Mary Manz Simon's Blog, page 58

Family dress-up

Are you going with a Star Wars or Wizard of Oz theme?

With Halloween on a Saturday this year, more families are planning to dress up, usually choosing costumes around a common theme.

Group costumes are selling fast, especially those which include pet wear.

Hit pause for play

I recently observed our daughter-in-law study her infant son. Margaret looked intently at the way his eyes tracked the “new baby” balloon that floated above; she saw how he startled at a noise.

I know busy parents can’t spend tons of time watching our kids play and learn, but watching Margaret reminded me of how much we can learn about our children if we’d simply put down the phone.

The current epidemic of distracted parenting means moms and dads are missing out on the richness of their child’s early years, and children are growing up with a model of unfocused attentiveness.

Sad.

Personal branding, kid style

Have you noticed how students have embraced a multitude of styles this fall?

All of a sudden, standing out is more important than fitting in with the crowd. Whether clothing, hair color/cuts, shoes or cell phone covers, even junior high kids have embraced personal branding.

Millennial dads

Although marketers target millennial moms, some of those corporate gurus should come with me to the grocery store.

More than ever before, I see dads showing kids the difference between mangos and kiwi and helping children read package labels. Will these dads become “supermarket natives?”

Being a “good dad” has become a status symbol – and upcoming generations will benefit.

Happy anniversary, Nancy

What a way to celebrate a tenth anniversary!

Fancy Nancy, who expresses her self with everything “fancy,” is slated to move into animated format in 2017. So for all those two-year old girls who aren’t yet into the sixty books and products yet, timing will be ideal.

Uptick in authenticity

Even before kids started back to school, kids nonfiction was growing in popularity.

Led by Scholastic’s Minecraft handbooks, biographies, fact-based fiction and other nonfiction sub-categories are flying. Although some point to Common Core and STEM for boosting interest, author David Macaulay showed us years ago that kids want to know how things work in the world around them.

Perhaps adult voters aren’t the only ones searching for authenticity and realness.

Happy holidays

Today isn’t circled on a Hallmark calendar, but a mom-to-be you know might be on a Babymoon. Or, perhaps she’s having a gender reveal party this weekend. Maybe today marks your child’s half-birthday.

Did you notice common thread?

These are all new ways to celebrate (and perhaps even new opportunities for you to spend money:>)

Worldwide smorgasbord

Have you sampled a Korean hamburger? Hot or cold tapas? Peppermint mocha latte? Sashimi?

Adults aren’t the only ones enjoying new, unusual or ethnic foods. Kids who see appealing images online are getting more adventuresome with food…another spin-off from growing up in a digital world.

The new sex talk

Public service announcements remind us that discussing online privacy issues with kids is really “the new sex talk.”

Both topics relate directly to privacy, acceptance and self-esteem.

But when talking to a teen who has more than million followers on social media, and has already left a lengthy digital legacy, it almost seems like sex is the simpler subject.

Revisiting that day

The surest sign of the passage of time is that so many of our school children don’t remember seeing the terrifying scenes that unfolded on September 11, 2001.

But when you visit New York City, hop on the subway to reach the 911 Memorial & Museum. It’s not fun to remember, but we dare not forget.