ParentPoints

This blog is for all parents; those in the traditional workforce, those who work from home, and those who work at home. Join our conversations about balancing the needs of family with the demands of work, discovering resources and activities around Alaska, and opening a dialogue about the perks and challenges of parenthood. One of our three contributors emphasizes teen and family issues. We welcome your comments but please keep them on point and civil. Avoid personal attacks and the use of profanity.


Erin Kirkland

Erin Kirkland writes freelance and lives in Anchorage with her husband and two boys, 14 and 3. She has covered family-related topics for newspapers, parenting magazines and the Web. Erin and her family moved to Anchorage in 2005. She'll post on Wednesdays about great activities the entire family can participate in, and enjoy, together.

Gina Romero

Gina Romero is a lifelong Alaskan who is passionate about parenting. She left Alaska for a short time to earn a degree in journalism and returned for a job at Channel 2 News. Gina produced the Channel 2 Newshour for the better part of a decade and more recently served as communications specialist at the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. Career perspectives changed when her daughter was born in 2007, and Gina is now a mother by day and freelance writer by night. Her Monday blog posts will focus on striking a healthy balance between work and family.

Heather Lende

Writer Heather Lende has 5 children, biological and adopted, aged 17-25 and has been married to their dad for 26 years. She also coaches high school runners. She'll try to help you with teenage, young adult, and family matters. Expect her posts on Fridays.

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The Mother Language

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The Universal Language: A villager embraces baby Isabella.The Universal Language: A villager embraces baby Isabella.As working parents, we all seem to get locked into our routines. It is often hard to look outside of ourselves and realize we are part of a global community. Mandy Casurella put that into perspective with her guest post this week. Mandy and her husband are preparing to move from Anchorage to Madagascar through an organization called World Venture. Mandy, a professional counselor, and her husband, a medical doctor, plan to use their skills to promote physical, mental, and spiritual health in Madagascar. They've already visited the region. Mandy writes about it in her own words:

As the chopper descended we looked down at the gathering of dark faces through the cloud of red dirt. The village had come to see the foreigners who would pay a short visit to their home. They rushed around us as we deployed the helicopter; taking in our strangeness on this ordinary day. Being stared at had grown routine over the month I had been in Madagascar. Whether it was jogging on the outskirts of town, sitting at the beach, or shopping at the market, we were a sight to see (and occasionally laugh and point at). However, there was one member of our group that evoked a different response. I was acutely aware of her effect on this particular day.

Before I realized it I was on the outside of the crowd, looking in. But at what, I wondered. The group was fixated on one central figure. She captivated their attention, leaving my husband and me trailing in the dust. She was not a foreigner, 6-month-old Isabella was one of them.
Children are the window through which we are reminded how we are all the same. They are the bridge, connecting us with friends, neighbors, strangers, and even enemies. Babies, the purest form of human, cross language and cultural barriers effortlessly. Their innocence and truthfulness is disarming and without pretense.

I think this is why Isabella was by far our most popular group member during our travels. The Malagasy could see past the otherness of her pale skin and blue eyes. They could see how her nature was the same as their children. She spoke the same language. In the face of a babe, no matter the race, culture, or socio-economic class, we see past all that divides us. Reminding me that, being child-like isn’t such a bad thing.


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