Filed under: ParentDish Laughs, 3 years, Preschooler, Being at work, Working dads, Sara

I was getting Sara ready for school and we were talking about going to her caregiver's afterwards when she hit me with a whole mess of cold, hard reality.

Sara: "Who's going to pick me up from school today?"

Me: "Miss Julliette."

Sara: "Maybe when I go to Miss Julliette's, I can have some hot cocoa!"

Me: "Ooh, can I go to Miss Julliette's and have some hot cocoa too?"

Sara: "Nooooooo! You have to go to work!"

Ouch.

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Filed under: Moms, 5 years, Newspapers

A frantic Mama who called the police after her 5-year-old son failed to join the rest of the family to dinner is very relieved to be reunited with her boy. Five-year-old British boy Alex Olver had worried friends, neighbors, and the local police force who had all taken part in a frantic search for him as word spread that he was 'missing." 11 people searched his home, and a 2-hour helicopter search yielded no results. Until Alex was found in his own home.

Actually, the boy was found under his bed, sleeping. Reportedly, he is a "very small boy" and "very hard to see' when he is curled up. but still. Eleven people searched his room and not one of them saw him?

The commenters on the original article seem to think the family should pay back the police force for the wasted time (and helicopters.) I'm not so sure, I know how it feels to be a frantic Mama, but I do hope Alex's Mom tells him to sleep on top of the bed from now on.

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Filed under: Moms, 2 years, Stores and shopping

My Mom and I just got back from a chilly fall day at Lonsdale Quay. Nolan and I had to buy a birthday present for his little friend (thanks for all the suggestions) and we thought we'd have some fun too. The farmer's market is open Saturdays, selling crisp yellow fall apples and fuzzy striped scarves. We ate some crepes and saw a mouse (which both shocked and delighted Nolan and caused my Mom and I to push our food over to the side of the plate, because if you see one, then how many trillion are lurking in the walls waiting to pounce?) and then headed upstairs to the toy store.

I'd seen the store before, but had never gone in. My Mom had been in there the other day, checking out a 100-dollar-plus suede toddler jacket (to which I was aghast -- he'd outgrow it in four days and 50 bucka is the absolute limit on anything that goes on his body, jackets included) and the proprietor bolted for her, exclaiming over its beauty. I immediately got a little turned off, I hate aggressive salespeople.

Anwyway, Nolan and I looked for some cars or coloring material for his friend and we came across a yellow bucket full of shiny, primary-color trucks.

"Oooh, cars!" Nolan exclaimed, but I had to brush his hand back because on top of the cars was a handmade sign with a bold "Please do not play with toys!" declaration. I looked at it and took Nolan's hand and directed him toward some packaged toys, stuff he couldn't play with. Because isn't having a small child in front of an open box of tempting trucks kind of like placing an alcoholic in front of a couple vats of scotch and telling him not to drink?

I understand that the toy store doesn't want to sell a bunch of broken, grimy cars. But isn't that why there are packages? I didn't end up buying anything there -- I think it's a little insane to have a glowering owner and a sign that says "Do not play!" in a toy store. What do you think?

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Filed under: Lifestyle, Going to school, 13-14 years, Adventures in Parenting

Do you remember your first school dance? The sweaty palms, stomach flutters, and hope that your super-top secret crush might say hello or even (ACK!) dance with you wasn't just a rite of passage, it helped prepare you for the social interactions with the opposite sex that would be coming up in the next few years. School dances are the training wheels for dating- a safe and secure atmosphere with plenty of adult supervision.

So when I picked up my 7th grade son from his first school dance, I was excited and curious-did he get up the nerve to ask the cute girl from Science class to dance? His answer startled me:

"It's against school rules for boys and girls to touch each other, so there wasn't any slow dancing."

It saddens me that the sexualization of society has trickled down to junior high level. Sure there are kids who dance a little too close or too sexily, but that has been going on for generations. It's not new.

I'm not promoting behind the bleachers make-out sessions in junior high, I just don't see the harm in 7th and 8th graders awkwardly holding hands and shuffling their feet to a couple of moony, swoony love songs during a school dance.

Am I hopeless naive to think that 13 and 14 year olds can handle slow dancing or is this another example of the bubble-wrapping of kids today?

