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Category Archives: and my super opinion
Simple ways to give kids more free play
At this point, every parent in America has probably heard how important free play is for their kids. If you haven’t, there’s this article and this article and this article just to name a few. We know that children need to … Continue reading
Posted in and my super opinion, Germany, parenting
Tagged children, free play, how to, kids, parenting
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Dear America, Please Don’t Kill Halloween
Halloween is about the best thing about American childhood that our helicopter culture has been unable to ruin–yet. Despite our constant control of our children, on Halloween they can run around freely, sometimes even without their parents, and ask strangers … Continue reading
Posted in and my super opinion, parenting
Tagged clowns, freerange, Halloween, helicopter, kids, parenting
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Why we should be more German
I love my country, but I have to admit I miss Germany. I lived there for six years. I’ve been back in California for six months, but all the sunshine and American friendliness didn’t quite make-up for Christmastime in Germany: drinking warm mulled wine outside, the smell of an open grill cooking real bratwurst—made from pork, not those bland, beef tubes we call hot dogs.
Lately, Germany has made it especially hard for me to enjoy being home. Mainly because Germany keeps showing up the U.S. The latest blow? U.S. News Word and Report ranked the country #1 in the world. The U.S. came in 4th.
That’s right, in a strange twist of history, Germany is now the nation to follow, not America. U.S. News even said most people thought Germany was better for entrepreneurship! What? That’s supposed to be our thing.
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Posted in and my super opinion, Germany, rants
Tagged best country in the world, freedom, Germany, immigration, parenting, wurst
3 Comments
The non-pushy parent: how to be a German mum
I wrote another piece about my experiences as an American parent in Berlin. It appeared in The Times newspaper in the U.K. Here’s a short sample. (Sorry you have to go to The Times site to read the whole thing but … Continue reading
Posted in and my super opinion
Tagged American, cultural differences, German, kids, parenting, US
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How to Parent Like a German
Here’s a recent article I wrote for Time.com: (Also, check out the new article section on the site!)
Four things Germans do better than Americans (or not)
As an American living in Berlin, I’ve noticed a few cultural differences. It’s clear that Germans do some things better than Americans: free preschool, public transportation, beer festivals. . . And some things Americans do better: fast Internet, customer service–oh and … Continue reading
Posted in and my super opinion
Tagged American, beer, bilingualism, cultural differences, expat, German, lawsuits, nudity, U.S.
6 Comments
Why I hate nature
I like to hike in the forest as much as anyone. I’ve been known to backpack, pick flowers, even eat granola on occasion. But make no mistake, I am not a nature lover. Sometimes I even hate nature because nature is … Continue reading
Posted in and my super opinion
Tagged environmental, environmentalism, nature, nature lover, progress, rant, The First
11 Comments
Top 5 mistakes in the first 5 pages
I read a lot of books. Let me rephrase: I start a lot of books. I’m a serial sampler, and I get a lot of book review requests, but I rarely get past the first five pages. I don’t … Continue reading
Posted in and my super opinion
Tagged advice, beginnings, mistakes, novels, reviews, tips, writing
5 Comments
Orson’s Last Card or what to do when a favorite author turns out to be a crazy bigot
Orson Scott Card isn’t playing with a full deck any more. It was well known that Card, acclaimed writer of Ender’s Game, arguably one of the best YA sci-fi books out there, is against gay marriage. And not just quietly … Continue reading
Posted in and my super opinion
Tagged enchantment, Ender's Game, fantasy, gay marriage, homophobia, Obama, Orson Scott Card, racism, sci-fi, YA
1 Comment
The Absolutely True review of a book that’s not about masturbation
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie I’m going to review this book, but first let’s talk about masturbation, OK. everyone uncomfortable now? If you haven’t heard, some over-anxious parents fought to have The Absolute True Diary … Continue reading
Sara Zaske 