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Outwitted

Posted by David Noon on September 6, 2008

I've been having an extraordinarily successful run of reverse psychology lately with A., who will be 2.5 at the end of October. When she refuses to do something I've asked, I simply announce that I'm going to do it myself. The results are usually predictable:

"No, Dad! I'm going to eat my lunch!"

"No, Dad! I'm going to throw it in the garbage!"

"No, Dad! I'm going to pee pee in my potty."

And so on.

Tonight, though, my strategy may have reached its limit. We were in her favorite toy store -- really the only toy store in Juneau, a small shop really -- when I decided, after half an hour of watching her play with a doll and a small horse, that it was time to go.

"So, um, it's time to go, kiddo," I told her.

"Nope."

After a brief pause, I reached into the bag of tricks.

"Hey, do you want to go get some ice cream?"

"Nope." She didn't even look up at me. So I went nuclear.

"Well, I'm going to go get some ice cream," I told her. "You can stay here."

"OK," she answered, again not even batting an eye in my direction. I was mildly surprised by the quick response, but I figured by the time I got halfway across the store, she'd be running after me, begging for ice cream.

Oh, no. I actually managed to completely exit the store without her even noticing. (A former student of mine was working there, so I wasn't being as irresponsible as it sounds.) I stood outside, listening for the expected howls of abandonment. They were not forthcoming. Like a 10-year-old who's threatened to run away but didn't have the guts or the know-how, I peered around the door and looked in.

A. was talking to my student and a couple of other customers. When I got back to where she was, I learned that she'd been explaining to them that her dad had gone to get ice cream -- and that she was now going to be living at the toy store on a more or less full time basis.

So I got totally schooled. By a two-year-old. Twenty minutes later, we actually left. And got ice cream anyway. I figure she earned it.

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Birthday Plans

Posted by Jeff Alexander on September 5, 2008

M. Edium has been looking forward to October for quite a while. Not only is that the month of his birthday, but it's also when we're going to be flying down to Florida to visit my parents at their timeshare, which just happens to be on the property of Walt Disney World. What part of that wouldn't thrill a three-soon-to-be-four-year-old?

So this week he was asking if it was September now. We told him that it was. He asked if that meant October was next. We told him that it is. "And where are we going in October?" my wife prompted him.

"Kennedy Space Center," M. Edium answered excitedly.

We think we're going to save the Space Center for last, otherwise Walt Disney World will pale in comparison.

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2008 Top Christmas Toys: Blokus Classic

Posted by Tim on September 4, 2008

After my scathing review of Elmo Live! for Christmas toys that will be hot on the market for 2008 (just kidding, personally I would love one of these for my own!), I found something that I think would be a great present for kids and adults alike: Blokus Classic. This game is in the typical range of price--between 20 and 25 dollars--as most games that you'll find in most chain stores. But the difference is that games like the very classic Monopoly and even the techy-type Scene It! that are very popular have a lot of game play in them, but there can be a tendency to be a little hashed and rehashed after you've played it enough.

Blokus Classic doesn't real have that same effect. From the product description: "Blokus encourages creative thinking and has received a Mensa award for promoting healthy brain activity. The goal of this game is for players to fit all of their pieces onto the board. When placing a piece it may not lie adjacent to the player's other pieces, but must be placed touching at least one corner of their pieces already on the board. The player who gets rid of all of their tiles first is the winner and strategic thinking helps as you block moves from your opponent. Blokus sometimes comes to an end because there are no more possible moves."

Much like a Scrabble type of game that makes you think, I love these games, and it is very popular! Check it out!

TAGS: 2008 Christmas Gifts, Blokus Classic, Board Games, Christmas Toys, Games, Games For Kids
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Water Baby

Posted by Jeff Alexander on September 3, 2008

M. Edium loves the water. He loves going to the local wading pool, or the lake, and whenever we stay in a hotel it had better have a pool. He doesn't always get into the tub without argument, but once he's in there you just about have to pry him out. And this is after the water has been drained.

So we've got him signed up for swimming lessons, starting in a few weeks. I've kind of got mixed emotions about it. On the one hand, it'll be good for him to learn and he'll be able to have even more fun in the water, plus he'll be safer.

On the other hand, shoulder-deep water is one of the few places left on earth where I can still count on him to cling to me indefinitely. I'm not entirely looking forward to having to give that up.

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Parental Guidance Suggested

Posted by Tim on September 2, 2008

We are to the point now where our six year old is getting pretty darn good at reading, and while we encourage all of the things that he sees that he reads because of just the fact that he loves to be right, we have a bit of a quandary on our hands when it comes to television.

Now, we've had parental blocks on our DVRs and regular cable boxes for quite some time with a 10 year old boy who obviously is well aware what "Filthy Freshman Orientation" probably means when he goes past the channels, and while it's darn near impossible to block out some of the listings, we have everything at a certain level so that if he tries to change or even if the six year old accidentally changes the channel to something inappropriate, it will prompt them for a 4 digit code before they can go any further.

Now that the six year old is reading, I'm not so sure that I feel good about him going through the menus saying the names out loud like "Cherry Busters 16" and then going "Dad, what is a cherry buster?" as my mind goes blue and my face goes red. So, what do we do? Is this something that we can request that certain channels just not be even available? I mean, as much as I'd like to, I won't ever watch the Spice or Playboy channel. Or, do we basically tell the boys that they can't even use the remote and that we have to do it so that we won't go near the channels in question?

I dunno, but I better think of something quick, or else come up with a great explanation as to what "Black Bootylicious" means.

