Baby Did What

Baby's First Dip in the Pool

2008-06-08T10:55:00.002-04:00

I was a total water rat when I was a kid. My son loves the water, but is a little apprehensive about it still. But the baby - just 6 months - can't get enough.

The water might still be in the low 70s (relatively cold, actually) but she squealed with delight as she got wet. First her feet, then her hand, then her tummy and torso, all while holding onto mom. But when she holds on, it's not a tight grip like my son has (and has had since infancy), it's a loose grip . . . one of someone who can't wait to kick her feet and swim off.

Paige is just a polar opposite of her brother -- the boy who screamed bloody murder when I dipped his little toes in three years ago.

What was your child's first reaction to swimming?

Be a kid, 1986 style

2008-06-02T08:32:00.003-04:00

We took Joshua to Chuck E. Cheese over the weekend and it's amazing how little the place has changed since I was a kid. They still have mostly the same video games as well as the same horrible animatronic shows. Sadly the pizza still looks like it's a piece of cardboard topped with cheese and sauce. They did eliminate the urine soaked ball pit, which I consider an improvement. Joshua seemed to like it even though half the games don't work very well and the ones that do aren't really that fun.

Daddy, who's Barack Obama?

2008-06-02T08:32:00.000-04:00

My son seems a lot more interested in Iron Man than the presidential election, but should he ever ask about the campaigns I can use these tips from MSN parenting to help explain it to him. I figure his major campaign concerns would involve which candidate would allow him to eat more jelly beans and he might be concerned about any issues that impact Tigger & Pooh. Realistically, four might be too young to care about politics, but I suppose it's never to early to learn just how screwed up our political system is.
Bring the Presidential Campaign Home - � MSN Lifestyle - Family & Parenting

There is no safe place for my pets

2008-05-30T07:34:00.000-04:00

Once you have a kid your pets become decidedly less important. Of course, eventually the kid gets old enough to want to play with the pet and that can lead to disaster. In our case, we have two cats, a friendly one and a deaf one that you have to approach slowly. Joshua does not really understand slowly, so he tends to scare the deaf cat and treat the friendly cat like a stuffed animal that moves. This article might help a little.
Save your cats and your kid

Is there really a "best" musical instrument for a kid?

2008-05-28T07:26:00.000-04:00

The idea of having to listen to my son learn how to play an instrument pains me. I know kids are supposed to learn musical skills and that all sorts of good things happen when they do, but have you ever actually listened to someone learning how to play the trumpet? Can't I just get Joshua "Guitar Hero" and be done with it? Since, my desire for my kid to develop properly usually outweighs my desire for peace and quiet, I did look at this article from Babble and will probably cave in and get him something. He's not playing drums, however, even if there's a connection between playing drums and becoming a Harvard-educated doctor. Of course, given Tommy Lee, I'm guessing that connection does not exist.
Never sleep again

Dads have computers too

2008-05-27T09:58:00.002-04:00

It amazes me that nearly all of the reputable blogs on parenting and parenting sites pretty much ignore the role of the father. I realize that there are still plenty of lousy dads and even more who work so much to keep the family afloat, that they don;t have much to do with the kids. Still, there are lots of fathers who have equal, if not greater, roles in raising their children. I see very little online for working fathers who actually pay attention to their kids. We're out there, but it seems that in the world of creating content, "daddy" does not rate with "mommy."

