Coming of Age Stories

Sarah Kwong

In this podcast, Sarah Kwong digs into beloved childhood stories, the neurobiology of being a teenager, and interviews people about what it was like for them growing up, all in the quest to understand what it means to come of age.

Episodes

  1. Santa Claus

    12/23/2020

    Santa Claus

    How did a Greek bishop from the third century become the jolly North Pole dwelling Christmas icon?  Did Coca Cola really design his modern appearance? And is it okay to lie to kids about him? In this episode I tell the history of Saint Nicholas and how collective cultural traditions came together to give us the contemporary Santa Claus. I also discuss whether telling the Santa story to children can be considered a lie, and if so, is it doing harm? (Sorry that the audio is a little janky in places.) Music featured is Seikilos Epitaph with the Lyre of Apollo by Lina Palera Sources: Nicholas: The Epic Journey From Saint to Santa Claus by Jeremy Seal Christian Encounters: Saint Nicholas by Joe L. Wheeler National Geographic: From St. Nicholas to Santa Claus: the surprising origins of Kris Kringle Coca Cola: The Definitive History of Santa Claus St Nicholas Centre: Saint Nicholas and the Origin of Santa Claus Snopes: Did Coca-Cola Invent the Modern Image of Santa Claus? Livius: Nicholas of Myra National Geographic: Could the Remains of Santa Claus Be in This Turkish Church? The Conversation: This Christmas tell your children the real Santa Claus story Knickerbocker's History of New York by Washington Irving Smithsonian Magazine: A Civil War Cartoonist Created the Modern Image of Santa Claus as Union Propaganda Time Magazine: Should You Be Lying To Your Kids About Santa? Happy Family: 7 Reasons To Tell Your Kids The Truth About Santa (And Still Keep The Magic In Christmas) The Atlantic: Santa Is Nothing but Stress for Families Who Don’t Believe in Him Psychology Today: Should You Lie to Kids About Santa? The Washington Post: What psychologists really think about you lying to your kids about Santa npr: Is It OK To Lie About Santa And The Tooth Fairy? BBC/The Conversation: What should I tell my kids about Santa? USA Today: Why parents, not Santa, should give the expensive gifts The Guardian: 'Santa, can I have money for the bills?'

    57 min
  2. Sesame Street

    07/14/2020

    Sesame Street

    I talk about the development of 'Sesame Street', an iconic television show for preschoolers based on research by teachers and child psychologists. But how did it come about in the first place? Why is it set on a normal looking street? Why were there no female Muppets initially? And did it really sell its soul to HBO? I attempt to answer all these questions, as well as examining the show's evolution and legacy over the past 50 years.      Clips:    Ernie as a banana in his ear.  Snuffy is revealed.  Goodbye Mr Hooper.  Herry and John John count to 20.  Christopher Reeve talks about his wheelchair.  Abby has two homes.  What is incarceration?     Sesame Street covers the Black Lives Matter     protests.  Sesame Street Gets Through A Storm.  Sources:    Interview with Joan Ganz Cooney for the Archive of American Television.  The Unmistakable Black Roots of Sesame Street.      How We Got to Sesame Street.    What is behind the magic of Sesame Street?    'We know we're more than a TV show': how Sesame Street made it to 50.    Study: Kids can learn as much from ‘Sesame Street’ as from preschool.    The Sesame Street Effect.      B Is for Broke: Why 'Sesame Street' Is Moving to HBO.      Sesame Street's move to HBO, explained.      Sesame Street Goes Global: Let's All Count the Revenue.      On The Set With: Zoe; This Monster Is a Girl.    A Girly-Girl Joins the ‘Sesame’ Boys.    On Sesame Street, It’s All Show.

    1h 7m

About

In this podcast, Sarah Kwong digs into beloved childhood stories, the neurobiology of being a teenager, and interviews people about what it was like for them growing up, all in the quest to understand what it means to come of age.