The Best of the Rest of the Web

“Parenting is the easiest thing in the world to have an opinion about, but the hardest thing in the world to do.”

—Matt Walsh (@MattWalshRadio), talk radio host, husband, and father of twins, in a hilarious and cathartic (at least for me!) post entitled “Dear Parents, You Need to Control Your Kids. Sincerely, Non-Parents” on his blog (themattwalshblog.com); there were plenty of other quote-worthy portions, so do yourself a favor and read the whole darn thing, then share it with your nonparent friends: nymetroparents.com/walsh (at press time there were more than 11,000 passionate comments that I wish I had time to actually read…)

20-30% of high schoolers and 6% of middle schoolers fall asleep in school each day.

—Start Schools Later (@startschoolL8r), a nonprofit coalition of health professionals, sleep scientists, educators, parents, students, and other concerned citizens, from a post entitled “Wake Up Calls” (startschoollater.net), providing fast facts about the compelling evidence showing that starting middle and high school before the sun rises is out of sync with the biological clocks of young people; see how one Cortlandt Manor mom has taken action at nymetroparents.com/start-school-later.

“In school, I didn’t really listen to my teachers. I just wanted to draw. Drawing, drawing, drawing…all the time…. Only one thing could drag me away from drawing when I was young: soccer!”

—Valeri Gorbachev, illustrator and father of two grown children, in a guest blog on blogs.nymetroparents.com; Gorbachev grew up in the former Soviet Union (now Ukraine) and currently lives in Brooklyn. His latest children’s book is Rufus Goes to School (by Kim Griswell; ages 3-6; Sterling)—so if you’re worried about your youngsters’ distractions (um, drawing, soccer), rest assured they can turn into passions…and careers!

“Stop and make a conscious effort to be thankful.”

—Westchester parent of two Jennifer Garry (@jennifergarry), a “real life mom with messy, opinionated children and a man child for a husband”—or so she says on her blog, Cuddles and Chaos (cuddlesandchaos.com)—who documented her daily gratitude via Instagram throughout November; we appreciate her gracious inspiration and share Garry’s Nov. 3 pictorial proof of what she’s thankful for: “#grateful for creative, strong-willed little girls…even when they drive me crazy”

“Mean moms are out there. We wish they weren’t, but mean girls exist, just like in high school. And just like back then, they’re almost always fueled by insecurity. But the good news is, you’re a grown-up now, and you aren’t required to sit in math class with them.”

—Sasha Emmons (@semmons), mom of two, editor, writer, and former Brooklynite, in a post entitled “14 Things No One Told Us About Making Mom Friends” on iVillage’s Wish We’d Known blog—and yes, she admits it feels like dating (you’re not alone there)

Twitter Talk

@JessicaValenti: Unless you are prepared to hear the answer in song for three hours, never ask a three year old: “Do you like to move it move it?”

@TracyinSuburbia: I’ve been on mentalpause ever since I had kids. RT: @maryheston was just thinking is it menopause or Mentalpause. http://wp.me/p1hb2X-1b4  

@EWEdMedia: Atlantic Article Lines Up Against High School Sports http://bit.ly/16e8dqq  #education #media 

@valleystreammom: Need new apps for your kid’s iPad (which used to be yours)? Here’s a Top 10 list of educational apps you’ll want... http://fb.me/WjU1d6DJ

?@socialsklz: Frequent stress hurts kids as much as other disease & violence. Avoid “toxic” stress & help kids stay healthy nyti.ms/17XRmDN