The cost might have a lot to do with when kids quit sports

A national survey from the Aspen Institute with the Utah State University Families in Sports Lab found that the average kid quits playing sports by age 11. For most kiddos, that’s only three years of athletic activity before “retirement.” Between the focus on competition (over fun) and the high participation cost, children are spending less time in organized athletics.

The Aspen Institute’s survey found that children report experiencing a high level of enjoyment from sports. But even though they’re reportedly having fun, kids also experience moderate levels of stress. According to the parent’s reports (in the survey), the most stress-inducing sports are hockey and lacrosse. Children had the least stress when participating in skiing/snowboarding, track, and field, soccer, and skateboarding.

Then there’s the money factor. When it comes down to finances, hockey is the most expensive—with parents spending an average of $2,583 per year. The least expensive sport was track and field, with a price tag of $191. Of all expenses, the parents reported travel as the biggest cost.

Related: The Only 2 Things to Say to Your Kid after a Game

Dr. Travis Dorsch, Utah State associate professor and founding director of the Families in Sport Lab, said in a press statement, “We need to figure out why they discontinue, not just that they do. For kids, two years in a sport may seem like forever, while we as adults think they should continue for much longer. We need to frame it through the interpretive lens of adolescence,” Dorsch added.

So what can you do if your child decides to retire from their sporting career early? First, respect their decision and don’t push something your kid doesn’t seem that interested in. You can also visit the Aspen Institute Project Play site here to find resources and other information on children, sports, and the power of play!

When it comes to baseball there are a few names that ring out louder than the sound of the ball hitting the bat. Arguably one of the most famous is Babe Ruth. Read on for some interesting history about the Sultan of Swat.

Wikimedia Commons

1. Babe Ruth was born on February 6, 1895, as George Herman Ruth.

2. But for decades he thought his actual birthday was February 7th, 1894. He only discovered his real birthday after applying for a passport for a trip to Japan in 1934. 

3. Ruth was sent to a Catholic Boys Reformatory school at the age of 7. Each child was trained with an industrial career. Ruth was trained to be a shirt maker.

4. Young George Ruth played baseball at the school, thanks to encouragement by the monks.

5. For a time, young Ruth lived above what is now Camden Yards in Baltimore, above one of his father's saloons. 

Wikimedia Commons

6. He was signed to the major leagues at the age of 19.

7. He is the only baseball player in history to have the last name Ruth. 

8. He was the first baseball player to hit a home run in the All-Star game, at Chicago’s Comiskey Park in 1933.

9. Why Babe? Some say it’s because Ruth was so young when signed to MLB he required legal guardianship and was “adopted” by one of the monks. Others say it was just because he was still merely a babe.

10. His other nicknames included Bambino, the Home Run King and The Sultan of Swat.

 

Ed Browns via Wikimedia Commons

11. He began his career as a pitcher: Ruth was both a left-handed pitcher and a left-handed batter.

12. He was the first highest plaid player when in 1930, his salary hit the $80,000 mark. 

13. Ruth played for the Boston Red Sox (1914-1919), the New York Yankees (1920-1934) and briefly the Boston Braves (1935).

14. In six seasons with Ruth, the Red Sox won three World Series titles. In 107 seasons without him they have won four.

15. Babe Ruth had what many consider to be his finest season in 1921. He hit .378/.512/.846 with 59 home runs, 171 RBIs and 177 runs scored. The home run and RBI totals were single-season records. 

Wikipedia Commons

16. While the myth surrounding the "Curse of the Bambino" states Ruth was sold to finance the musical No, No, Nanette, it was, in fact, the musical My Lady Friends, which benefitted from the sale. 

17. At an exhibition game (a “for fun” or charity game) on April 2, 1931, a 17-year-old female pitcher named Jackie Mitchell struck Ruth out (Mitchell then went on to strike out Lou Gehrig.)

18. Babe Ruth was knocked unconscious during a game at Griffith Stadium in Washington D.C. He hit a concrete wall trying to catch a foul ball.

