About

“When my oldest was away at college, he called me while I was surveying bananas at the supermarket to let me know he had just gone skydiving…”

About The Creator of Banana Moments: Joanna Jullien

Ms. Jullien and her husband live in Roseville, California. They have two sons, 26 and 19 years old. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social/Cultural Anthropology from U.C. Berkeley. Her honors thesis on corporate culture was awarded the Kroeber Prize from the Anthropology Department at U.C. Berkeley, and was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Since graduating from college she has had a 20-year career as a manager and executive for information systems, manufacturing and environmental management businesses. She has a freelance contract with Gold Country Media, is a contributing writer for the Granite Bay View (Granite Bay, CA), and is the Sacramento Cyber Safety Examiner for the Sacramento Examiner.

Today, more than ever, parenting requires thought leadership. Our children are navigating landscapes concealed by the noise of the hustle and bustle of our hectic schedules, constant streams of media, and the increasingly extensive use of the Internet and mobile phones resulting in more isolated communications and interaction without adult oversight and intervention. Banana Moments has been developed to help parents embrace this vital leadership role with objectivity, clarity of purpose, some humor and peace of mind.

Why Banana Moments?

The title “Banana Moments” was inspired by a phone call from Ms. Jullien’s son while he was attending San Diego State while she was surveying bananas at a local supermarket. He had called to let her know he just went skydiving. (!) As she stared at the bananas, trying to decide which ones to take, it was more evident than ever that parenting would always involve a series of curve balls. These curve balls, past and future, are all “banana moments” now. Many are light hearted, some are gut wrenching, and most are challenging and rewarding.

A subscription to Banana Moments quarterly will deliver the following:

• Strategies for connecting with other parents, teachers, coaches, store and restaurant managers, video rental clerks – to establish over time a network of adults in our childrens’ lives that reinforces the norms for a safe and healthy journey from childhood into adulthood.
• Insights and observations from experts about trends with youth, society and parenting.
• Real life stories and perspectives with hindsights that illustrate lessons learned and insights imperative for being effective leaders for our children leveraging the Internet and mobile communications.
• Ways to strengthen the parent-child relationship at a time when it is strained by the demands and stresses of our time.