7 minute read
The List: 7 Sweet
7 sweet MAPLE SUGARING
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experiences
It’s Maple Month! As winter melts into spring, the trees are tapped and the flowing sap is collected and turned into the sweet syrup we love. In the Bay State, more than 300 maple producers make more than 50,000 pounds of syrup every year. There are sugar shacks in every corner of the state, and many offer tours and demonstrations this time of year. You can find a sugarhouse near you at massmaple.org. For even more fun, check out these sweet maple experiences happening in March.
v Maple Sugaring
Saturdays
Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, Topsfield On Saturdays, March 5, 12 and 19, experience the age-old tradition of maple sugaring on a guided walk through the forest and a visit to the sugarhouse. You’ll learn how to identify sugar maples, see sap collection methods, and watch the sap be boiled down. Finish it off with a taste of the final product. For ages 3 and up. Adults $12, children $10; Mass Audubon members $11/$9. Register at massaudubon.org.
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x Maple Magic
Drumlin Farm, Lincoln Help the farmer with Drumlin Farm’s first crop of the year. Visit the maple grove to check the taps and taste some sap as you learn how syrup is made, from past to present. Maple Magic is offered Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 13. Tickets $17; Mass Audubon Members $14. Register at massaudubon.org.
OLD STURBRIDGE VILLAGE
x Maple Days
Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge Weekends in March, the Village’s working sugar camp demonstrates maple sugaring as it was done in early 19th century New England. See the entire sugar-making process, from tapping the trees to “sugaring off.” Watch as costumed historians cook period foods made with maple products and the tinner and cooper make maple-related items. Included admission, adults $28, seniors $26, youth $14, children under 3 free. More at osv.org.
MOOSE HILL WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
x Maple Sugaring Weekend
Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, Sharon Experience the sugaring process from tree to table and learn how sugaring has evolved from Native American to colonial times to current day methods. In this 90-minute outdoor tour, offered March 12 and 13, you’ll meet people portraying characters from the past going about their daily tasks, including sugaring. Conclude your tour at the sugarhouse and enjoy a taste of the syrup. For ages 4 and up. Adults $14, children $13; Mass Audubon members $12/$11. Register at massaudubon.org.
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x Maple Harvest Day
Storrowton Village Museum, West Springfield Celebrate all things maple on Saturday, March 12 at this annual event highlighting the history and tradition of maple sugaring in New England. The historic Gilbert Farmhouse will turn into a sugarhouse for the day. Visitors can learn how the “liquid gold” is made, from tree tapping to sap boiling, and watch 19th century open hearth cooking and crafting demonstrations. Finish it off with a plate of pancakes and pure maple syrup. Add even more fun to the day by booking a horse drawn carriage ride through the Big E Fairgrounds to the Eastern States Exposition Farmer’s Market. Details at storrwotonvillage.com.
THE TRUSTEES
x Family Maple Syruping Workshop
Appleton Farms, Ipswich This two-hour, hands-on workshop takes place each weekend in March. You’ll go through the whole process, from identifying maple sugar trees to boiling sap. Explore maple sugaring tools and use a hand drill to practice tapping a tree. Finish up with a story– and, of course, a maple syrup sample! Tickets $20; Trustees members $15. Sign up at thetrustees.org.
LAND’S SAKE FARM
x Sugaring Off Festival
Weston Middle School, Weston Mark the transition from winter to spring at this annual festival put on by Land’s Sake Farm (date TBA). Small group tours of the Weston Middle School Sugar House offer a glimpse at the process from beginning to finished product of boiling maple sap into syrup. Forestry and education staff will be on hand to answer questions and show you behind the scenes. Find more at landssake.org.
Some of us might assume that our job description as a parent includes talking to our kids about sex when they reach middle or high school. And indeed, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that parents talk with their children about sex “early and often.” But research shows that these conversations don’t end at high school graduation–nor should they. Parents’ talk with their college-age kids about sex and relationships can make a positive difference in their health, and in fact, emerging adults appreciate having these conversations.
I’m a research scientist who studies how families communicate about sex and relationships, and my team recently looked at communication between parents and children about sexuality over three time points, from early adolescence to emerging adulthood (age 18-25). Between 2012 and 2019, we interviewed 15 parents when their child was in 7th grade, when their child was in 10th grade, and after their child finished high school. We found that parents continued to talk with their emerging adult children about sex and relationships, but what they talked about and how they talked changed over time.
Emerging adults have high rates of sexual risk behavior. This makes sense, as they’re at a point in their lives when they often explore relationships and sex, and are exposed to new people and experiences, especially at college. However, research shows that talk with parents about sex and relationships may reduce this risk by supporting emerging adults’ sexual health and self-esteem.
Emerging adulthood also involves changing relationships with parents–both growing autonomy and increased mutuality and connection, as you may be pleasantly surprised to discover. While you may need to let go of the idea that you can control their decisions and behaviors, you may also find that you can talk more as peers, which opens up opportunities for more honest discussions about sex and relationships.
These conversations will be different from the conversations you had with them when they were younger. They may be less abstract and more specific, like zeroing in on how to deal with specific issues in their current relationship. They may continue to focus on avoiding pregnancy, while also exploring parenthood options. In any case, you’ll want to meet your child at the developmental stage where they are.
It’s surprising to some parents just how much their emerging adult children appreciate having conversations about sex and relationships. Research shows that these discussions are important to emerging adults. They want their parents to talk openly with them about sex and relationships, including topics like sexual orientation and sexual assault, which parents often avoid discussing.
Still, it’s not all smooth sailing. They may have a positive reaction one moment–asking questions, sharing details of their lives–and a negative one the next–avoiding you and rolling their eyes. Avoidance of talk in one moment does not necessarily mean they don’t want to talk at all or suggest that they won’t respond to a conversation later. Be persistent and tolerant of mixed messages, and look for opportunities to talk about sexual issues. Notice what opens things up and shuts things down in your conversations. You may find that certain topics, like their sexual behavior, are more likely to shut a conversation down, while following up on a comment they made about their relationship may open up a longer conversation. Also, be patient with yourself and tolerant of your own discomfort.
Gender can also play a role in our comfort level; for example, some mothers are uncomfortable talking with their emerging adult male children about these topics, because it may feel awkward or intrusive. Although many studies explore gender differences in talk with adolescents about sex, there’s still a lot to learn about the role of gender during emerging adulthood.
Talking to our emerging adults about sex and relationships can be challenging–or it can be easy, or awkward, or rewarding. Or it can be all of these. One thing is clear: our kids need our support when it comes to their sexual health, and the need for that support doesn’t end after high school.
COLLEGE KIDS WANT
TO TALK TO PARENTS ABOUT SEX AND RELATIONSHIPS
Jennifer M. Grossman, Ph.D.
Wellesley Centers for Women
Jennifer M. Grossman, Ph.D., is a senior research scientist who leads the Family, Sexuality, and Communication Research Initiative at the Wellesley Centers for Women, a research and action institute at Wellesley College.
