Month: April 2008

Unexpectedly Hot Parenting Topic

Wow! My parenting poll from last week about leaving children unattended in cars, touched off a firestorm of discussion.

I must say, I didn’t realize this was such a hot topic. I also wasn’t aware of some of the tragic incidents which have taken place across the country. I want to thank Andrea and Jason for their impassioned comments.

Some of the incidents on Kids and Cars are as hard to believe as they are tragic. Some are freak occurrences. Some are adults acting very stupid, like just plain forgetting a kid is in the backseat.

I think this boils down to awareness and common sense. Being aware of the dangers is important. I am now more aware of some of the things which can happen to kids left alone in cars. It’s similar to the warnings we are given about bathtubs and swimming pools. Don’t leave a child unattended. A kid can drown in very little water. Hearing these warnings over and over helps raise awareness.

But freak accidents can occur anywhere. When you leave the room to answer the phone. When you are making dinner in the kitchen. Riding a bike. You can’t keep your eyes and hands on your kids 24/7.

When I think about all the potential dangers out there, and when I see my kids doing some of the things they do (jumping off stuff, running full speed without looking), it makes me paranoid. And my oldest is only four and a half. What happens when they are older? Jumping off higher stuff. Riding skateboards. Driving a car. Yikes!

Parenting Poll of the Week – Kids Unattended In Cars

This week’s poll comes from an anonymous comment on last week’s poll.

Recently, there have been several moms who have been arrested for leaving their sleeping child in the car while they ran into the store, ATM machine, etc. What is Suburbandaddy?s take on this and it may be a good poll question. Its been tempting, but I have yet to do this.

Tempted, but haven’t done it yet? Sure. And that’s why you didn’t leave your name.

Take this case of a mother who was arrested for leaving her 2 year old sleeping in a Walmart parking lot. The doors were locked and the alarm was on. She didn’t actually go in the store. Just to the front of the store where the bell ringer was collecting donations for the salvation army. This does sound a little extreme.

Have I left a kid in the car for a minute? Of course not! Wink wink nod nod. Does leaving your kid sleeping in the car in the garage count? Yes? Then, I haven’t done it.

There are two types of parents: 1) Those who leave their kids in the car unattended, and 2) Those who say they don’t

[poll=12]

More Parenting Polls

Enter The Dragon

Some time ago I wrote about Thing 2’s toddler comfort objects. At that time, it was all about Mustache Guy. Now, we have entered into the dragon phase.

After completing his first potty chart, Thing 2 picked out the big dragon. Last weekend, after his first successful poop in the potty (a big deal in our house!), he picked out the two headed dragon with fire coming out of one head.

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He likes to go up to people, stick the dragon in their face, and say “Look at my dragon. Roooaaar!”. Every 10 minutes, it’s like he just got it for the first time. “Look at my dragon”.

So, naturally, the new dragon (with the fire) accompanied Thing 2 to preschool Monday morning. He started showing it to all his teachers and friends. Then we had a little problem.

SuburbanMommy dropped Thing 2 off in his classroom, dragon in hand. Then she took the other two to their rooms before checking back in on Thing 2. When she returned, she found Thing 2 in the corner with dragon, tears streaming down his face, but not crying.

The teacher explained that one of the girls in the class was a little frightened by the new dragon. Especially when Thing 2 did his ROOAAR! in her face. She started crying. And she actually peed in her pants.

When SuburbanMommy saw Thing 2 in the corner she thought he was getting a time out, and that was why he was crying silently. But the teacher explained that he was spending a last minute with his dragon before he had to put him away for the day. He was saying an emotional goodbye to dragon.

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Something Only A Parent Could Love

SuburbanMommy noted the other day that I don’t write about Thing 3. Well, a 10 month old doesn’t provide a lot of material. Certainly not compared to Thing 1 and Thing 2, with their potty training and assorted adventures.

But, Thing 3 has made a lot of progress in the last few weeks. He’s mastered crawling and is starting to pull himself up. He still falls down a lot (see 1:30 into the video), which can be quite amusing. And he slobbers like a bulldog.

I don’t remember this much drool with the first two. Thing 3 has been teething for eight months. Constant slobber, drool, and putting everything in his mouth. And I mean everything. Mulch, shoes, shoe laces, fingers, keys. Basically whatever he can get his hands on goes in his mouth. We’re talking about a baby, not a bulldog.

Parenting Poll of the Week – And Tango Makes Three

A seemingly harmless children’s book called And Tango Makes Three has caused quite a controversy in our local school system. The book was “pulled from the shelves”, which is a nice way to say it was censored.

The book is based on a true story of two penguins, a couple, who raised a chick who wasn’t their own. The two penguins happened to be male. Opponents said this “promoted a gay agenda”. Whatever that means. I can’t be the only one who thinks this is ridiculous.

[poll=11]

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.