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Filed under: Lifestyle, Teething, Marketing to kids, Jared, Peer pressure

Unlike Angelina Jolie, we are not counted among the uber-rich. Heck, we're not even what you'd call wealthy, let alone independently so. So why does our tooth fairy hand out five-dollar bills for what was once a twenty-five-cent tooth? It turns out that, just like on the playground or in the hallowed halls of school, there is peer pressure in the world of dental mythology.

Once upon a time, we shared a house with my wife's brother and his family. Jared was, at the time, a year or two old and their son was two years older than that. When my nephew lost his first tooth, it was, of course, a big deal. Having an older sister, he was well aware of the monetary reward for placing the tooth under his pillow and he did so with great excitement.

Unfortunately, the smallest denomination my brother-in-law had was a five-dollar-bill. No one else had any change either. It was late and he wasn't terribly interested in heading out into the night for change, so the boy found a fiver under his pillow come morning. That, of course, set the standard and he has gotten five dollars for every tooth since.

Now Jared had already lost two teeth by the time his cousin had lost his first and we hadn't bothered with the tooth fairy story. Once his cousin lost a tooth, however, Jared heard all about it and so we gave in to the ritual. And, naturally, since the going rate for teeth was a fin, that's what we had to come up with.

So, the moral of the story is, if you're going to do the whole tooth-under-the-pillow thing with your kids, decide what the tooth-exchange rate will be in advance and make sure you have plenty of the right bills or coins on hand before they start falling out. You don't want your kids' teeth to cost you a fortune before you even get to the orthodontist. Trust me on this.

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Filed under: Health and Safety, Teething, Doctor's office, Jared

So Jared had his big day at the dentist on Wednesday. He needed to have a tooth pulled because of an abscess in his gum between the baby tooth and permanent tooth. I picked him up at 10am for his 11am appointment, less than half an hour after school started. We headed across town to his dentist where he drew on the chalkboard, played with a jack in the box, and raced a car on the video game system -- it is, after all, a pediatric dentistry practice -- while we waited for his turn.

Eventually, they showed us into a room and got him into the chair. Cinderella was playing on the TV above him, but the nurse put on Toy Story for him. She put the tube on his nose for the nitrous oxide and got things ready for the dentist. That's when my mother-in-law showed up, more to keep me from passing out than Jared, I think.

The dentist came in and got started administering the anesthetic. That went pretty well, although she had to give him some more when the first dose wasn't enough. Mind you, Jared did well; I was feeling rather warm. Eventually, Jared's tooth area was numb enough to work on and the dentist came back and got started.

Basically, what she did was to take a pair of pliers and pull/wiggle the tooth right out. Other than a whole lot of concerned and concerted "ow ow ow!", Jared didn't seem to mind it much. When I saw what came out (pictured above right), I understand why the anesthetic may not have gotten all the way down. That sucker went deep! I watched carefully, so I could tell him and Rachel about it later, but it sure wasn't easy.

Afterwards, I took Jared home and for the rest of the day he chilled out watching telly. We don't usually let him watch more than a half-hour show or two but this certainly wasn't a usual day. Later in the afternoon, I took him out for a "Jumbo Juice," as he calls it. The dentist said no straws (the sucking could suck the blood clot out of the tooth socket) so he got a spoon. Apparently, the procedure didn't affect his appetite any -- he went through an entire 24oz Strawberries Wild smoothie.

The next day, Thursday, he was back to himself, except that he got up in the morning, came upstairs to my office, and, in a very sad and forlorn voice, told me "I didn't get a five dollars!" I told him that we had forgotten to put his tooth under his pillow so that was why he found nothing. I told him we'd do it that night for sure.

We didn't, actually, put his tooth under his pillow Thursday night either. Rachel had the brilliant idea that since it was "M" week at school and he had to bring something to share that started with the letter "M", and since the tooth they had pulled was a molar, perhaps he should hold off on the whole tooth fairy thing for another night and bring it to school on Friday.

He totally loved that idea, so Rachel put it in a lunch bag and put that in his backpack for the next day. I'm sure it was totally the hit of show-and-tell. And last night, he put it under his pillow and, after he and Sara were asleep, I snuck in and swapped it for a fiver. Hopefully, that will be the last tooth he has to have pulled. I'm not sure I could handle another.

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Filed under: Newborn, Infant / First year, 2 years, Toddler, Baby clothes, Kidwear

When it comes to my toddler's clothes, I'll try anything once. You could say I'm easily influenced by hip baby boutiques and trendy items. However, many times those particular items don't work out in the long run. So when I do find an item that fits the bill, I buy in bulk. I guess it's not any different than the way I shop for myself- if I love something, count me in for several colors of the same style.