Parenting requires a little booze

2008-05-23T09:54:00.000-04:00

Any other who mixes parenting advice with drinking tips works for me and Stefanie Wilder-Taylor has made a career doing this. Too many parenting books focus on just how wonderful having a kid is and not enough of them spend any time on that fact that being a parent can turn you to the bottle. Anyone who has ever had to watch the same episode of "Dora the Explorer" a dozen times in a row, knows that a bottle of wine might be a good idea. Wilder-Taylor is interviewed here about her new book and answers why nobody buys books written by fathers.
Drunken parenting

Fix your bad parenting habits

2008-05-21T10:10:00.000-04:00

As a parent it's easy to teach your kid bad habits by doing what's easiest for you. I've fallen victim to this as it's way easier for me to pick up Joshua's toys than to go through the process of having him do it. We often find ourselves making the decision that benefits us in the short-term even if it does long-term damage. This happens because if your kid is screaming and will fall asleep if you lay down with him, well, sleeping that night is on your mind, not the bad message you are sending. This article has some useful strategies for those of us who have taught our kids bad habits.
Aren't all habits bad?

Kid loses war with cat

2008-05-20T08:43:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning to the sounds of Joshua arguing with our cat. The cat, an older calico named Calamity, tends to whine for food in the morning. Usually she does this in our room, but this time she was outside Joshua's slightly open door. The cat, of course, has no idea that a four-year-old can't feed her, so I don't really blame her. Joshua, on the other hand, did not realize that yelling at the cat was not likely to quiet her down. I ended up having to get up and feed the cat, then the child (different things, of course).

Check your toddler's emperament?

2008-05-20T08:43:00.000-04:00

I don't actually need a quiz to know my kid's temperament, but iVillage offers this one for those that day. My kid is just sweet enough to offset his innate sense of wanting to cause mischief. He also has a healthy dose of being ill-mannered along with a complete inability to ever be wrong (that he inherited from me).
Know your kid

How do you make your kid take eye drops?

2008-05-19T15:01:00.002-04:00

Joshua, our four-year-old, has horrible seasonal allergies and his face blew up last week like he had gone 10 rounds with Lennox Lewis. One of the medicines prescribed over the phone, before he saw his doctor, was eye drops. He has had drops in the past and didn't like them, but we were able to bribe him into taking them. This time, he flipped out completely and would not let us go anywhere near his face. Other than holding him down and prying his eyes open, does anyone have a solution for this?

Gymnasts not the best source for nutrition advice

2008-05-19T15:00:00.001-04:00

Though she once did an excellent job flipping around or whatever exactly it is that Olympic gymnasts do, I'm a little skeptical of Mary Lou Retton's new role as a fitness and nutrition for kids advocate. At least Retton wasn't as skinny or stuck in pre-puberty as today's Olympic gymnasts, but still, if i had a daughter I' be a little skeptical of getting my advice here.
Gold medal in parenting?

Baby versus career seems obvious to me

2008-05-19T09:06:00.000-04:00

For my wife, the choice was never baby versus career as much as it was career versus having a baby at all. Celine actually cut her maternity leave a little short to get back to work. Realistically, neither one of us has ever understood staying home with a kid and what you're supposed to do all day. I can't imagine not working and while Celine does not derive as much of her self-worth from work as I do, she still has a hard time imagining being home all day. That's part of why we never had a second kid, because once you have two, it makes financial sense to not work. Of course, we also didn't have a second kid because the first one was a lot harder than we could have imagined.
I pick work, some pick kid

The "Electric Company" returns

2008-05-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

TV programmers love nostalgia but seem to have little ability to distinguish between good old shows and bad old shows. That might explain the decision to revive the "Electric Company" a program that I watched as a kid because we had four channels and there were very few shows for kids. Though the original show did give us Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno, I still can't see how something I didn't watch when nothing else was on can possibly compete with today's ocean of kids shows. Still, I hope they bring back those badly animated Spiderman cartoons.
It's electric

Uh? Oops? Stupid Parent Mistakes

2008-05-15T19:16:00.003-04:00

Ever done something colossally stupid with your kids? Everybody has (though not everyone will admit it). Me? When Will was just under a year and I used to work at home, he didn't always want to nap. One day, he was calling me and I decided to give him just a few more minutes to try and fall asleep. By the time I got in there, he'd spread the poop everywhere -- from the walls to the crib bars (YOU try cleaning that up. EW!).