19. Although many believed him past his prime, on May 25, 1935, Babe Ruth played one of his final games in the major leagues hitting 3 home runs in a single game. He retired the next week.

20. In 1914, he married Helen Woodford, a coffee-shop waitress he met on his first day in Boston.

Skeeze via Pixaby

21. Babe Ruth only had one child in his lifetime. He had a daughter named Dorothy Ruth with Juanita Jennings.

22. Babe Ruth retired in 1935 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. He was one of the first five players to be inducted. The Yankees retired his famous number 3.

23. Upon his retirement, he was the career record holder in home runs, RBIs, total bases, walks and strikeouts.

24. The Sultan of Swat played 2503 games in his Major League career. During that time he had 2174 runs and stole 123 bases. Of his runs, 714 were home runs. In 1927 alone he scored 60 home runs. (This was the world record until Hank Aaron hit 755 in 1974 and Barry Bonds reached 762 in 2007 for the all-time record.)

25. In 1922, you could get chocolate-covered ice cream balls called Babe Ruth Home Runs. They cost 10 cents.

26. The candy bar, Baby Ruth, is most likely named for Babe Ruth. The bar was formerly called Kandy Kake but the name was changed right around Ruth’s rise to popularity. Because “official” permission was not requested, the company (then the Curtiss Candy Co.) denied that Babe Ruth was the namesake. However, in 1995, the Babe Ruth estate licensed his name and likeness for use in a Baby Ruth marketing campaign with Nestle. 

 

Wikimedia Commons

27. Babe Ruth appeared as himself in four different movies. In one, he lost 40 pounds in order to play a younger version of himself.

29. Yankee Stadium opened on April 18, 1923. Ruth hit the first home run there, earning it the name “The House that Ruth Built.” In 1947, Happy Chandler declared April 27 officially Babe Ruth Day, and Ruth addressed the crowds at Yankee Stadium. At the time, Ruth had already been diagnosed with throat cancer.

29. Babe Ruth died at the age of 53 in 1948. For two days, his coffin was laid in state (open casket) at Yankee Stadium for fans to pay their final respects. More than 100,000 people attended.

 

 

 

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Human beings are designed to do life together. Days feel infinitely more full and joyful when we share them with others. But it isn’t just moments of celebration that draw us close. It is the act of calling upon each other in times of desperation that truly knits us into a unit.

When my mother’s health took a turn for the worse last month, I discovered anew how laying groundwork within relationships pays off. It is the solid foundation of forever friends and familial bonds that provides strength and support when we need it the most.

In this season of gratitude, I feel especially thankful for the friends who cared for my husband and kids so I could take a few days off from mom life to focus on my role as a daughter and care for my ailing mother.

My mom prides herself in being a strong, successful and independent woman. She has her life under as much control as possible—an immaculate home, thorough files, strategically-planned retirement and detailed travel itineraries. She had plans to visit her seventh continent this fall, but a pesky tumor forced her to slow down and reach out for help.

Neighbors and friends covered the first week until I was able to fly out. Like mother, like daughter. Just as my mom called upon her own network, so did I. I enlisted the help of my “village” so that I could travel across the country to serve as a crucial member of her support network in her season of need.

I ached for ways to help, both tangibly and emotionally. My primary love language is Acts of Service. This is how I both feel loved and express my love for others. So, the best way for me to care for my mother was to show up in person and provide some helping hands and feet.

I tucked my mom in to her nest on the couch and baked fresh bread, changed lightbulbs and typed up her financial affairs, rolled the recycling bins out to the curb and listened to stories about family heirlooms. In other words, I got to be a grown-up daughter.

In the process of helping my mother in California, I opened myself up to experience the love of my friends in New York. They stepped up to take care of the needs around my home that arose because of my absence. Yes, my husband could have managed dinner each day, but I cherished the opportunity to say yes to friends offering to deliver meals. I could feel their love flowing clear across the country on the evenings they stopped by our apartment. Rotisserie chicken, bread and broccoli showed up at our door to nourish my kids and husband, and in that instant my heart was fed as well.

