While binge-watching television last weekend, I got the chance to see a pretty varied cross-section of female characters on television. A lot of what I saw made me cringe. Nurse Chapel of the original Star Trek went on a dangerous mission in a micro-skirted uniform and Wonder Woman chased bad guys in a bustier. In nearly every episode, the supporting actresses / damsels in distress on MacGyver let him do all the rescuing and, of course, kissed him for his trouble and Laura of The Dick Van Dyke Show made it clear that her husband called the shots.
I spent a lot of time explaining to my daughter that attitudes about how women should act and dress and what roles they play in the world have changed over the years, and that those changes are reflected on TV. I know it’s not perfect – on cop shows, they still chase criminals in ridiculously high heels, but increasingly, women on television are portrayed as smart and capable - masters of their own fate.
A lot of the tough, independent female characters that have kicked serious butt across our television screens helped make that happen by giving generations of girls some pretty spectacular role models to live up to.
On Scandal, Kerry Washington’s Olivia Pope defines power.
At 2:00 A.M. Sunday, our cell phone clocks automagically spring forward for daylight-saving time. Let’s use this year’s first time adjustment to consider a few easy ways to start saving time on and away from your phone.
A new baby has joined our family. My brother and his wife welcomed their first daughter into the world at 7 pm on Tuesday March 3rd. She's a little bit of a miracle child and to say everyone is ecstatic would be an understatement.
1000 Books Before Kindergarten (or 1KB4K) is a program that rewards parents and kids for reading stories aloud. Reading aloud not only creates a positive bonding moment between an adult and child, but also helps children develop language skills.