I felt like the worst mother.

Now, I just laugh about it.

Check out the Chicago Tribune for some really funny stories of stupid mom (and dad) decisions.

Balance First, Walk Later

2008-05-15T19:06:00.002-04:00

Jennifer's story about Liam not walking yet reminded me of something. When my brother was a tot, he was a late walker - a very late walker. He turned one on August 8 and didn't take his first step until December 25 (I'll do the math for you -- he was 16 1/2 months).

Why the delay?

He, uh, had a pretty big head. And by pretty big, I mean huge. So big that they ran the battery of tests on him to be sure everything inside his huge cranium was okay (it was!). Walking? Well that had to wait a bit . . . after all, the little guy needed to balance his noggin first.

He has since grown into his head, FYI.

There's no such thing as overkill

2008-05-15T09:52:00.000-04:00

How I wish I had read this article on planning birthday parties before my son's last military-themed extravaganza (complete with tank pinata).
Party people

Maybe she's just fat

2008-05-15T09:44:00.000-04:00

Britney Spears might be pregnant again. Nice to see that her top-notch decision making skills are still working for her.
Have a baby, one more time?

Get mommy her valium

2008-05-15T07:47:00.000-04:00

Two moms offer varying opinions on what happens when "mommy loses her temper." I was hoping she'd turn green, grow incredibly strong and smash things, but I'm pretty sure that's not what happens.
You won't like me when I'm angry

He remembered eventually

2008-05-13T13:08:00.000-04:00

A British man was sentenced to probation for forgetting his baby in a candy store when he was intoxicated. To his credit he did come back ten minutes later to retrieve the child, which is when he was arrested.
Hold your liquor baby

What's the poop?

2008-05-13T13:01:00.000-04:00

This entire forum is devoted to parents sharing disgusting diaper, or lack of a diaper, stories.
Poop Stories - Parenting.com Community

Mix a little gin into his milk

2008-05-13T12:59:00.000-04:00

Getting kids to sleep has become an even bigger problem than ever, probably because the world is louder, shinier and has more going on than it used to. Reading this article makes me think of my friend -- an excellent parent -- whose son won't sleep for more than two hours.
Please go to sleep

Just get him a moped

2008-05-13T12:56:00.001-04:00

take a look at Babble's top 5 tricycles. Personally, I had a Big Wheel with faulty breaks and plan to buy my kid the same thing.
Fancy trikes

Boredom prepares you for real life

2008-05-12T20:25:00.002-04:00

This author talks about ways to keep your kids from being bored. Frankly today's kids can't really complain of boredom and my generation had only a limited claim to it. Now my parents' generation when there were two toys, three TV channels and the closest one got to a video game was playing "kick the can," they had a right to claim boredom. Of course, they were too tired from battling polio and working as child labor to know they were bored.
My thousands of toys bore me

Make parenting just like fishing

2008-05-12T20:11:00.002-04:00

A New York legislator wants to make taking parenting classes a requirement for getting a marriage license. That would make sense if getting married was a requirement for having kid. It would actually work better to make parenting classes a requirement for graduating from Junior high.

Good idea/bad execution

That first step is a doozie

2008-05-12T10:32:00.002-04:00

Liam is almost a year old. We will celebrate his birthday at the end of the month. People keep asking me, "Is he walking?" and look surprised when I tell them that he is still working on crawling. He doesn't even pull up on things yet. I am not worried, because he has always subscribed to the school of thought that says, "Hey, if I don't have to expend energy, I won't." He'll walk when he's ready. The longer he takes, the longer I will have my cuddly baby to carry around.

Follow the link to read about baby's physical development in the first year.