I have four kids and a life full of responsibilities in New York City, but the foundation I’ve laid over the last decade made it possible to step out of my regular routine for five days to make a difference in my mother’s quality of life. Here are three ideas to make this feasible in your life too.

1. Nurture relationships with a few dear family friends who understand and love your kids. It helps if they also have the bandwidth and desire to help. Should an emergency come your way, it will be less of a shock to their system if your kids already know and trust these friends.

2. Empower your spouse by encouraging them to foster friendships too. How? Chat up other parents at birthday parties, invite another family along apple picking, or join forces navigating the trick-or-treat crowds. I had lined up friends to help with school pickups and drop-offs during my trip so my husband could work, but I left the weekend schedule open for him to figure out. Because my husband had already invested in some neighborhood friendships, he was comfortable texting several families to plan playdates for the weekend I was away. The result? They had a blast! They cheered on a friend running the marathon, hosted an impromptu pizza party, and swung from tree limbs in Central Park.

3. Look out for ways to give and receive help, and in so doing, you will strengthen your relationship web. There’s something beautiful about shouldering one another’s burdens. Sure, we can take care of our own basic needs. But isn’t it lovely to let others care for you in a way that frees you up to, in turn, care for others? It makes life less lonely and more purpose-filled. It’s not lost on me that I have been granted these loving friendships so that I can turn around and pour out that love on others in my life. I am blessed in order to be a blessing.

Will my kids inherit this culture of generosity and care? I hope so! I pray that they will grow up to truly value the relationships in their lives. Then, when I am old and gray and need my adult children to come take care of me, it will be their turn to joyfully draw upon their own foundational friendships.

Kristin Van de Water

Kristin Van de Water
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Kristin Van de Water is a former journalist and teacher who relies on humor, faith, and her mom crew to get her through the day. Raising four kids in a two-bedroom NYC apartment, Kristin is always on the lookout for life hacks to save time, space, money, and her sanity.

Photo: iStock 

The shift in mindset for new parents is palpable at the beginning—planning for their future can often become your central focus. The sudden feeling of urgency to tackle financial planning to support your children amid sleepless nights can be overwhelming. Add it to the never-ending list of tasks that comes with kids! It can be paralyzing—especially after the year we had in 2020, which taught many of us that our financial futures can be uncertain. Life insurance, retirement, college savings, rainy day funds, emergency medical…the list of investments that seem immediate and necessary are dizzying.

It can be difficult to know how to prioritize all of these things, and I often get asked by new parents how to juggle all of the financial decisions facing their families. I’m asked all the time: “Is it possible to save for retirement and college for my kids?” With careful financial planning, it’s possible to achieve multiple goals, including retirement and funding college.

When it comes to prioritizing these goals, I tell parents that it’s important to put on your own oxygen mask first—in other words, make sure you’re maxing out your retirement accounts first before putting money aside for college education. Being financially independent and giving yourself the best chance for a secure future is one of the best gifts you can give your kids, and it models great money management. And remember, you can take out loans for college if you really need them, but you can’t take out a loan for your own retirement. When it comes to college planning, the interest rates for federal student loans—the types of loans your children might take out if they need to—are usually less than what you can make by putting your money in retirement investments.

Once you’ve maxed out your own retirement accounts, the next question is often: What’s the best way to start saving for my child’s college education expenses?

Here are 4 tips for saving for college while also keeping your other financial priorities, like retirement, on track:

1. Clearly Define Your Retirement & College Savings Goals
One of the first steps to coming up with a good plan to fund both your own future and your kid’s future is clearly defining your goals. After all, how do you know how much you can put toward your child’s future if you don’t know how much you need for your own? It’s important to understand what kind of retirement you want, and how much you’ll need to support the lifest‌yle you want. Pick a date, track your budget, know your cash flow, and remember to always look at your finances in a “big picture” way. Then you can back out into how much you’d like to contribute to future education expenses and establish some realistic savings goals.

