Portland Parents

Milagros has a nice post with about ten coastal hikes, including links to maps, lengths, and age level. Looks like fun; let’s get out there and hike! Feel free to submit pictures to our Flickr group!

My kid is gifted. I’m sure all of our kids are gifted, and so we all should take a look at this paper on Gifted People and Existential Depression. Go ahead, it’s not as heavy as it looks.

The author has singled out “gifted” kids- but I’m sure this applies to all kids at one age or another. Existential depression, according to the cited author, happens when a person confronts one of four basic ‘life’ problems; death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessness. The confrontation with freedom relates to a kid’s need for structure in their lives, that people (all people, in general) need some sort of structure in which they can flourish. The others, I think, are pretty clear.

To keep our kids from getting “Existentially Depressed” — we, as parents, should provide structure for our kids, as well as helping them understand that human experience is shared; we’re not alone in this world. The best way to help them understand that experience is shared is through touch; a hug, a comforting hand on the back, a solid hair-tousling, these help bridge the distance between people that ‘humanity as islands’ can foster. Through spirituality or calm acceptance, we can help them acknowledge death and help them achieve a meaning in life from which they might fight this depression.

I’m not convinced that disassociation from the world is more prevalent today than it was in my parents’ ( or even my ) time. I think, perhaps, that given some of our common pursuits these days do nothing to bridge the gaps between people, do nothing to help us share our lives.

When your kid is younger than six, there’s a common painful injury that can be caused by swinging them around by their arms. Even so much as picking up a kid by the hand or wrist when you’re in a hurry can cause the movement of the radius (in the forearm) away from its position in the ligaments. Treatment for it is pretty simple, but also painful; you should leave that to someone who knows what they’re doing. Check out the page at WebMD