Ever wonder what it's like to be a six-year-old today? Forget finger painting and dress-up. It's all work, work, work, and no play. At least that's how it is for Sophie Mullins, who took her concerns right to the top, addressing the plight of all first graders in a letter to Sen. Joe Manchin:
“All we do is work work work. I need a break. Can you please help?” wrote the girl from West Virginia whose parents jokingly suggested she direct her complaints to their congressman.
What little Sophie probably didn't expect was a phone call from the Senator himself while she was at Gauley River Elementary School.
“You’re working all the time, aren’t you?” said Manchin. “So what I’m doing is, see, I’m giving you a break right now. I wanted you to take a little bit of time off since you work so hard.”
Manchin then encouraged her to keep working hard at school to "get smarter so you can help us.”
Sophie admitted to TODAY Moms that her math homework, “was kind of too hard,” and sometimes made her sleepy. Plus, being a first grader is so much harder than kindergarten, since there is no nap time. (All in favour of mandated mid-afternoon naps, say Aye!)
“That’s the first time I got a call from my senator,” Sophie said, clearly tickled. She likes school yet is obviously feeling the strain.
“First grade is a huge transition from kindergarten, so the work is a little bit tougher and more difficult,” said Sophie’s principal, Christina Bailey. “There are high expectations for students across the nation.”
Obviously Sophie's letter makes us chuckle, but do you think there is some truth it? Are kids feeling the strain and pressure to succeed at at a much younger age?
Read our tips on how to end homework hell. One Yummy blogger has even written a manifesto on the subject...
A little Friday fluff for our Yummy readers. When People Magazine named Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine its annual "sexiest man alive," many were staggered by the pick. But according to an article in Huffington Post, Levine has all the goods, anthropologically speaking at least.
As one of the hosts of the reality TV show "The Voice," Levine apparently ticks all the boxes when it comes to good looks: a manly jaw, high cheekbones and prominent brows. But really, can attractiveness be measured by science? Isn't there a bit more to it than possessing certain facial features?
Well, usually there is a correlation between such features and high testosterone levels, which translate to robust immune systems and powerful sex drives. That means—you guessed it—more pleasure for the lucky woman!
However, male beauty comes at a price. That same testosterone also means Levine may not be the best family man, with a tendency to shirk off commitment.
Not least of which that women may be distrustful of a man who's too good-looking, assuming that due to fierce competition for his attention, he may be more likely to stray.
What do you think of Levine? Personally, I like his style, though he seems to lack the charisma of these guys...
Who would get your vote for the 'Sexiest Man' title?
What does Amazon have to do with child abuse? You may be unpleasantly surprised. What's even worse than the fact that there is a how-to manual promoting the physical abuse of children, is the fact that the book is being willingly sold by the online retailer.
The press release recalls the case of Carri Williams, who methodically starved and beat her daughter Hanna, leaving her to die in the cold. And what did Williams credit as her inspiration? A book called "To Train Up a Child," which she gladly distributed among friends. (This mom was certainly creative in her choice of punishment; I wonder if this mom had a copy.)
While it's too late to save Hanna and others like her, you can stop this vile book—which allegedly details "how to hit children as young as 4 months old with PVC pipes, rulers and sticks"—from being marketed and sold via the book giant. Disturbingly, the book has already sold 800,000 copies, even though its content doesn't adhere to Amazon's own guidelines.
While I'm a firm believer in free speech, I draw the line when that freedom promotes hurting and abusing people, especially children.
Please set aside a minute of your day and add your voice to the over 120,000 signatures collected in this petition. It may be the most important minute of your week.
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