2. The Early Bird Catches the Worm
If your own financial situation is on track (you’re maxing out your retirement accounts, you’ve eliminated any high-interest debt, and you have a healthy emergency fund), the earlier you can start socking away some funds for your child’s education, the better. Saving early will allow more time for potential growth on your investments. This can be as little or as much as you want—don’t let the amount hold you back. It might not be easy to start putting money away initially because you may be balancing higher up-front costs as new parents, such as new medical needs, financing a family-friendly vehicle, and paying for daycare costs. However, the earlier you start, the more time your savings will have to grow before paying that first tuition bill.

3. Know Your Options
While college savings plans abound, keeping savings and investment strategies simple with a low point of entry often works best as a place to start. This is why 529 plans are so popular — Most plans offer valuable tax benefits and can be an attractive option for more “hands-off” investors (assuming an aged-based option is available). But there are tradeoffs to be aware of—sometimes these plans can come with high fees and often you’ll have minimal control over the investment strategy. But they can be a great option for many families, especially since they can now be used to cover primary and secondary school expenses in many cases. Other options include custodial accounts such as UTMA/UGMA accounts, and IRAs (Roth and Traditional). What’s best for your family will depend on your personal situation and goals, so make sure you do your research before choosing.

4. Consider a Financial Advisor
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to saving for your family’s future. There’s also a lot of conflicting information out there on the internet and it can make taking on these complex financial planning decisions seem quite difficult. Many people choose to work with a financial advisor to help them navigate these decisions and reduce some of the stress involved in doing everything themselves. If this is a route you choose to go, look for an advisor who is a fiduciary—which means that they are legally bound to always act in your best interest. Also, try to avoid any advisor or firm operating on commission—you don’t want to be sold on investment products or plans that aren’t right for you.

In short, it’s definitely possible to save for your child’s future without sacrificing your own, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated. If you start early, prioritize your own financial security first, and choose the right method of saving for your situation, you’re well on your way to the future you envision.

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Michelle Brownstein
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Michelle is a Certified Financial Planner® with a  range of Investment Management experience. She manages the Private Client Group at Personal Capital as the lead for high net worth investment clients. When she’s home, Michelle spends her time running- both for exercise and to chase after her very active toddler, Connor.

In a dream world, you’d get paid to be a mom. And if you did, new data from Salary.com finds that you’d be making a fair market salary of $184,820, based on an average of 106 (!) hours of work a week. Of course, that doesn’t take hazard pay or retirement into account.

Those hours worked are up from 96.5 hours a week pre-pandemic and 75% of moms report putting in even more time––117 hours a week to be exact. With the additional burden of schooling and working at home, the most time-consuming and expanded roles reported were Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Chief Operating Officer (the role that makes sure everyone else is following the plan).

For the past two decades, Salary.com has surveyed tens of thousands of stay-at-home moms and working moms to determine the value of the job if it was paid fairly. Moms report their work profile across 20+ roles that make up the most time-consuming tasks from chauffeur, to CFO, to cook and more. Salary.com analyzes the hours spent and assigns an hourly wage rate to each role.

“In a year like no other, moms went to extraordinary lengths to keep things together on the home front, working, on average, 15.1 hours per day, seven days a week,” said Mary Crogan, Vice President of Marketing at Salary.com. “That’s an incredible workload, and one that encompasses everything from C-level responsibilities, to help desk manager, to teacher. It’s fitting that their salary value continues to rise, nearing the upper echelons of Corporate America.”

Of course, mom life doesn’t actually bring in a paycheck because no amount of money could compensate when the work you do is invaluable. But the next time someone downplays your role in the household, just remember you can tie a dollar amount to your hard work—and there’s data to prove it.

—Sarah Shebek

Image courtesy of Salary.com

 

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Get ready for a trip back to Bedrock! FOX Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation recently announced the future debut of a new animated comedy for adults based on the iconic Flintstones characters.