That being said, I'm pretty sure we have at least six colors of the American Apparel Infant Rib Karate Pants. These pants grace the legs of my child year-round. Lounging around the house? Karate pants. Running errands on the weekend? Karate Pants. Neighbor's birthday party? You guessed it, Karate Pants.

The pants are made from 100% Baby Rib cotton, which are combed for softness (they are SO cozy!), and have a wider-cut leg that seems a little more fashionable than other cuts. Most importantly, these pants are durable. I can't tell you how many times they have been washed and dried over the past few months, not to mention the CRAWLING they have endured.

I'm fairly certain these pants and the Old Navy three-pack bodysuits have been the top contenders at our home. What about you? What are your clothes essentials?

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The Topps Meat Company has recalled 21.7 million pounds of ground beef products distributed to grocery stores and food service institutions throughout the United States after inspectors reported inadequate safety measures at the plant.

The recall includes all Topps products with either a "sell by date" or a "best if used by date" between September 25, 2007 and September 25, 2008. All recalled products also have a USDA establishment number of EST 9748, which is located on the back panel of the package and-or in the USDA legend.

Consumers are asked to destroy any recalled product and wash hands thoroughly after handling it.

The USDA said three people are confirmed to have contracted E. coli from Topps products and 22 other cases in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania are still under investigation.

Questions on the recall can be answered on Topps toll-free help line at (888) 734-0451.

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Filed under: Media, 2 years, 3 years, 6-7 years, Pre-teen, Teenager, Television

I wrote a few days ago about the Jonas Brothers and their new show on Disney. That show sounds exactly like the kind we are trying to avoid in my house, so I am going pretend I never even heard about it.

Over at Children's Media Consultant, executive editor Ashley has not only heard about the Jonas Brothers' new show, but a whole bunch more that you and I haven't. As a professional in the world of children's television, she has a unique insight into where kids' entertainment has been and where it is going. Where is it going? Her site has a list of new shows in development that the networks hope your children will be watching soon. These are a few that caught my eye. Check out her site for more.

For the preschool set, PBS Kids is working on What's the Big Idea, a digital puppetry series produced by The Jim Henson Company that aims to promote science readiness by building on a young child's natural curiosity. In the show, a character named Josh seeks to explain such mysteries as where the garbage goes and how a drinking straw works. Can't argue with a show that teaches kids something, right?

Queen Bees is the working title for a new reality show on The N. The eight-episode series pits teenage girls against each other in outrageous challenges to determine just which one really is the leader of the hive. This sounds absolutely horrid to me, which probably means the kids will love it.

Nickelodeon's Making Fiends might potentially be something we could watch, but judging by the illustrations, the flat animation isn't going to catch the eye of your average 7-year-old. The show features classmates Charlotte and Vendetta, two girls with nothing in common. Sweet, puppy-loving, hug-giving Charlotte wants very much to be friends with a horrible child named Vendetta. Could be a lesson in there somewhere.

Since the networks develop lots of shows at the same time, some of these may not ever make it to your living room. But check out the list and see if any sound like something you would want your kids to watch.

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Filed under: Health and Safety, Lifestyle, Walking, Making a Difference

Sometimes, the stories here at ParentDish only serve to generate more questions. I wrote about a New Jersey police department that was cracking down on jaywalkers and handing out tickets to middle school kids. That got me thinking and I realized that, since I've had kids, I've kinda changed my ways when it comes to jaywalking.

Before I had kids, I paid little attention to things like crosswalks and stoplights when I was on foot. I watched the traffic and went when and how it was safe (more or less) rather than when it was strictly legal. Yes, I've broken the law, crossing in the middle of the street and against the light. Not only that, but I did it habitually. There goes any hope I might have had of running for public office.

Now, however, I find that I don't do that sort of thing any more. I go to the crosswalk. I wait for the green light. I try to set a good example, because I have kids. I might feel like a colossal fool standing on a corner with absolutely no cars in sight, waiting to cross the street, but I figure that's better than spending time in the emergency room -- or worse -- after the kids try to make it across a busy street without waiting for a green light.

I suppose it's a small price to pay to make sure my kids are safe. I have been hit by a car crossing the street in the middle of the block and I don't want that to happen to them. How about you -- have you made similar changes since having kids? Do you jaywalk?

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