The Resolution of Quality Time
Recently I had a chance to reread the classic children’s picture book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. This story was published 50 years ago in 1963 and it was considered groundbreaking because it was the first children’s picture book about an African-American child in an urban setting. The group of children I read it to were mesmerized, so the story holds up well. It captures the wonder and quiet beauty of a snowy day through a child’s eyes. The book depicts the pure joy children experience in simple pleasures, like making footprints and snow angels in the snow.

As parents we have so many things to worry about, so many responsibilities, that stopping to make a snowman with our children might not be something we can get to. But as we think about our New Year’s resolutions, the book’s main character Peter has an important message for us. He reminds us to slow down and appreciate that a stick can make art in the snow. So give yourself and your child the gift of time this year. It doesn’t have to be hours of structured events. The best times are those that are unplanned. They just take stepping outside our very busy days to capture these simple moments. Doing so opens up memories that our children will have for a lifetime. That’s a resolution that should be fun to keep.

We made some changes of our own just in time for the New Year. As you flip through our pages you will still find the strong service and parenting advice we always strive to provide, the same commitment to sharing local expertise and news, and our ever-thorough calendar of events, overflowing with family-friendly things to do. Now, we hope, it’s being delivered in a more modern, readable way; is more integrally connected to our online media; with an easy-to-navigate calendar (which still falls on our center spread for convenience—though we’ve added a handy mini table of contents on the prior page—and now highlights free events graphically). We hope you find the changes welcome.

Also in this issue, you can read about the ongoing reactions that children are experiencing in the wake of super storm Sandy. Dana E. Friedman, Ed.D., president of The Early Years Institute in Plainview, tells us that it’s now, many weeks after the disaster, that children who may have difficulty expressing their fears are likely to give voice to them. Learn about their most common psychological needs and how to meet them. 
           
Our Long Islander Spotlight highlights Operation Shower, an organization that holds baby showers for military families to help ease the burden of deployment. There are many local connections in this story of what people can do together to make a new mom’s situation just a bit easier.
           
If you haven’t already, you’ll be hearing the term STEM a lot this year. The four core subjects that make up STEM education—science, technology, engineering, and math—are getting more attention. Programs, classes, camps, and even museums are turning their focus to where STEM can lead our world in the future. We tell you how building rockets, robots, and other cool contraptions help our youth become creative thinkers and problem solvers.

Now that the holidays are over, your budget may appreciate our meatless meals suggestions (p. TK). We also have an interview with Dan Zanes, the Grammy Award-winning musician and purveyor of what he describes as “family music” who lists his top 10 albums on the scene. And in our Voices column, a mom aspires to set 15 New Year’s resolutions for her toddler. It seems only fair as we parents set our own resolutions.
           
I don’t know if it will be snowing as you read this, but I hope that you can take a moment to share something fun with your child. No matter what your resolutions for the New Year, may it be a healthy and happy one for you and your family.    

Liza N. Burby
Founding Publisher of Long Island Parent magazine
lburby@davlermedia.com

We’re proud to announce that the Parenting Media Association named us finalists this year in table of contents design, overall design and Website design.