The new primetime series, aptly titled Bedrock, is currently in development. Elizabeth Banks will produce the series pilot and voice the role of a 20-something Pebbles. Lindsay Kerns (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, DC Super Hero Girls, Trolls: The Beat Goes On!) will write the pilot script.

photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment/FOX

Bedrock starts two decades after the classic family show left off. In the new series, Fred is heading towards retirement, young adult Pebbles is starting a career of her own, and the Stone Age is not-so-subtly shifting into the Bronze Age.

Michael Thorn, President, Entertainment, FOX Entertainment, said in a press release, “Long before the Simpsons and Springfield, the Griffins and Quahog or even when the Belchers started serving burgers on Ocean Avenue, there were the Flintstones and Bedrock.” Thorn continued, ““Their imprint on the animation universe is undeniable and the idea of adapting it for today’s audience is a challenge we here at FOX are very much looking forward to taking on with Warner Bros., Elizabeth and Lindsay. No pressure whatsoever, really.”

Peter Girardi, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming at Warner Bros. Animation, said, “The Flintstones are the first family of primetime animation.” Girardi added, “Elizabeth and Lindsay have a brilliant take on these characters, and FOX and Brownstone are the perfect partners to bring them back to primetime. This is going to rock (sorry).”

—Erica Loop

 

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I recently saw a quote circulating around the internet that said: “As a grown-up I’ve learned that all the ‘Christmas Magic’ I felt as a kid was just a Mom and Dad who loved me.” I may or may not have slowed my scroll and got emotional thinking about all the fun magic that my parents brought to Christmas.

Then I panicked and thought am I bringing the fun of Christmas to my kids?! Parenting Whitman and Vivi is like parenting the sun and the moon. Whitman is very cool very chill. He accepts things for what they are and doesn’t question it for the most part. Which is amazing because he is non verbal and on the spectrum.

Then there’s Genevieve she runs hot on the daily, and asks 80 million questions. I’ve started a retirement fund—I add a dime every time she says: “Ummmm Mummy?” I asked her last week if she wanted to write Santa a letter to receive an elf on the shelf. Her response: “NO. Santa knows.” Last year, at the ripe old age of 2, we ruined her Christmas in someway. I’m not sure if it was the gifts, but she kept asking “Who got me dis, and why dis?!” People were in her space. And she informed us numerous times that this wasn’t great and she wasn’t having a good time. At any rate I feel like the “Christmas Magic” was a loss on Vivi.

Thinking back to the Christmas magic of my youth, we had all these traditions. When we lived in New Philadelphia we went to the Beitzel’s, ate, exchanged gifts, and then went to church for the Christmas Eve Service. After the Christmas Eve Service we’d go to other side of town and celebrate Jesus’s Birthday with the McInturf’s. I’m pretty sure we did this tradition through 8 Christmases. And truth be told it was my favorite. We’d come home full of hope and cake. Santa would come and we’d open presents then we’d either load up in the car and go to my MeeMee and Papa’s or they’d come to our house for a few days. It was pure Christmas magic!

As we got older and moved to Illinois, Christmas traditions looked different. One year we went to Florida. Most of the time though we stayed and made new memories. Basketball is big in the midwest so it was usually Christmas, then the next day tournaments started at 8 a.m. and that’s how you spent your break until New Year’s Eve. Truth be told, I don’t remember a lot of the Christmases in Illinois. I remember parts like the year my brother wrapped everything in duct tape. Or the year he used athletic bags as wrapping paper so the sweater he got me smelled sweaty. The year my mom had been sick and she didn’t get to go shopping so she had bought everything off of QVC (before they had a webpage). All in all, I just remember laughing and being happy.

I remember last Christmas before my Dad had his stroke like it was yesterday. Mainly because you don’t ever think it’ll be the last time you know things to be and when it hits you that it was the last time it forces you to remember everything about that day. I remember I spent the night at my parents instead of going to my apartment. We waited until my grandparents got to the house to open gifts. I put together all kinds of pictures of my parents and us through out the years to the song “The Gambler.” I remember thinking I thought the song described my parents. Never realizing that they’d live that song in some ways.

