1. Take the time to read David Brook’s fascinating and dismaying column on the “parenting investment” gap between affluent and working class parents. One tidbit: “In 1972, kids from the bottom quartile of earners participated in roughly the same number of activities as kids from the top quartile. Today, it’s a chasm.”
2. Should movies where smoking occurs be rated “R” to prevent kids’ exposure?
3. Young women who are sure they don’t want kids often face significant barriers to getting permanently sterilized. Should they, asks Slate?
4. Summer reading for education geeks (or interested parents): Edutopia has a good primer on the “flipped classroom” approach, including why it works, why it doesn’t, myths about it (e.g., The Khan Academy isn’t really a flipped classroom strategy), and why it matters.
5. A rant from Huffington Post’s Lisa Belkin on the so-called spanking debate.
6. Most of us know that CPR guidelines have changed in recent years. If you don’t know the specifics, or need a refresher (as we all really do), Seattle Mama Doc has a good 101 video.
7. Intriguing: California is considering a bill that will allow children to legally have more than two parents, which would allow more recognition of nontraditional households and relationships.
8. TIME’s Healthland blog reports on a study indicating that kids who grow up with pets are less likely to get sick.
