family life

AS A WORKING mom or dad, how good you feel about your work-life balance may have a lot to do with where you work. Some companies go out of their way to help working parents juggle all of the demands of raising kids along with full or part-time work.

We're talking about parental perks like on-site daycare, lactation rooms, child care reimbursement, health insurance for part-time employees and flexible schedules that make room after-school pickups.

KTD regular contributor Jessica Cochran spoke with a few of Alaska's family-friendliest employers…

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In this story: Credit Union One, Providence Alaska Medical Center, Juneau Chamber of Commerce and Partnerships for Families and Children (a group that recognizes family-friendly employers in Southeast Alaska), Truth North Federal Credit Union, Shattuck & Grummet Insurance 

NOT ALL ADOPTIONS involve a long application process or a home study. Some are more of a formalization of how a family is already working, like when a step-parent adopts their spouse’s child.

KTD contributor Jessica Cochran has more.

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Alaska Family Law Self Help Center has all the forms for a step-parent adoption on line; it may not require a lawyer.

BOYS WILL BE boys, they say – but why exactly? We ask what makes adolescent boys 11-14 unique and what changes are their bodies – and their minds – going through at this developmental stage? Do boys and girls really learn differently? And what is necessary to help a boy become a good man?

IN-STUDIO GUEST: Joining host Shana Sheehy in the studio to answer these questions is Michael Gurian, co-founder of the Gurian Institute, where he conducts field research, launches pilot programs, and trains professionals in gender diversity and effectiveness. He has pioneered efforts to bring neuro-biology and brain science into homes, schools, corporations, and public policy and he and his colleagues have developed programs and models for helping schools and parents raise and educate boys and girls.

Gurian is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty five books including: The Minds of Boys, The Wonder of Boys, The Purpose of Boys and A Fine Young Man: What Parents, Mentors, and Educators Can Do to Shape Adolescent Boys into Exceptional Men.

He joins us from his office in Washington state.

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DID YOU KNOW? For every 100 girls diagnosed with a learning disability 276 boys are diagnosed with a learning disability. For every 100 girls diagnosed with emotional disturbance 324 boys are diagnosed with emotional disturbance. For every 100 females ages 15 to 19 that commit suicide 549 males in the same range kill themselves. See more statistical comparisons at TheBoysProject.com

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FEATURED STORIES:

Rites of Passage - One of the challenges of adolescence is that everything is changing – minds and bodies – and boys and girls are moving from childhood to being “apprentice adults”. In ancient cultures that change was often marked by a rite of passage – a challenge that had to met. Today, more often than not, there’s no particular event to mark the change. Contributor Jessica Cochran spoke with two fathers who think that a rite of passage is an important step for children moving into adolescence to become healthy and functional adults. So they came up with challenges of their own.

Boys Speak Up - We wanted to hear from actual middle school boys about what they had to say for themselves. We asked them what differences they noticed at school between boys and girls of their age - how do they act and how are they perceived? Contributor Robert Stormo visited the boys in the combined seventh-eighth grade class at Pacific Northern Academy in Anchorage to find out.

Books for Boys - Reading advocate Pam Allyn has a whole book full of suggestions when it comes to boys and reading. Allyn is the founder and director of LitWorld – a global organization that advocates for children’s rights as readers and writers; her personal mission is to bring literacy to every child. Jessica Cochran spoke with her about her book - Pam Allyn’s Best Books for Boys: How To Engage Boys in Reading in Ways That Will Change Their Lives.

A recent Pew Research study found that rates of childlessness among all women are on the rise, while rates of childlessness among women with advanced degrees are decreasing. We ask: could this be due to increasingly tolerant social attitudes towards women who aren't mothers?

The report refers to the General Social Survey data which examined social attitudes towards those without kids by asking (click statements for survey results):
A marriage without children is not fully complete: strongly disagree ... strongly agree.
People who have never had children lead empty lives: strongly agree ... strongly disagree.

Dr. Gretchen Livingston, a Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Foundation, spoke with producer Sarah Gonzales from her office in Washington D.C.

In addition to considering one's own physical and mental health when starting a family, financial health is also a serious consideration - whether it's your first child or you're planning for baby number three. Let's face it - kids are expensive - the USDA's Expenditures on Children by Families 2010 report estimates that raising a child from birth to age eighteen will cost around a quarter of a million dollars - and that doesn't even include college. How can parents best prepare for these costs?

• USDA's Cost of Raising a Child Calculator

Producer Sarah Gonzales speaks with Stacey Bradford, author of The Wall Street Journal Financial Guidebook for New Parents and Family Finance columnist for CBS Money Watch, to get her two cents.

This week we've been speaking about the many routines that a family can do together at home, after school and on the weekends - and let's not forget a family exercise routine!

KTDontheGO mom, Erin Kirkland, is amped up for the Bonny Sosa Tuesday Night Races at Kincaid Park in Anchorage - a great and easy way for the whole family to burn off a few calories and get some fresh air starting September 7.

Listen below!

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Hey, Anchorage families! Have your kids signed up for the 2K Fun Run yet? The Big Wild Life 2K (a little over 1.2 miles) begins and finishes on Sixth Avenue next to the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and Town Square. Fun activities such as face painting, music and treats are planned afterward in Town Square.

Children 12 and younger can register online at BigWildLifeRuns.org - there's no registration on race day, so make sure you check the website and register soon!

GET ON THE BUS because school is back in session! Summer vacation is over and the kids are returning to the classroom. With the kids back in school the whole family will be readjusting their routines of daily living and we've got tips to help make it a smooth transition from summer to school again.

IN-STUDIO GUESTS: Do you struggle with adjusting sleeping, eating, and homework schedules? Is it hard to get back in the mode of getting kids to and from school? How about adjusting chore responsibilities or paying attention to your student's time management skills? Oh yeah, and family time, when does that happen? Host Shana Sheehy speaks with two women in the studio today who have good ideas for families who are managing these changes right now. Dr. Joan Bohmann has been a school psychologist in the Anchorage School District since 1981, and she is the former director of professional standards for the National Association of School Psychologists. Karen Gordon is a Kindergarten teacher at Northwood ABC Elementary in Anchorage and she knows a lot about the value of routines because she's raised four children.

Back to School Tips for Parents, (Via: National Association of School Psychologists)

FEATURED STORIES:

Lathargex - Getting kids back on the right sleeping schedule after a summer of 20-hour days and endless twilight can be tough, but the enterprising teens at the Alaska Teen Media Institute may have found a (satirical) solution for family sleep problems.

When I Was Young - In this ongoing series we ask adults what they remember about their childhoods, and this time they tell us what they recall about going back to school, back in the day.

Migrant Education Programs - As classes get underway at school districts around the state, some students will still be away commercial or subsistence fishing. Those students qualify for extra help when they do come to school, and over the summer too. The funding comes through the Migrant Education program.

KTDontheGO - This week Erin Kirkland gets us fired up for the Tuesday Night races at Kincaid Park in Anchorage as part of a larger message about families getting into a good exercise routine.