Author: suburbandaddy

What A Circus

Yes, the circus. That icon of American culture. Clowns, high wire acts, lions, tigers, popcorn, cotton candy. And, as I have just learned, yet another parenting controversy.

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According to the Washington Post, Parents Weigh Animal Rights Ethics Against Kids’ Enjoyment of the Circus. Really? It’s not keeping me up at night.

Animal rights activists have taken issue with bears riding bikes. “To see a bear ride a bicycle, it is ridicule. You’re really just laughing at that bear”, “I don’t think it’s a long distance from ridiculing animals to laughing at other people”.

I’m all for treating animals well. But there is a difference between Michael Vick’s dogfighting troubles, and the circus which has been entertaining kids for 138 years. Lighten up people.

Big Shocking Breaking News

Just in case you are new here, I have three boys. Thing 1 is 4 years old. Thing 2 is 2 years old. And Thing 3 is 10 months.

My hands are full. If I had more hands, they would be full, too.

So, if you are a little shocked by what you are about to see, just put yourself in my shoes. This is Thing 3, wearing a special shirt which has been handed down from his big brothers!

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APRIL FOOLS!!!!!

Sorry, I couldn’t resist :-)

30 Trapezoids

As a parent, you often find yourself doing things which to the casual observer would seem ridiculous. But, to you, there is a very logical, rational explanation.

Case in point: Tonight, I had to draw 30 trapezoids on a piece of paper before Thing 1 would go to bed. Seem a little strange? Not at all.

We’ve been using potty charts with good results. Each successful potty trip results in a sticker on the chart. Fill up the chart and the reward is a trip to the toy store. The charts get bigger each time, so more stickers are required to fill them up.

So, where do the trapezoids come in?

Each time we use different shapes on the chart. This time, Thing 1 decided he wanted to have trapezoids. Since it would take forever for him to draw so many trapezoids (we are up to 30), I did it. Then he puts in the numbers.

Like I said. Perfectly, logical reason.

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Just When I Thought I Was Out

This weekend started off with two signs of the apocalypse. After a very long work week where I traveled across the country in two days, I was expecting the usual marathon weekend.

But on Saturday morning, Things 1, 2, and 3 ALL slept until 7am. Unprecedented. Saturday morning, I declared I had just had the best night sleep in four years. Eight hours of uninterrupted slumber. It was incredible.

Then, Thing 2, who has just started potty training, went #2 in the potty for the first time. If you are a new reader, we have had many, many struggles in this department with Thing 1. So this event was a sign of a new chapter in my life. One of restful sleep and normal potty relations.

Birds were chirping. The sun was shining. It was going to be a glorious day!

Oh, how things can change in a hurry. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!

The potty success was short lived. The baby sitter, who we depend on every two weeks for a few hours of mommy daddy time, canceled. Some lame excuse about spitting up blood. And Thing 3 decided he would start teething again this weekend.

Well, now it’s 6:40pm on Sunday. I love Sunday nights. The baths are done. The kids are fed. The wine is flowing. We are all exhausted, quietly watching a Disney movie. Not much longer now. I’ll make it.

When the weekend began, I thought the apocalypse was upon us. Rest assured, it is not.

Parenting Poll Of The Week – Kids and Video Games

Atari joystickWhen I was a kid I played a lot of video games. My favorite games were (now) classics like Missle Command and Centipede. It was a simpler time for video games. The games were so basic. Nobody considered them violent at the time. But, I guess, when I consider the premise of those games now, there was an awful lot of “blowing things up”.

Today, there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding video games. Granted, the games are much more graphic and life like than in my day. But I’m still not sure what all the hoopla is about.

Are there games which are violent and inappropriate for kids? Of course. There are also inappropriate movies, television shows, and comic books. Yet I don’t hear (too many) calls to outlaw or limit those.

There are video game ratings to help parents, just like movies and TV. In the end, it is up to parents to decide what is appropriate for their kids to see, regardless of the medium. And also to limit how much time and when their kids watch/play them.

To paraphrase the NRA, Video games don’t harm kids. Their misuse does.

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Previous parenting polls of the week.

Routine Not Just For Kids

With three kids 4 and under, I am well aware of the importance of routine. Kids thrive on knowing what to expect and when to expect it.

My days are like the movie Groundhog Day. The same exact routine over and over. Not necessarily bad, just very predictable.

The last few days my routine has changed. I’ve been on the west coast for work, staying in a hotel, eating in nice restaurants, and staying up late (for me).

Incidently, a nice restaurant is defined as no chicken nuggets or mac n cheese on the menu.

What I have discovered is that I really miss my routine. I miss Thing 2’s 5:30 wakeup call (sort of). I miss the crazy morning rush to get everyone out the door at 7am. And I miss the relief and quiet after all the kids are in bed, then recalling the Things’ antics of the day with SuburbanMommy.

Tomorrow is groundhog day, and I’m glad.

Parenting Poll Of The Week – College vs Retirement Savings

Every parent knows how expensive college will be by the time our kids are old enough to go. The question is, what to do about it? SuburbanMommy and I argue about discuss this on a regular basis. How much we should be saving now for our kid’s college, and how much for retirement?

My position is that I’d love to pay for their college, but I don’t know today how much I’ll be able to afford in 18 years, or what our financial situation will be like then. Stuff happens. So to take money off the table now, by putting it into a 529 account, instead of, say, our own retirement accounts, seems like it could be risky down the road. What if we put too much into the college accounts now, only to realize in 30 years that we don’t have as much in retirement as we need? Will we wish we hadn’t diverted so much money to college accounts?

SuburbanMommy feels that we can do both. Put some money towards college and some towards retirement. If we don’t put it away now we’ll never have it later (i.e. she we will spend it). This is probably the right, best of both worlds approach, and it is what we are doing now.

But I still wonder amount how much is the right amount? The kids can always borrow money for college. I’d rather they didn’t have all that debt, but at least the option is there for them. You can’t borrow for retirement.

Well, maybe I could rely on my kids to fund my retirement. Since they won’t have any college debt, I’m sure they’d be more than happy to help out dear old dad. Oh wait, they’ll be saving for their kid’s college.

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