Baby steps

Parenting to the extreme

2008-05-11T16:57:00.000-04:00

Apparently some people are guilty of something called "hyper-parenting." Pretty much this means that you obsess about everything involving your kids (if he eats that Snickers, will he not get into Yale?" I'm not one of those parents and this book teaches you how not to be one too.
Don't believe the hype(r)

Excess calories blamed for weight gain

2008-05-11T16:54:00.000-04:00

This article comes from a paper in South Africa, but the headline "Poor parenting blamed for youth problems" pretty much says it all.
Poor parenting/bad kids

It takes a village, or is one

2008-05-09T20:51:00.002-04:00

Maybe you've heard of the Duggar family of Arkansas. They live in a 7,000 square foot home, consist of a mom, a dad, and 17 children. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar have just announced that they are expecting their 18th child.

I'm willing to bet that surpasses the entire population of some towns in Arkansas. Kudos to you, Michelle. You really are Super Mom. Happy Mother's Day. And I thought raising two kids was a challenge!

A gaggle of kids

Is your baby a pacifist?

2008-05-09T16:01:00.003-04:00

I watch a friend's baby who is 7 months old. She is weaning her little one from the pacifier at this early age. My little guy who will be a year old this month is perfectly happy to have the pacifier in his mouth whenever the fancy strikes. Now I am not one of those moms who has a 9 year old walking around with a pacifier in his mouth (although I think it is pretty fly in some hip-hop circles), but when is the right time to "unplug" the kid?

Here is some information from the Mayo clinic.

Baby unplugged

Don't call it a comeback

2008-05-09T13:47:00.000-04:00

Actually, you can call it a comeback, I just like quoting LL Cool J. Classic toys are back in vogue. You can buy your kid Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots and a whole host of other old school toys that look like more fun than they are. I was hoping to get my son the jagged accessories that used to turn an actual potato into a Mr. Potatohead.
Old school toys

And no ties for Father's Day

2008-05-09T11:42:00.000-04:00

Complaining about Mother's Day gifts seems a little weak given the general quality of Father's Day gifts, but some of these are pretty bad.
More bad gifts

They have a cream for that itch

2008-05-09T10:01:00.000-04:00

Katie Holmes tells an Indian paper she has "an itch for another baby." I picture her, Tom Cruise, romantic music, a couple of doctors, an alien, a photo of L. Ron Hubbard and a good chardonnay, should get things rolling.
Itchy Holmes

Our cache of Triple Paste

2008-05-09T09:36:00.004-04:00

When our son was experiencing diaper rash, the only thing that worked was a product called Triple Paste. During a particularly bad bout we had run out of the stuff and set off for CVS to find more. Of course, they were out of it. Fortunately, Connecticut has one CVS for every four people -- only surpassed by our one Dunkin Donuts for every two people ratio. We set for another CVS, then another, then another, before finding the stuff at the fifth one. Once I found the needed product I bought all of it, enough to heal diaper rashes on an army of kids for years to come.

She's a little bit country

2008-05-09T09:36:00.001-04:00

Mildly crazy Marie Osmond has lashed out at creepy parent Bill Ray Cyrus over the vaguely topless photos of his daughter, Miley Ray Cyrus. Personally, I'd rather have Annie Leibovitz take a semi-racy picture of my daughter (were I to have one) than have my son go to rehab as Osmond's did.
Pot calls kettle black

Best coach in Miami since Shula

2008-05-09T09:30:00.000-04:00

People in Miami have so much money they are hiring something called a "parenting coach." I kind of like the idea of Bill Parcells yelling at me while I'm changing a diaper, but I'm not sure that's how it works.
Put me in coach

Raw little bottoms

2008-05-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

The dreaded diaper rash has made its appearance in our house. Our youngest Liam has been prone to them since he was born almost a year ago. His brother, Ben, hardly ever had a diaper rash, so the treatment is all new to me. Liam wears cloth diapers for the most part, but when he is suffering from a severe rash, I switch to disposables that lock away wetness.

I found a pretty good article about what a diaper rash is, what causes it, how to treat it and when to call the doctor.