I went and picked up my then-boyfriend, now husband, to get him in on the Christmas festivities. My brother read a poem written in Jeremy’s honor. My dad hid a gift for Jermey in the Christmas tree and my mom boldly asked why my dad would have hid it outside in the big tree in their front yard?! My mom had bought plates from Target and it was questioned if we were at Campbell Christmas Dinner or a Renaissance Fair. The day was a messy kind of perfect with the best people. My husband and I laugh to this day and he once told me that he was grateful he got to see the Campbell Christmas in all it’s glory. The following May my dad suffered a massive stroke that changed the dynamic of our lives forever.

I think it was the following Christmas, the first, post-stroke Christmas that I realized that Christmas has always been 100% about the people you are with and not about the karaoke machine that was bought for my brother and me but that my dad used every Christmas. From Blue Velvet to Achy Breaky Heart. John Campbell would sing his heart out for hours over the holidays. There was the year Christmas was cancelled because my mom hid the tapes for the karaoke machine and my dad thought Tyler or I lost them. There was the year none of our gifts came in because my dad ordered them on Ebay so we got manilla envelopes with printed out pictures of what he ordered for us. Some of our Christmases could be compared to the movie “Christmas Vacation,” but they were always a good kind of crazy.

This will be the first Christmas that my dad is gone and I’m trying my hardest to duplicate the Christmas magic that he brought year after year. I may bring out a karaoke microphone and let everyone sing from the lyrics on our TV and hope that my dad is watching us try to make the Christmas magic he helped with for all those years. I hope someday my own kids will look back on Christmas and think about the fun crazy times and how much their mom and dad loved them and wanted them to have the best Christmas. I hope we can duplicate the magic.

 

Lindsey is a mom, wife, and blogger at The Althaus Life. She lives in Ohio with her husband and 2 children. Lindsey is grateful all things and to be able to chronicle her beautifully broken laugh til you cry cry until you laugh life.

We can’t wait to watch all of the holiday specials this year. Crackle Plus, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company and one of the largest operators of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks announced today that the animated feature Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer will be available for free on Crackle beginning Tues., Dec. 1. The film features the all-star voice talent of Josh Hutcherson, Samantha Bee, Martin Short, Morena Baccarin, Jeff Dunham and John Cleese.

When one of Santa’s reindeer suddenly announces his retirement in the days leading up to Christmas, specially trained reindeer from around the world rush to the North Pole to compete in the reindeer games to win the coveted spot on Santa’s sleigh team. Elliot, a miniature horse with big dreams, and his best friend Hazel the Goat set out to prove that no dream is too big and he just might be the horse for the job. As the pair take to the North Pole, Hazel learns that things are headed for disaster back at their farm as a potential new owner has plans that threaten the lives of their friends. Elliot is faced with the biggest decision of his life, to either save his friends or follow his dreams and save Christmas. 

Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer

Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer is a great addition to our huge slate of Holiday and family programming,” said Philippe Guelton, president of Crackle Plus. “This wonderful animated film is bound to become a classic, enjoyable for audiences of all ages and perfect for a family holiday movie night.” 

Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer is distributed in the United States by Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company and the supplier of exclusive and original content for Crackle Plus. 

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Crackle via YouTube

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Is it us or do you feel a Denver baby boom coming on? Whether you’re expecting or you just want to see how your kiddo’s name stacks up, we’ve got a list of baby names that honor Denver’s popular places, people and history. Scroll down for some mile-high baby name inspiration!

Vasile Cotovanu via flickr

Aspen

What could better convey a love for the great outdoors than naming your baby after a tree? 

Brec

Ski destination Breckenridge is the source of this shortened name that could be good for either a boy or a girl. 

Bronc

It's no surprise that this name is on the list of local favorites, after the Denver Broncos, of course.

Buffy

This name has a cool, retro feel and pay homage to the University of Colorado mascot, the buffalo. 

