Pix is from Big Bluestem Farm in Michigan. They grow native plants. We went out yestreday to their plant sale and natiive plants lecture and tour. My Ohio garden was located in a Oak Savannah habitat. Yesterday I found out my new garden in Michigan will be located in a Pine/Oak Barren habitat. Totally different!
In my continuing quest for governing/policy ideas that aren’t just “harm reduction tweaks of Right wing policy”, we’re back at Mr. Quality of Life, Mayor Mamdani:
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is doing things differently than the former mayors. The 34-year-old is known for his revolutionary ideas for NYC, and the latest in the list of those ideas is a new pilot program designed to give parents a few hours off without the cost of hiring a babysitter.
According to ABC7NY, Mamdani has launched a “Parents’ Night Out” program, sponsored by the city, to give parents in NYC some time off by providing babysitting solutions. The pilot program has space for up to 500 kids between the ages of 6 and 13 and will take place on August 14, 2026, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis from July 13 to July 20.
While parents spend a few hours running errands, enjoying dinner or simply taking a break, children will participate in supervised games, sports, arts and crafts, fitness activities, media education programs and nature exploration led by trained NYC Parks staff. Dinner will also be provided for participants. The experience is designed to showcase all the engaging recreational programs NYC Parks offers year-round.
The usual bitter Mamdani haters are in the comments to the story., fake concerned about safety. Because none of them read and instead go immediately to “rage” every time Mamdani appears they missed this important sentence “led by trained NYC Parks staff”.
I love this night out idea because one of the things I love about Denmark is how they genuinely value children and parents. Now, Danes are kind of cold people and they measure everything and everything has a planned outcome - they’re deliberate, cautious people, not crazed Leftists.. They send everyone over 60 to a colon cancer screen not because they love you, but because they don’t want to pay for your Stage 4 colon cancer. Thrifty! The family -friendly Danish policies are intended to raise the birth rate to or above replacement. It didn’t work. The family-friendly Danish policies have NOT increased Danish birth rate. Denmark’s birth rate is still below replacement rate. In fact, no Western democracy with a declining birth rate (so all of them) have figured out how to increase birth rate once it declines below replacement.
Denmark hasn’t made more tiny Danes, but what they have done is made parents and children happier. Everyone who comes from the US notices it. Danish parents are not insanely overworked and stressed. They linger - in parks, in shops, in cafes, in mother’s groups and father’s groups. When school lets out and parents arrive (by bike, mostly) to collect children everyone stays and talks. My daughter, who has a demanding job and two small children and finds Danish culture a little too Gerrmanic and restrictive, said, after a week visiting us in Copenhagen “its so civilized and the women all have time to take care of themselves”.
People on the Right often say people on the Left can’t sell Lefty policy outside of deep blue areas like NYC. That’s a fair criticism. I think THIS policy would sell just about anywhere, including my former home county that went 75% Trump.
Happy parents make happy children, and “happy” is really important and a worthwhile policy goal all by itself.