Raw Bottom

Save money, eat well

2008-05-08T16:55:00.002-04:00

(Sent in by reader, Kevin Y. of Sturbridge, Ma)
Before leaving the house to go out for dinner and spend your hard earned money on food your kids will probably not eat. Feed them at home first with their favorite foods like mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, etc. When you get to the restaurant and order your dinner, order dessert for the kids they’ll enjoy this better and also will hopefully be well behaved. In return you and your spouse will enjoy your time together and also save some money.

I'm not sure these are really secrets

2008-05-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

While I'm tempted to poke fun at an article called "10 Secrets of Great Moms," there's actually some good advice here. The single biggest piece of advice nobody gave us, which is included here, is "gather helping hands." While it may not actually take a village to raise a child, it does take an occasional babysitter to keep a parent sane.
Don't tell

You won't like me when I'm angry

2008-05-08T09:15:00.000-04:00

Rather than watching your child go all Incredible Hulk, learn how to manage his anger by reading this article.
Angry kids

Just put him in front of the TV until he's 18

2008-05-08T07:53:00.001-04:00

A new study shows that one in three parents does not understand enough about child development to give his kid the proper mental stimulation. Of course the study also found that the dumber the parents, the less likely they were to know things like when a kid should start potty training and whether a one-year-old can tell right from wrong. Unfortunately, while you can be too dumb to raise a kid, it's nearly impossible to be too dumb to have one.
Dumb parents

Babies need special food?

2008-05-08T07:46:00.000-04:00

If you're a hippy with money to burn, this article offers up the five best organic baby foods.
Rich, hippy babies

T. Berry Brazelton, greatest name ever

2008-05-08T07:42:00.000-04:00

T. Barry Brazelton, father of Franken Berry Brazelton, offers advice on how to deal with it when your kid is afraid of taking a bath.
More Berry Brazelton

Like Hitler giving you Passover recipes

2008-05-08T07:32:00.000-04:00

Terrible mother Dina Lohan makes the news again for giving Miley Cyrus' mom advice about parenting. One can only assume that the Hannah Montanna star will soon be on her way to rehab.
Bad advice

More museum, less crying

2008-05-07T14:24:00.000-04:00

Generally Joshua considers the gift shop the best part of any museum -- unless they have a snake you can touch. This article has tips on getting the most out of a museum visit with your kid.
Go to the museum

Save gas, buy your kids more stuff

2008-05-07T14:16:00.000-04:00

Yahoo has leaked pictures of the new Toyota Prius -- not exactly a parenting story, but a pretty good car if you have to cart your kid all over the place.
Hybrid for your kid

Too much is never enough

2008-05-07T13:56:00.000-04:00

Given that I have the TV on at pretty much all times it makes me a hypocrite to limit how much my son watches. Instead, I limit how often the TV is on a show he likes. If he wants to watch "30 Rock" or "Battlestar Galactica" with me, I guess he can. This article has some tips for limiting TV time that work better than my method.
Too much TV?

Parenting is about feeling guilty

2008-05-07T13:07:00.000-04:00

Since good parents tend to sacrifice themselves for their child, you can feel guilty taking any time for yourself. This list offers 14 things that parents should not feel guilty about.
The list

What did you just say?

2008-05-07T11:41:00.002-04:00

When my now six-year-old son was learning to talk, everyone was really impressed that he could pronounce difficult words like hippopotamus, and linoleum. Once he got started on something, he would not give up saying the word until someone acknowledged what he was saying.

We were shopping for pajamas one day and out of the blue, in the sweetest voice came one of his first sentences: “Mommy, f&*! that!"
You can imagine my shock and embarrassment to be standing there with a tiny child who was gesturing wildly and swearing at the top of his lungs.
He was pointing at a set of pajamas that had a fire truck embroidered on it. I suddenly realized that he wasn’t expressing his teenaged angst twelve years early, but he was proudly pointing out that he knew there was a fire truck on the pajamas.

