It’s been an exciting year here at New York Family and in the wider parenting world of NYC. From the plethora of parenting books that hit the market to breakthroughs in having babies to new children’s programs across the city, the past twelve months have been full of insights and adventures. So let’s take a look back at 2012 and all that we’ve learned and experienced together as a family. Without further ado–and in no particular order–here are our top ten stories of the year:
1. One of the first steps in the journey to parenthood is building a good registry to help prepare for baby’s arrival. Here is our Registry Rescue from the April issue, full of tips and ideas for taking the stress out of the baby checklist.
2. Our Pop Quiz For Parents was a hit this summer in our Ultimate Guide To Raising Kids In NYC. Take our fun multiple choice quiz and find out how well you know NYC!
3. We love it when parenting books offer insightful, unexpected, or counter-intuitive information on how to raise children. Paul Tough’s How Children Succeed was a favorite of ours and we got his brilliant take on The Case For Character in our August issue.
4. Another book that had us turning the pages faster than a toddler after an ice cream truck was Pamela Druckerman’s Bringing Up Bébé. Her witty yet earnest book taught us the advantages of parenting the French way. Our Q&A with the author will introduce you to An American Mom In Paris.
5. Celebrity interviews are some of the most fascinating work we do here at New York Family. This year, we had the honor of getting to know some inspiring people, including Dr. Oz, Audra McDonald, Samantha Bee, and Cat Greenleaf.
6. The final page in every issue of New York Family is a deeply personal parenting essay by a local mom or dad, in which you’ll find some uplifting, thought-provoking, and heartbreaking stories. This year, we loved Tali Rosenblatt-Cohen’s essay on why her family loves our crowded city, Sharon Beesley’s piece on whether or not to sign up her daughter for ballet class, and Lani Serota’s ruminations on local friends leaving for the ‘burbs.
7. We always jump at the chance to pick the brain of a trusted parenting expert. This year, we dug in with Dr. Harvey Karp on a topic that parents consider to be of utmost importance–how to Sleep Happy.
8. Throwing a children’s birthday party in New York City can be overwhelming. In an effort to make it a more fun and creative process for parents, we published a great guide full of ideas and themes for hosting Magical, Memorable Birthdays.
9. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, we had a lot of questions for local leaders. So we spoke with a politician, a climate scientist at Columbia, two religious leaders, and an NYC parent to get answers to Five Questions Every Parent Should Be Asking After Sandy.
10. Finally, we thought you might like our fun, kid-inspired guide to texting because it’s only fair that you’re up to speed on that weird lingo they use on their ever-present cell phones. The Revenge Of The POS (Parent Over Shoulder) will make you laugh…or scream. And who knows what texting codes they’ll come up with next year?
Happy New Year and here’s to an equally exciting and illuminating 2013!
