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From suburb to city, the journey is just a walk away
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In moving to a new area, we've once again embraced the walkable lifestyle. - photo by Tiffany Gee Lewis
Last Saturday, my oldest son and I set out to run some errands.

Our first stop was the local bakery, owned by a member of our congregation who supplies the weekly loaf of sacrament bread.

From there, we popped into Office Max to pick up a piano book I had left on the copy machine.

Finally, since my son is 14, growing six inches a week and requiring sustenance about every five minutes, we dropped into a little caf where he ordered a burrito the size of a small puppy.

Perhaps it was the autumn air, or the sun on our backs or the spontaneity of stopping for a late lunch, but it was one of the best afternoons I can remember.

Perhaps it was because instead of driving in a car, we walked.

Our family spent the last 10 years in the suburbs. There were so many things to love: our proximity to parks and lakes, the cul-de-sac brimming with neighbor kids and the wide expanse of lawns for backyard ball and marshmallow roasts.

Yet, anytime we ran errands, from the library to the grocery store, doctors offices, schools and music lessons, it meant strapping in behind the wheel of my minivan.

In the years before that, we lived on Miami Beach. Equipped with only one car, I spent my days pushing 60 pounds of kid in our double jogging stroller. We went everywhere in that thing: the beach, pool, grocery and library. I used to joke that I clocked 200,000 miles on that stroller. My pediatrician, who also lived in the neighborhood, would tell me, I see you everywhere.

With this recent move, our family decided to return to that walkable lifestyle. It was an experiment of sorts: Would it increase our quality of life? Could we tolerate, and even embrace, both the conveniences and inconveniences of being slightly more urban?

So far, were completely in love with the setup. Our teens walk to the middle school down the street. We walk to the dentist, the bakery and the grocery store. My husband bikes or walks to work at the university.

Its hard to pinpoint what makes walkability so attractive. It may be the neighborly feel. If youre out, youre greeting people, instead of parking the car in the garage and heading straight to the kitchen with a sack of groceries.

It might be the open sky. Multiple studies and articles have addressed how getting out in nature changes the brain. A walk down our tree-lined street may not be the same as a hike in the woods, but still, theres something about the fresh air, the wind on my face and the crunchy autumn leaves underfoot.

Perhaps the best thing about walking is how it seems to slow time. When you walk someplace, you have to allow for a buffer of time. Instead of dashing into the car and screeching down the hill to the dentist, pulling up one minute before the scheduled appointment, I have to plan 20 minutes on either side. I have to alter my mindset toward a belief that the journey is as important as the end destination.

With my kids in tow, we walk, pointing out our favorite homes, commenting on the changing leaves, the moving clouds, the sudden rain shower that sweeps across the sky.

Removed from the urgency of my to-do list, the never-ending household tasks and even my laptop, everything seems to relax. My boys are talkative, sharing pieces of their inner thoughts. We talk about future careers, moving, computer coding and a new awareness of girls.

When we arrive home, fresh-faced and windswept, its as if we have been on an adventure together, even if just for a loaf of bread.

I walk past my minivan parked in the driveway and give the hood a friendly pat, happy to leave it right there.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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