood is a lot. A lot of love and a lot of juggling. A lot of joy and a lot of messes in the kitchen. From pregnancy to 24/7 caring for our babies, and all the way until kids become adults – the job of a mom never ends and sometimes even means hiring a babysitter to come so you can just clean for a couple hours. Or Reheating your coffee 10x each morning and doing more with one hand than you could ever imagine, moms are basically magicians without a wand. Today we are raising awareness in this story to the ones who deserve some extra…