TAGS: Being A Dad, Being A Parent, Parental Blocking, Parenting, Playboy Channel, Porn On Tv, Television
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Parenting Holiday

Posted by Jeff Alexander on September 1, 2008

My parents have M. Edium for the day, and later we're going to meet them at the State Fair. Which leaves my wife and I looking at the better part of a work holiday with absolutely nothing to do.

After almost four years, I think this is one of the clearest signs we've had that we're actually parents: that given a warm, sunny morning and afternoon with the house to ourselves, we can't think of a thing to do to kill several hours. Yes, there were some some things we could have done to kill a few minutes, but we already did them. There's nothing pressing around the house, no relatives in from out of town, no daytime errands we need to run.

It's weird, but at least we don't feel this much at loose ends when we find ourselves with a free evening. If that ever happens, we'll know we're beyond hope. And with our luck, it'll happen a week before he moves out of the house.

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Windy

Posted by Jeff Alexander on August 29, 2008

Am I the only parent -- nay, the only person -- who doesn't like The Wind in the Willows?

I didn't like it when I was first introduced to it in grade school. It was bad enough that the characters were either completely insipid or actively antisocial, but then the one part that could have been exciting, where Toad leads the local constabulary on a car chase straight out of Ronin, happened completely offstage.

Then in the nineties Terry Jones didn't help whan he made a film version, with himself as Toad and a cast that included fellow Monty Python members Michael Palin, Eric Idle, and John Cleese. I have never been so disappointed in a movie in my life.

A couple of weeks ago, my wife got M. Edium his very own abridged hardcover edition, and promised that one of us would read him a chapter every night. At first I thought, "Thank God it's abridged." Now I just think, "Thank God I don't know where it is."

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Social Networking

Posted by Jeff Alexander on August 29, 2008

A few weeks ago, my wife found a note in M. Edium's locker at Montessori school. It was from one of the other kids' moms, asking if we'd be interested in scheduling a playdate between her son and ours. Aside from a little glitch (okay, we went to the wrong park), it has worked out well and resulted in several successful playdates.

Since then, M. Edium has talked about a couple of other kids that he'd like to have playdates with. My wife has thus left notes in those kids' lockers to their moms, offering to set something up. Nothing has come together yet, but we are optimistic.

This is ridiculously simple, and the best part is that when M. Edium gets old enough to ask us for a MySpace page, we can gleefully shoot him down. Notes in lockers still work fine, after all.

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2008 Top Christmas Toys: Elmo Live!

Posted by Tim on August 28, 2008 Elmo Live.jpg

Please--do not kill me--but we are already starting to budget for Christmas and the huge expenditure it is. While it is baking outside still, it may be wise to start thinking about the Winter Wonderland that will be upon us faster that you can shake a stick at (I always loved that saying, I don't know why!)

So, over the next several months I will from time to time be highlighting some of the best and hottest toys out there for all of you parents to peruse and think on whether your little tot or too-big-for-their britches teens deserve some of these great little enjoyment items! (Well, they all deserve them, we know that, the question is, can we afford them???)

First up is Elmo Live, which will certainly be one of the top sellers--count on it. The Elmo phase really didn't hit my household even though I have a ten-year old, but it obviously has undergone several iterations and now this version actually "comes to life" as his mouth opens and closes just like the real Muppet (well, at least that's what they want you to believe). The Sesame Street icon can bobble his head back and forth as he speaks. He waves his arms, sits and stands, even crosses his legs, all the while telling stories and jokes, singing songs and playing games. Children can activate the magic with a tickle or a squeeze of Elmo’s foot, tummy, back or nose. *I took a lot of this from the product description*

This retails for over 60.00, and for those that want it--the parents will pay this money for it--I would expect that it could be something along the lines of the Cabbage Patch Kids where the supply will run out, parents will go bonkers, and the prices on Ebay will skyrocket. It could happen--and probably will. You have to hand it to these toy manufacturers--they certainly know how to hook 'em!

TAGS: 2008 Christmas Toys, Christmas Toys, Elmo Live, Holiday Celebrations, Kids, Parenting, Toys
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Day Care

Posted by David Noon on August 28, 2008

Ugh.

Our daughter's daycare provider -- who's been watching A. since she was four months old -- is moving to a larger, cooler city to the south. Because A. has not reached the 30 month threshold, her daycare options are significantly limited. Our city is experiencing a chronic daycare crunch for kids younger than 2.5, and we're caught up in the middle of it. We've been scrambling for the last two weeks to drum something up by September 19, but the options have not been especially pleasing. She won't hit 30 months until the end of October, so there's a very real possibility that when September 19 comes, she'll be without any day care whatsoever for a full five weeks.

Because I have a somewhat flexible schedule, it would be possible for me to take care of her more or less full time; this would require finding a daytime sitter for a few hours twice a week to watch the kid while I'm teaching, but I'd be almost completely unable to do the things I need to do to prepare and deliver my courses. I'd have no time to prep lectures, read, or grade papers and tests. I'd be hosed, in other words.

Enter the mother in law. Whom I love dearly. Who is the greatest mother in law a man could ask for. Whom our daughter thinks is the greatest person in the world.

She has volunteered to come live with us for five. Whole. Weeks. With her yappy, 15-pound dog. In a house with two cats and two Newfoundlands, one of whom will be recovering from her third knee surgery in a year.

I adore my mother in law, and I'm grateful that she's willing to provide child care for five weeks. But the idea of someone else -- anyone else -- living in my house for five. Whole. Weeks.

Well, this is how I'm kind of feeling right now: