LA Times story

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, rejecting state marriage laws as discriminatory.

The state high court's ruling was unlikely to end the debate over gay matrimony in California. A group has circulated petitions for a November ballot initiative that would amend the state Constitution to block same-sex marriage, and the Legislature has twice passed bills to authorize gay marriage. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed both.

More at the link.

I don't think our kids get much civic education any more.  This fall presents an opportunity to have a presidential election in school that could pattern itself after the one that will be on the ballot.

Did you ever have a presidential election when you were in school?

I got interested in the idea of bringing this up at my son's school, and it turns out there are state and national initiatives with materials available for participating.

I was just about to blog this! It is a good story. Thank you, Katherine! -Elisa

This past Sunday's New York Times magazine had a profile of a pro-virginity group at Harvard University called True Love Revolution.  Their website states:

TLR is a new, non-sectarian student-run organization at Harvard College dedicated to the promotion of premarital sexual abstinence. We strive to present another option to our peers regarding sex-related issues, endorsing ideas of abstinence and chastity as a positive alternative for ethical and health reasons.

The website suggests that premarital sexual activity can result in a wealth of negative outcomes.

Saving sex for marriage, we believe, can contribute positively to your physical and emotional health and improve the quality of your current and future relationships.

Early sexual activity and having multiple sexual partners is strongly associated with increased depression, greater likelihood of maternal poverty, and higher rates of marital infidelity and divorce in future marriages.

California is extremely short on funding this year, thanks to a nosediving stock market and the housing meltdown.  The governor's budget proposal, to be reviewed and revised in May by the legislature, calls for a $4.8 billion cut to education.  This cut in combination with other loss in funding has resulted in approximately 170,000 layoff notices to teachers throughout many districts in California.

(In California, school finance is extremely complex, but unlike some other areas which rely on local property taxes, school funding is done primarily through state funds, so cuts will end up hitting everyone even if a particular local district has not experienced declines in property tax revenue.)

Our district, which has a $4 million hole, issued 91 layoff notices, although they are hoping to rescind many if not most of them.  There is a good chance the final budget cuts from the state will not be as bad as the January proposal.  In addition, a certain number (typically 30-40) teachers resign or retire in a year, so that will absorb some of those cuts.  A local foundation is attempting to raise money to cover some of the remaining jobs.

This is a fun diary as there are so many avid readers on this site. Thanks for the list, Katherine! -Elisa

In the past 7.5 years I have waded through an awful lot of crap in the name of getting my kids to enjoy reading.  And it has worked - they are both big readers (the older one independently; my 4 year old still relies on us to read out loud to him).  But not every moment has been a song of joy.  There is a lot of junk out there, and some gold nuggets among the sea of junk.

I'd be interested to hear what you and your kids have really enjoyed.  Below I list several of the books we have loved, and some we've hated.

I have two boys, ages 4 and 7.5.

The New York Times reports today on a (supposed) trend toward pregnant women expecting an expensive gift from their partners following or near their delivery.  New fathers are apparently expected to provide expensive jewelry, new hot tubs, sculptures or other similarly lavish gifts to the new mother because of the "gift" she is giving him of carrying their child.

WHEN Jena Slosberg of Bedford, N.H., gave birth in March, she endured a labor that lasted 17 hours. But her discomfort was ultimately worth it, quite apart from the arrival of her daughter, Marin. In the recovery room, her husband, Paul, presented her with a pair of diamond earrings.

“I was on cloud nine,” Ms. Slosberg said. “It was the perfect present to make a frazzled, sleep-deprived, first-time mommy feel absolutely glamorous.”

She added, “I wonder what 17 hours of labor will get me next time?”

In a more innocent age, new mothers generally considered their babies to be the greatest gift imaginable. Today, they are likely to want some sort of tangible bonus as well.

Supak, in this diary on DailyKos, discusses his reaction to the news that his son's independent study teacher is a new-earth creationist (i.e. he believes that the earth is only 6000 years old).

The teacher sent Supak an email saying he hoped the two could have a productive relationship despite their disagreement.  Supak posts that email and his response email in the linked diary.

What a surprise.  Students who test 'proficient' in Mississippi would be labeled as failing in Massachusetts.

An Education Department report on Thursday compared what it takes to be rated proficient on elementary- and middle-school state reading and math tests to what it means to hit that mark on national tests. The state tests are a key measure for enforcement of the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The report found that most of the scores that would label a student proficient on state tests don't yield that grade on the national tests.

There also are huge differences in where states set their benchmarks.

I read Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Berkeley author Ayelet Waldman recently after running across it on the library shelf.  Ayelet Waldman is married to the author Michael Chabon and is somewhat famous (infamous?) for a Sunday NY Times "Modern Love" piece in which she discussed loving her husband more than her kids.

Anyway, once I read the first book, I got started on her "Mommy Track Mysteries" series, which are set in L.A. and feature a mother of young children as the crime-solver.  They're entertaining if you like a) mysteries and b) reading about the trials and tribulations of being a new parent.  

The abstinence-only diary made me think about a question I've been wondering about lately:  what is the best way to discuss sex with kids at what age?

Those of you with kids elementary age or older, at what age did you tell them the "facts of life"?  Do you have any books to recommend in discussing things with them?  I have a feeling my first-grade son may be hearing things from friends at school - one friend in particular who has an older sister has said some things I've overheard - so I'm thinking it's probably getting near time to have that talk, although my parents didn't tell me about it until the third grade.

Thanks for any thoughts or comments you might have.

UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and Harvard Medical School have all conducted studies recently that show that the US is one of the worst countries in which to grow up.

Of 21 wealthy nations surveyed, the U.S. ranked second to last. Only Britain was worse. Child well-being was highest in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, places that invest heavily in their children.

The problem isn't just that, compared with the European countries, the U.S. lacks day-care services and has poorer health and preventive-care coverage, which has left 9 million children without health insurance.

America finished dead last in terms of infant-mortality rates, vaccinations, the percentage of newborns with low birth weights and deaths from accidental injuries. We finished second to last when the researchers assessed a child's diet, physical activity and weight, exposure to violence and bullying and the number of 15-year-olds who smoke and drink and have sex.

I didn't read pat of butter's diary until today. I really enjoyed the comment thread that got going. Love to read about all the different types of families, and the converging circumstances that lead people down one path or another...
-Amy

I started thinking about this question because a diary on DailyKos asked how people grew up to be a progressive Dem.

My father's political views have changed quite a bit over time (he's gone from left to right - long story), but my mother was born, raised, and remains a Democrat.  She is really the source of my political views and values; and her parents were the source of hers, particularly her father's.  She remembers her mother crying when FDR died.  We talked all the time growing up about politics, and we continue to talk about it to this day.

My husband grew up in a generally Democratic family, although his dad is something of a Reagan Democrat, but his family never really discussed politics growing up.  

We talk a lot about politics at home - with each other and sometimes directly with the kids if they ask (i.e. my 6 year old; the 3 year old isn't asking much about it yet).  It's way too early to tell, of course, whether our beliefs will "stick" with them.  I want to raise independent thinkers, but on the other hand it would be tough if they grew up to be right-wingers.  I guess that's part of the whole "Question authority ... except for mommy" idea!

How did you become a progressive?  Did your parents discuss politics around the dinner table?  Are your views similar to theirs?  Are you planning, or attempting, to pass on your political views - if so, what are you doing (or planning to do) to achieve that?