He kept repeating the phrase, “Mommy, f&*! that!” until I said, (very loudly for everyone who was listening) “Yes, that is a FIRE TRUCK! Very good!”

The war on poop

2008-05-07T11:05:00.002-04:00

When you're a parent, there is an awful lof of talk about pee and poop. There can also be an awful lot of competition between parents about whose child was potty trained faster. Studies have been done that show that yes, girls are faster than boys when it comes to potty training, but not much faster. Rest assured, whether you are the parent of a boy or a girl, that your child will not be wearing diapers in college.

Competition Stinks

Breasts make you smarter

2008-05-07T10:23:00.000-04:00

Actually, it's being being breastfed that makes you smarter. Of course, the study goes on to say it's probably not actually the breastfeeding that makes you smarter, just that mothers who do it are usually more involved with their kids.
Make me smarter

Trying hard with mixed results

2008-05-07T10:14:00.002-04:00

My son has taken to changing his diaper himself in the middle of the night after he wets it. Last night. This often results in me finding him in the morning with no pants or his diaper on backwards. This morning I walked in to find him sleeping on the floor, wearing new pants and no diaper. In attempting to change his pullup he had opened it, making it impossible to put on, resulting in him sleeping without it and wetting the bed. Being a resourceful child he somehow managed to get new pants and dry blankets to make himself a little bed on the floor.

Works for me too

2008-05-07T08:02:00.000-04:00

It's Works for Me Wednesday at Rock in My dryer, a fairly amusing list of stuff that works and doesn't work with kids.
Work it

In Japan, everything's a contest

2008-05-07T07:58:00.000-04:00

The Japanese consider crying good for babies so every year they have a crying baby contest. For some reason the contest also involves sumo wrestlers.
Babies cry

Paltrow balances motherhood, playing minor parts in movies

2008-05-07T07:55:00.001-04:00

There's nothing worse than stars who talk about all the sacrifices they make in order to be around their kids. Nevermind the endless parade of nannies, cooks, valets and drivers that they have, do people like Gwyneth Paltrow really believe that not starring in a movie is a sacrifice? Working two jobs so your kid can have stuff is a sacrifice, not acting for a few months is a vacation.
Another whiny star

Worse than Marissa Tomei's Oscar

2008-05-07T07:46:00.000-04:00

Lindsay Lohan's mom has won an award for being a good parent. Had she managed to keep her kid off drugs and out of the tabloids maybe she would have won a Nobel Prize.
Worst parent ever

Maybe a bike and a toddler is a bad idea

2008-05-07T07:39:00.000-04:00

Babble answers the question, "how can I bike safely with my one-year-old?" The answer, of course, is that dragging your kid along in a cart behind your bike is a pretty bad idea, but, of course, that's not what they say.
More bad advice

Way to go Maine

2008-05-06T09:26:00.000-04:00

Maine has passed a law banning lead in children's toys, which makes you wonder which states allow lead in toys, not to mention why lead would be put in toys in the first place.
Maine bans lead

Parenting can hurt you

2008-05-06T09:16:00.002-04:00

Sleep deprivation and yard work don't always mix. This new dad finds his hand in a cast for the second time because he misjudged which activities are safe to do in his new state of being amongst the walking dead.
Dangerous parenting

Don't be that jerk who yells at the ref

2008-05-06T09:11:00.000-04:00

There's a fine line between cheering your kid on and trying to relive past glories through him. Dan Doyle wrote a book about how to be a proper sports parent and the Boston Globe did a story on him.
More sports parenting

Practice a pretend instrument

2008-05-06T08:44:00.000-04:00

iVillage's toy guru says that one of this year's hot products will be something called the "Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker." The toy continues the trend started by "Guitar Hero" where kids practice a lot with a fake instrument at the expense of actually learning a real one.
More fake guitar

Aren't toys supposed to be fun?

