Articles by julia.d.wise

Parenting philosophy

I try to focus on what makes life better in the short and medium term rather than trying to mold my children’s personalities or futures. Most of that is already done by genetics.

Layers of animal advocacy

I’ve been reading a lot about animal advocacy lately and thinking about layers of it. I’ve been vegetarian and nearly-vegan in the past but currently am doing nothing at all to help animals.

Preventing child sexual abuse

I think it’s important to know the actual risks, because in the past programs have been aimed at preventing risks that weren’t particularly likely.

Reducing schizophrenia risk

My plan was to reassure myself that my kids were unlikely to get schizophrenia, but it turns out reading a lot about schizophrenia was not a good way to put myself at ease.

Tradeoffs in child health

It’s one thing to intend to avoid neurotoxins, but another to arrive at the grandparents’ house and find they’ve just had ant poison sprayed. What do you do then?

Lead paint

Reducing kids’ exposure to lead from paint, dust, and soil