The Parent Test
Click above to see a brief segment on the high diving board challenge
So funny how we take classes and have job training for so many things and yet the most important job in the world, raising our children, is not something that most of us ever get any instructions for. So we resort to our own personalities and egos, intuition and often do as our parents did to us (or the exact opposite, as the case may be).
My mom was an early proponent of progressive childhood education and our parents, probably considered on the permissive side, introduced my sister and me to concepts of creative learning, the teachings of educator A.S. Neill and general concepts of free education. So when I saw a show on Hulu specifically dedicated to parenting, I was very curious. It is a subject that interests me greatly.
The Parent Test on Hulu is a reality show--it takes twelve diverse couples (and one single dad) and their families with very different parenting styles and puts them through some rigorous test situations to see how the adults interact with their children and vice versa. What emerges is a picture of what kind of kids come out of differing methods--the strict parents, the free thinking ones, the tiger parents, etc.
I think The Parent Test is worth watching. At times it may seem somewhat superficial (it is a TV show after all), but it provokes deep thought about child rearing practices and how we bring up kids in America. Most parents all have the same goal of providing their kids with the best life they could possibly have but there are so many variables that go into trying to achieve that aim. Do we want out kids to just be happy at all costs? Do we want them to be super achievers and at what expense? How do we handle their fears? How important is structure in a child's life? What type of parenting style encourages confidence? And how does race and religion affect parenting styles and choices? These are some of the subjects investigated as the show presents the families with challenges (i.e., getting your child to jump off a high diving board, letting them cook a dinner on their own, seeing how children handle a fine dining situation...) and we observe their interactions. I personally found it one of the more interesting reality shows--fascinating and with conversations well worth having...
Pico Iyer
Leonard Cohen, Pico Iyer
“One of the most soulful and perceptive writers of our time” —Brain Pickings
Click above to hear an interview with Pico Iyer at the Society in NYC
Pico Iyer, Illustration by Kristian Hammerstad
My old friend Todd introduced me to a lot in life beginning when we met as teenagers and has never steered me wrong all these years later. He recently shared with me this interview with writer Pico Iyer from the podcast Death, Sex and Money, where Iyer talks about his long term friendship with Leonard Cohen, among other things.
Born in England to Indian parents, partially raised in the United States, journalist, essayist and novelist Siddharth Pico Raghavan Iyer has travelled throughout the world and written extensively about it. He currently resides in Japan. Iyer just released his fifteenth book entitled The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise which I am going to put on my reading list and his writings have appeared in many prominent publications including The New York Times, The New York Review of Books and Time Magazine (to name just a few) on many different types of subjects including Cuba, the Dalai Lama, Islam, globalism, and stillness. Described by Brain Pickings as “one of the most soulful and perceptive writers of our time,” Pico Iyer has been interviewed several times on Krista Tippett's podcast On Being.
Puree of Celery Root Soup
Click to see how to prepare celery root (Celeriac)
Photo courtesy of Curtis Stone
Click above to see the value of celery
This one is recommended from my friend Molly via the New York Times Cooking app. She says she made it without the milk and it was just as delicious. This is the kind of recipe you can fool around with, adding or subtracting ingredients to your desire.
PUREE OF CELERY ROOT SOUP
Recipe from Jimmy Bradley and Andrew Friedman
Adapted by Marian Burros from the NYTimes Cooking app
Yield: 4 bowls
¼ cup olive oil
1 small leek, white part only, coarsely chopped
½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2½ cups peeled, coarsely chopped celery root (about 1 pound after peeling)
3 cups no-salt-added chicken stock or broth
4 to 7 tablespoons skim milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sliced chervil or tarragon
* Step 1
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat 3 tablespoons oil and add leek, onion, celery and garlic. Sauté until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes.
* Step 2
Add celery root and stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until celery root is tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes.
* Step 3
Using a blender and working in batches, purée soup until smooth. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and milk as needed to enrich soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, soup may be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving. Reheat gently just until steaming.
* Step 4
To serve, divide soup among four bowls. Garnish with chervil or tarragon, and serve hot.
Painting of the Week
Working now on a piece similar to the one above for an office space in Boston…
Charity of the Week:
National Dance Institute
New York, NY 2022
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.