2008-05-05T10:43:00.000-04:00

A column on Parenting.com answers the question of whether your kid has enough learning toys. Since my kid mostly has Star Wars figures, Transformers and blocks that he builds into toy guns, I may not be the person to ask about this.
Smart toys

Viva Mexico

2008-05-05T08:52:00.000-04:00

It's Cinco de Mayo, a real holiday in Mexico, but mostly an excuse to drink Mexican beers and tequila here in the United States. Since your kids can't do those things, try some of these recipes.
Cinco de Mayo

Swim baby swim

2008-05-05T08:49:00.000-04:00

Babble picks the five best swimsuits for babies.
Get wet

Read your way to a better family

2008-05-05T08:37:00.000-04:00

A new parenting book promises to help you build a better family if you follow the advice of the motivational speaker who wrote the book. I'm a tad skeptical, but how can you doubt a book written by the author of the awkwardly titled "Perfectly Yourself, the Rhythm of Life and the Seven Levels of Intimacy."
Look at book

HD for your fetus

2008-05-05T08:32:00.000-04:00

A new high resolution ultrasound lets you view your baby-to-be on the big screen. The device offers much better quality pictures than the traditional black and white, "I think that's the head" ultrasounds most people are used to.
See more of your future baby

Celebrate irresponsibility

2008-05-05T08:29:00.000-04:00

Tragic mess and terrible mom Britney Spears flew home for her sister's baby shower, marking her first appearance in Louisiana in over a year. Hopefully, the elder spears daughter, who has two children she is only allowed to see during supervised visits, does not plan to share any parenting advice with her sister.
More on Jamie Lynn's baby

Hit me baby one more time

2008-05-01T14:43:00.000-04:00

A court is examining whether Britney Spears has the parenting skills needed to get her kids back. Currently, Spears ranks just ahead of that guy who kept his daughter in a dungeon for 24 years, but she hopes to turn it around by telling a judge that she knows her kids have to eat at least twice a day and that they should not be drinking on school nights.
More on Britney

Will you be my hero, baby?

2008-05-01T10:56:00.000-04:00

Robert Wilder is one of the very few men writing well about fatherhood. April's column touches on the ridiculous TV movie "Return of the Hulk" which starred the late, semi-great Bill Bixby.
April's Daddy Needs a Drink

It's fun to stay...

2008-05-01T10:40:00.001-04:00

Apparently you can learn more at the YMCA than how to dress like a cowboy, a policeman or an Indian. This list shares some parenting constants picked up at the Y.
Silicon Valley Moms Blog

Semi-nude pics are the gatweay to evil

2008-05-01T10:14:00.003-04:00

The semi-nude Vanity Fair pics of Miley Cyrus have replaced Janet Jackson's Nipple as the silliest topic parents overreact to. I'm pretty sure seeing Hannah Montanna's back won't corrupt your child, but decide for yourself.Read the column here

Mom and dad both get to be right

2008-05-01T09:47:00.000-04:00

One parent is too tough and the other is too lax. This advice column suggests taking the Goldilocks approach to solving the problem.
Read the rest...

Everything you know about feeding your baby is wrong

2008-05-01T09:34:00.000-04:00

Apparently, infants can't eat pizza and beer...Actually, this piece looks at the myths and half-truths about feeding your newborn. Learn why no matter how much hippies want it to be, soy milk is not as good for your kid as the stuff that comes out of a cow.
Read the whole story

Parenting requires patience, rubber gloves

2008-05-01T09:08:00.000-04:00

While sitting in my basement office a few weeks ago, I judged by the repeated thumping on the ceiling that my son had elected to not take his nap. After saving my work, I made my way upstairs prepared to play “stern daddy” and at least make an attempt to get him to sleep a little. I was ready to employ some simulated anger and maybe threaten some sort of minor punishment, but nothing could prepare me for what I would see when I opened his door.
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