by Charlie Brooks posted in Parenting

As we reach another Thanksgiving, now is a good chance to look back at how this year improved upon, in my opinion, the train wreck that was 2016. And when you are a parent who willingly and optimistically brought children into this world, that's always good to know there is some progress, and sanity to be found in our world--even though it sometimes seems like we're living in crazy town.
In no particular order, here are 10 good things that happened this year:
1: America broke a space flight record. Peggy Whitson came back to Earth after spending 288 days in space, longer than any American in history. That brought her career total to a similarly record-breaking 665 days. In addition to advancing research about space flight, some of her experiments could increases the effectiveness of cancer treatments. 2: An 11-year-old conducted a 75-piece orchestra. Matthew Smith led the Nottingham Symphony Orchestra in April. He conducted the orchestra through a performance of Strauss' Die Fledermaus. The audience of hundreds gave him a standing ovation. Here's a quick taste of his handiwork:
3: People are finally listening to victims of sexual harassment and assault. While it's disheartening to learn exactly how many celebrities are sexual predators, it's good that the Harvey Weinstein scandal seems to have sparked a movement of people listening to victims' stories. Hopefully, it results in a long-term culture change.
4: NASA discovered seven Eart...