After twenty years spent “chillin’, tokin’ and bonin’”, Ali G is shocked to discover that his long-term girlfriend, Julie, is 8 months pregnant. Faced with an extra mouth to feed, he gets off his batty and heads to America to reclaim his former glory… but soon encounters adversaries who will ultimately threaten his and his child’s very existence. Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film, ALI G: WHO IZ I? marks his directorial debut and will be released in theaters on October 23 by Amazon MGM Studios.
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Our present world is being continuously more impacted by AI. So how can we as parents encourage the next generation of teens to bring out even more of their humanities? According to Jennifer S. Miller, MEd, we can help them lead the way for a rebirth of connection, learning, and wisdom.
“From brain science, we know that our teenagers are primed for creative brilliance beyond any other time and age,” says Miller. “Five essential aspects of our teenagers’ development create the conditions in which they may be the most receptive to creativity and innovation in their lives. These include: novelty seeking, driven by rewards, risk innocent, passion, driven, and abstract thinking.”
The focus of the book is on courage and strength, using emotions that might seem negative (anger, anxiety, and fear) to bolster confidence and make change. It specifically encourages families to recalibrate their relationships with technology and also help teens increase their sense of purpose and fulfillment.
It's a well-written book, optimistic but realistic about the challenges teens face and how they can have the courage to be themselves.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more than thirty years, Jennifer S. Miller, MEd, has collaborated with educators and families to help them become more effective with children and teens by learning how to support their development. She authored and illustrated the book Confident Parents, Confident Kids: Raising Emotional Intelligence in Ourselves and in Our Kids from Toddlers to Teenagers named as Top Parenting Book of 2020 by the Greater Good Science Center. She founded the organization by the same name growing an international platform through her blog with more than 24,000 followers in 152 countries world-wide.
She has served as an expert contributor to NBC’s TODAY Parenting, PBS WNET, and Fred Rogers Productions. She has written and offered expertise for numerous publications including The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and Parent Magazine.
She conducted and published original peer-reviewed research with partner scholars entitled, “Parenting for Competence and
Parenting with Competence.” She consults with schools, conducts research, and creates tools on parenting with partners at the National Parent Teacher Association, National University, Montana State University, and at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Research in this book was supported by the M.I.T. Presencing Institute.
She frequently speaks at conferences, offers coaching to parents, and conducts workshops in Ohio and nationally. She has a master’s degree in Instructional Leadership with a focus on child and adolescent development and lives with her husband and eighteen-year-old son in Columbus, Ohio.
Portugal, but make it decadent. Inside Tours knows exactly the perfect recipe for your clients who think they've done it all, eaten it all and sipped it all at Europe's finest establishments. This one changes the game, the one your most indulgent clients will be talking about for years: LISBON: THE APPETIZER: Begin at a private chef's table with one of Lisbon's Michelin starred chefs, watching each course come together in front of you. The next morning, roll up your sleeves for a pastel de nata masterclass, then wander the tiled streets of Alfama with a private guide, sampling tinned fish, cured ham, and cherry liqueur along the way. End with a sunset sail on the Tagus, white port in hand, at golden hour. ALENTEJO: THE SLOW COURSE: Trade the city for a restored farm estate surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, and cork oak forests, where time moves at the pace of a long lunch. Taste talha wines, fermented in giant clay amphorae using a method dating back to Roman times. Float over medieval hilltop villages in a hot air balloon at dawn, then gather for a private dinner of acorn fed black pork beneath a sky full of stars. DOURO VALLEY: THE MAIN EVENT: Arrive in style by helicopter, soaring over the steep terraced vineyards of the world's oldest demarcated wine region. Check into a destination spa hotel among the vines, then visit family run quintas for tastings and long lunches paired with wines that rarely leave Portugal. Cruise the river on a traditional rabelo boat and visit during harvest and you can join the grape stomping in a stone lagar. PORTO: THE GRAND FINALE: Cross to Vila Nova de Gaia for after hours access to the historic port lodges, where centuries old barrels line the cellars. Sit down with a master blender to create your own port, bottled and labeled with your name. Then uncork something truly rare: a port from your client's birth year. Finish with a farewell dinner overlooking the Douro River and the city lights, raising a final toast to the good life. Over the top? Absolutely. That's the point with Inside Tours.  |
CRUSH!’s newest scented floormats include some great fall scents:
Apple À La Mode — warm apple pie
Pumpkin Spice Latte — pumpkin + a hint of spice
Tinsel-Trimmed Tree — candied holiday tree
Gingerbread Boy — gingerbread + sugar cookie
Each $19.99 mat is 100% bio-based and fully biodegradable, making it a fun, unexpected addition to fall and holiday gift guides. Pre-orders open October 19, 2026
WalletHub recently released its 2026 Early Holiday Shopping Survey, looking at how consumers are approaching early holiday shopping and budgeting this year. You can find highlights from the survey below.
