Examining Both Sides of the Plastic Bag Issue, Part 1, Or: How My Noisy Night-Owl Grandma Turned Me Green

Dear Red Pill Readers: in honor of Earth Day, we’ve chosen one environmental issue that we believe is a good one for parents to examine in their own households, and which presents a great opportunity to join together with your kids to make a positive change (for the environment, and for yourselves).  We’ll be publishing a 3-part [...]

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Jamie, Dawg, Nancy and You

It’s funny how related things often end up in my lap at the same time, and the message I get from them is somehow greater than the sum of the parts.  This weekend, we finally watched the preview episode of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, and then I picked up the latest issue of The Week

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Peep! Red Pill Readers Respond

We got a great response to our candy-free Easter alternative call for ideas.  Without further verbose ado, I will henceforth share some ideas with you that will help you make the basket-and-egg part of the holiday less of a mad clamor for sugary treats and more about welcoming Spring. (I will add one brief bit [...]

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School Lunches: I Can Dream, Can’t I?

Funny: just the day after my sister sent me an article from Time about a writer whose son attends preschool in Paris, from which I got a glimpse into what could possibly be the shangri-la of school lunch situations, I happened to stop in my own kids’ public school cafeteria to sit with my son [...]

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Easter’s in Two Weeks: Are you ‘Red Pill’ Ready?

Well I’m certainly not.  But that’s because I have yet to come up with my yearly no-candy plan for what to put in those pretty little baskets, and what to put in those infernal plastic eggs that never seem to want to close without ugly Scotch tape.  But that’s where you come in: as you [...]

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Mama Obama Scolds The Grocery Manufacturers of America — Will They Shape Up?

It’s a sunny day here in Red Pill Ville, not just because it’s gorgeous outside, but because the First Lady, Michelle Obama, has spoken directly and forcefully to the world’s largest food producers, without sugar-coating her words: “I’m here today to urge all of you to move faster and to go farther, because the truth [...]

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‘The Biggest Job’ – Are You Valuing Achievement Over Character?

While I’ve read plenty of books about raising children, most that impart an overall parenting philosophy seem to simply articulate common sense, and deliver it with enough of a swift kick in the parenting pants to get you off your lazy butt and doing what you know you should be doing.  But leave it to [...]

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A Suburban Mom Walks the Walk — Literally

Red Pill Parents, please welcome Out of the Blue, our first Red Pill Contributor.  Look for a follow-up to her story, as well as others in the future.  Enjoy … RPM & RPP * * * Isn’t it funny that we accept the fact that even though taking a walk is so natural, the idea [...]

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Delay Gratification and Encourage Writing with a “Wish List Folder”

Red Pill Parents, I wanted to share with you a concept that I came up with (though I have learned from Red Pill Mama that she has a variation of my system in her home, so strength in numbers seems to indicate this is an idea that works). I am talking about “The Wish List [...]

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What Solves the Kids & Advertising Problem: Education, or Avoidance?

I love what Red Pill Papa is doing with his daughter (see his “New Study …” post), teaching her to recognize the persuasive intent behind commercials and to understand that despite the ads’ claims, a particular food or toy will not bring her everlasting happiness (quite the contrary, of course). What I’ve done is a [...]

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