#5SmartReads - May 23, 2022

Marisa is a corporate account executive by day, a freelance writer and #5SmartReads contributor by night, and a mom lucky enough to have a fantastic village making it all possible 24/7.

Empty Shelves And Hungry Kids. The U/S/ Baby Formula Shortage Is A Crisis (Grid News)

I have a 3.5 year old daughter who was exclusively formula-fed from 4 months on. I am also a mom who had severe post-partum anxiety and depression in part attributable to breastfeeding and the pressure to breastfeed. Giving up breastfeeding quite literally saved my life, and yet... what would I have done if there had been no formula available? My heart breaks for all of the parents who are experiencing this right now, and if that's you, I am so sorry. Ashley Spivey has been helping folks source formula in her stories so head there if you are feeling out of options - no promises obviously but this is a case where social media may actually be able to help!

The One Parenting Decision That Really Matters (The Atlantic)

The premise of this piece is really interesting: an economist and data scientist (not unlike better known economist and data scientist Emily Oster) dives into the research around parenting topics and comes up with the one thing that data says really matters. If you are familiar with Emily's work this will all sound really familiar to you. But where this gets really fascinating is the link out to the Opportunity Atlas site where you can play with the data yourself and look at statistics for where you grew up or where you are raising your own children.

How To Quit Intensive Parenting (The Atlantic)

I know, two reads from one publication - but this one was also just too good to pass up sharing. The basic gist? The prevailing model of parenting in which parents act as "carpenters," hammering and molding their child into some form, is not nearly as healthy for either the parent or the child as acting as a "gardener" and creating preconditions wherein a child can thrive. This reminds me a bit of some of the parenting philosophies discussed in one of my all-time favorite parenting books, Bringing Up Bebe, and honestly? Even though it comes with guilt sometimes, being a "good enough" parent as described in this article is really all I am aspiring to in motherhood. When put together with the prior article, it again really just comes down to setting up the conditions for success and then letting the little stuff go.

The End Of Roe Will Mean More Children Living In Poverty (Vox)

I. AM. SO. ANGRY. ABOUT. THIS. And everything in this article is part of the reason why. I would be 100% in favor of policies that try to reduce the prevalence of abortion by making it financially and emotionally feasible for vulnerable populations to raise healthy children - but of course, those true pro "LIFE" policies are also the type of policy that very few of the anti-abortion crowd seem to support. No secrets there of course, but if you're looking for some data to back you up in any conversations on this you will find it here.

Employers In Abortion Ban States Face Retention Crisis (Insider)

I work in employee benefits consulting, which means that even though I'm not an HR person, I do dabble in conversations about retention and recruitment. This has been on my mind ever since the leaked draft, and I have even had employer clients bring it up in the context of infertility coverage under their health plans and such. I'll be keeping a close eye on this and am hopeful that even if the worst comes to pass on the judicial side, the free market will step in and in so doing, help those in the spheres of business and politics realize that it is to their advantage to stand up for women everywhere.