Our Favorite Parenting News Stories Of The Week

Mary Helen Bowers is a professional ballerina and creator of Ballet Beautiful, a prenatal workout program based around ballet. In this interview, Bowers answers questions about her pregnancy and what she does to stay in shape. (fitpregnancy)

In case you hadn’t already accumulated enough new stuff to prep for your coming newborn, you can now get a 3-D print made of your ultrasound photo. Totally tacky or futuristically fun? (FastCo. Design)

Melissa Atkins Wardy, founder of Pigtail Pals, LLC, released her book Redefining Girly this month. The books gives parents tip and advice for how to fight back against gender stereotyping and the sexualization of young girls. (pigtailpalsblog)

In an op-ed that re-examines yet another facet of the debate about a woman’s right to choose, and about what the meanings of life and motherhood truly are, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni shares some provocative thoughts. (The New York Times)

New self-cleaning dishware claims to be safe around food and can make after-meal cleanup a cinch! (Mashable)

Terminally ill children are now living longer than ever–which brings up a whole new world of questions about proper care and quality of life. (The New Yorker)

A father shares his story about the joys and challenges of raising a child with Down Syndrome and sets the record straight about the expectations these children have for the future. (CNN)

When Chicago chef, Grant Achatz, tweeted about a crying baby disturbing diners in his restaurant it re-sparked the debate of whether children should be allowed in restaurants or not. Zagat did a survey on this topic and revealed the results on their website. (Zagat)

One mom shares her perspective on how she regained her true personality in the wake of losing a job her body was telling her “no” to. (Babble)

Remember “John and Kate Plus Eight”? Eldest daughters, Mady and Cara, are teens now and appearing with mom, Kate, on national talk shows. One blog asks if it’s too soon for the young reality stars to be back in the spotlight. (Crushable)

We’re loving this convo in the Sunday Styles between local actresses Cynthia Nixon and Allison Williams–their interview covers everything from child-stardom to growing up with famous parents. (The New York Times)

Instituto Cervantes

Children and teenagers learn to understand and express themselves in Spanish, while improving their communication skills through a dynamic immersion program taught by NATIVE TEACHERS that combines CLASSES, ARTISTIC WORKSHOPS and FUN ACTIVITIES! All of our high-qualified teachers are native Spanish speakers who adapt the structure of the class to the needs and levels of each group while conducting the classes entirely in Spanish. We offer both Spanish Summer Camps and Regular Courses for children along the year to foster language learning and multicultural understanding.

Dance Workshop - NY

Nestled in the heart of the UES, Dance Workshop is a community-focused studio committed to dance education in a loving and safe environment. Dance Workshop offers Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, Musical Theatre and Acro for ages 2+. They also offer a Pre-Professional Company track for dancers interested in taking their technique to the next level. Trial classes may be scheduled with the studio at the start of the season. Dance with Dance Workshop! MaryAnn Grasso founded Dance Workshop in 1979. Her daughter Nanci later joined her at the helm and in 2016 established Dance Workshop on the Upper East Side of NYC. MaryAnn and Nanci have devoted their lives to dance education, community and the development of children; raising dancers and sound human beings alike. Dance Workshop has seen thousands of dancers pass through the doors. They believe dance has the power to elevate and change lives!