Do you ever wonder what animals do all day at the zoo? Many kids do! The upcoming picture book, I Might Be a Penguin (Oct. 20, 2026), is a humorous and engaging story that invites kids to imagine what it might be like to be a favorite zoo animal. From monkeys and pandas to flamingos, cheetahs, and - you guessed it - penguins, animals have unique habits and abilities that kids find fascinating.
This is an interactive and exciting book for ages 4-7 that is sure to get kids up and moving as they try to mirror the movements of their favorite creatures. Additional fun facts will satisfy curious young minds looking for more details about the featured animals.
I had a chance to interview author Rachel Tawil Kenyon to learn more.
About Rachel Tawil Kenyon: She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and spent her teen years in Hollywood, California. Bringing her diverse experiences with her, she moved with her family to Nashville, Tennessee, where she writes, reads, and teaches. Rachel is known in her community for her enthusiasm working with young children and teenagers. She writes from the heart and encourages the kids she works with to do the same.
Socials: Website
You’ve read the parenting posts, watched the videos, and maybe felt a little judged along the way. One camp says never raise your voice. Another says kids need firm limits or they’ll run the house. If you’re wondering where the truth lives, you’re not alone. The gentle parenting vs traditional parenting debate has left a lot of loving parents feeling stuck between two extremes, unsure which approach actually helps their child thrive.
Here’s the good news from the people who spend all day with young children: you don’t have to pick a side. Educators see the best results when families borrow the warmth of one approach and the structure of another.
Before you choose a lane, it helps to know what each term really means.
Gentle parenting focuses on empathy, connection, and respecting a child’s feelings. It leans on validation and calm guidance rather than punishment.
Traditional parenting emphasizes clear rules, authority, and consistent consequences. It prioritizes structure and predictable expectations.
Hybrid parenting blends the two. You stay warm and empathetic while still holding firm, age-appropriate boundaries.
The gentle parenting vs traditional parenting conversation often frames these as opposites. In practice, most families land somewhere in the middle, and that middle ground is where children tend to flourish.
Teachers manage rooms full of toddlers and preschoolers every day, each with their own unique personalities. They can’t rely on a single script, so they naturally combine styles based on what each moment calls for.
What they see work again and again:
Empathy first, then the limit. “I know you’re upset the blocks are put away. It’s still time to clean up.”
Consistency over perfection. Children feel safe when the rules stay steady, even when emotions run high.
Connection before correction. A calm, connected child listens better than a scolded one.
This is where a purely single-style approach can fall short. That leads us to a fair question.
Gentle parenting has given families a wonderful vocabulary for empathy. Still, educators notice a few common problems with gentle parenting when it’s applied without structure.
None of these problems with gentle parenting mean the approach is wrong. They usually signal that the structure piece is missing. Add clear, consistent boundaries and the warmth becomes far more effective.
You don’t need a formal method. You need a few reliable habits.
When families pair empathy with structure, children learn both emotional awareness and self-control. That’s the sweet spot educators aim for.
Is gentle parenting the same as permissive parenting?
No. Gentle parenting includes limits and expectations. Permissive parenting removes them. The confusion between the two is one of the most common problems with gentle parenting.