Clara

Clara Brown was often called the "Angel of the Rockies" and is reportedly the first Black woman to cross the plains during the Gold Rush. She came to Colorado by working as a cook on a wagon train in exchange for her transport. In Denver, she opened the first laundry and used her profits to help formerly enslaved people relocate to Colorado. 

Denver

It's never wrong to go right to the source and name your baby after the Mile High City. Plus, Denny is just too cute for a nickname. 

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Piper Ensley (three awesome ideas for Denver baby names!) was a Denver reporter for Woman’s Era, a newsletter of the National Association of Colored Women. Her tireless work campaigning for the Colorado Equal Suffrage Association is credited for helping the state to give women the right to vote in 1893.

Mikael Stenberg via Unsplash

Florence

This classic name is an homage to Dr. Florence Rena Sabin, the first female medical professor at Johns
Hopkins. She retired to Colorado although her retirement was short lived as she was asked to help combat infant mortality, scarlet fever and diphtheria in the area. 

Hattie

Isn't this just the cutest name? Actress Hattie McDaniel was the first Black person to win an Academy Award. The award was given for her role as "Mammy" in the movie Gone with the Wind

Lark

The Lark Bunting is the state bird of Colorado and we think it makes a lovely girl name.

Miles

How better to pay homage to the Mile High City than with this classic name?

Mills

Enos Mills moved to Colorado early in his life and his love of nature permeated his entire life. He was the main figure behind the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park.

iStock

Peyton

This gender-neutral name is a great option for Broncos fans, after Peyton Manning. 

Pike

Winter sports fanatics, this one's for you. 

Rocky

This name harkens back to times past and a love of the Rocky Mountains. 

btchurch via pixabay

Ruby

This vintage name is a great option that also shows a love for Colorado's Ruby Mountain Range. 

Spruce

The Blue Spruce is the Colorado state tree and it makes for a lovely middle name. 

Vail

This gorgeous name honors the gorgeous ski area of the same name.

Make sure to capture all the joyful moments with your Colorado kid—and share them with your family and friends near and far—with the Tinybeans app. The secure platform puts parents in total control of who sees and interacts with photos and videos of their kids.

When you welcome a new baby into your family, you are equipped with a car seat, a stroller and a crib but have you given any thought to how you are going to prepare to send your little one off to college. Acorns Financial will provide Acorns Early free to babies born in 2020. Now it is even easier to invest in your child’s future. 

Acorns Early

With an Early, a UGMA/UTMA account parents have the tools to save and invest beginning at any age. Early funds can be used for anything that benefits the child, and custodians may see tax advantages while they invest, before easily transferring the account when the child is an adult. Acorns Early features automated Recurring Investments, an interactive Potential graph to view the power of compounding, exclusive Found Money offers, and custom financial literacy content, developed in partnership with CNBC. As part of the release, Acorns has introduced a $5 monthly tier, Acorns Family. Customers in this tier get Acorns Early, plus all-in-one investing, retirement, and checking accounts, Smart Deposit, personalized insurance options, and tools to earn more money. To support as many families as possible, Acorns will allow multiple children per Family account, at no added cost.

“We have always been guided by our mission to look after the financial best interests of the up-and-coming,” said Acorns CEO, Noah Kerner. “If we begin as early as birth, we have the opportunity to change the financial outcomes of an entire generation.” 

To support its goal of 1 million Acorns children in one year, and boost customers on their family’s financial wellness journey, the company is kicking off a referral campaign today. Any new Early customers will receive a $50 bonus investment for every friend they refer, and each friend will receive a $10 bonus.

“Early is special for me as a mom, but it feels even more important this year,” said Kennedy Reynolds, mother of three, author of the children’s book, “Grow Your Oak,” and Acorns Chief Brand Officer. “Alongside our customers, we can level the playing field, and get our kids financially ready for whatever comes their way.”

Acorns is accessed simply and easily via the app for iPhone, Android or desktop. Visit Acorns.com for more.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Acorns

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