Which approach is better, gentle or traditional?
Neither wins outright. In the gentle parenting vs traditional parenting question, most educators find that a blend of empathy and structure serves young children best.
My partner and I parent differently. Is that a problem?
It can be if the rules constantly shift. Aim for shared, consistent expectations, even if your parenting styles differ slightly in tone.
How do I stay consistent when I’m tired?
Keep your list of core rules short so they’re easy to enforce on hard days. Consistency matters more than getting every response perfect.
You don’t have to choose between being warm and being firm. The parents and educators who see the best results do both, meeting children with empathy while holding steady, loving boundaries.
At Little Sunshine’s Playhouse, our teachers see every day how much children thrive when connection and structure work together. If you’d like to see this balanced approach in action, we’d love to welcome you for a tour and answer any questions about how we support your child’s growth. Find a Little Sunshine’s Playhouse near you!
Read more, learn more!
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SoundCloud | Spotify | Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
“Nine”: YouTube Track | YouTube Music Video
“P-O-T-A-T-O Crew”: YouTube Music Video
Beppie’s eighth album, 'Puzzle Pieces,' is out now. The record gathers the Edmonton musician's latest run of singles, including the counting anthem "Nine" and the hip hop flavoured "P-O-T-A-T-O Crew," and marks another chapter for one of Canadian children's music's busiest and most decorated voices.
Born Stephanie Nhan in Regina and based in Edmonton since 2006, Beppie has released seven albums since 2017, earned two JUNO nominations, joined the Recording Academy and signed with Platoon for distribution through Apple Music. She has picked up four Western Canadian Music Award nominations along the way, winning Children's Artist of the Year in 2023, the same year she received the Edmonton Arts Trust Fund Award and was named a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Over the past six years she has drawn more than $100,000 in funding from organisations including the Canada Council for the Arts, the Edmonton Arts Council, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, SOCAN and FACTOR, support that has gone directly into her touring and music development. With 25 years of experience teaching music, she performs more than 70 shows a year at schools, festivals and events, and her catalogue has been streamed over two million times worldwide.
"Nine" grew out of Beppie's dual life as a mother of three and a music educator. Counting songs for kids are everywhere, so she set out to make one that stood apart. "The mission was clear, it had to be funky, and it had to be fun," she says. Working with producer Justin McDonough, the pair built the track around a funky riff and let it grow from there. "We started with a funky little riff and then everything just started flowing," she explains. "The drums, the strings, the flute! Once we got going, we didn't stop until we got to, you guessed it, nine!"
"P-O-T-A-T-O Crew" started in the garden. While digging up potatoes with her son Elliot, then 11, Beppie found herself imagining the tunnels and pathways left behind by the roots, and the pair invented an entire mythology on the spot, complete with a king potato and an epic underground battle. Weeks later, on a writing retreat with longtime producer and co-writer Justin McDonough, she brought the idea back to life. "When you write music for kids and with kids, you can pretty much write about anything you want," she says. "It's crazy to think that this is actually my job."
The song took shape as a roll call of potato dishes, each voiced by a different performer. Beppie recruited fellow children's musician Fyütch, who suggested his own daughter, Aura V, take on the character of Mash. Beppie rounded out the crew by bringing in her own children, with Fry voiced by Elliot and Spud voiced by her daughter Amelia, while Beppie herself takes on Chip. Aura V went on to become the youngest Grammy winning artist in history the following February, a coincidence Beppie says the whole team was thrilled about. Built as a 90s style hip hop anthem, "P-O-T-A-T-O Crew" has become one of the most energetic moments in Beppie's live show.
Tour Dates
Oct. 24, 2026 Spruce Grove, AB @ Horizon Stage (Album Release Concert)
Feb. 15, 2027 Red Deer, AB @ Red Deer Museum
March 20 to 30, 2027 Vancouver, Victoria, Burnaby and Richmond, BC @ Spring Tour (Dates and Details TBA)
April 4, 2027 Leduc, AB @ MacLab Theatre
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