http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/ en-us Copyright 2008 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:31 -0400 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.36 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss By Rebeldad Brian Reid Ten years ago, I moved to the Washington area with all of my possessions in a green Mazda 626. Since I arrived, I've moved four more times. The total distance of those four moves, put together, was less than seven miles. But a week from tomorrow, a moving van will arrive at my house and take everything I own 719 miles away to Champaign, Ill. Given my utter inexperience with moves of longer than, say, a couple of miles, I am utterly terrified. The kids are only magnifying the terror. The move means a new preschool, a new elementary school, and about a million questions that I don't have the answer to: Will there be kids my age in the neighborhood? What will my school be like? What will we do after school? Is the playground any good? And so on. Our approach to date with http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/moving_719_miles_and_a_million.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/moving_719_miles_and_a_million.html Elementary Schoolers Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:31 -0400 I'm in search of the perfect kids water bottle. Durable. Spill-proof. Washable. Sippy cups were bad enough. Drop them, bang them -- in general, treat them like toddler boys -- and many would start to leak regularly. Usually, the leak-proof insert had simply dislodged. Um. Didn't they say that thing was leak-proof? Did they actually hand these cups to toddlers for a few weeks for testing? And so, off to the next brand I'd go, finally settling on Gerber as the winner in a combination of less leaking than many and not overly expensive. That is, until the boys shredded the plastic on the spouts so much that the cups needed to go. By then, though, it was time to put the sippies behind. After all, what six-year-old wants to be caught without a "real" cup? Next up: cups with plastic straws. The First Years Take and Toss cups are http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/the_perfect_water_bottle.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/the_perfect_water_bottle.html Elementary Schoolers Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0400 Business Week and others dubbed the court case the "Battle of the Dolls." And in Round 1, we had Mattel in one corner and MGA in the other. Mattel, otherwise known as Barbie's corporate parent, said MGA Entertainment -- Bratz' corporate parent, stole work that belonged to it. You see, the Bratz doll designer Carter Bryant came up with the idea while he worked at Mattel. The two duked it out in court, and, on Friday, Mattel won. The punishment's still open however. Mattel may win money ... or it might try to give Barbie some Bratz siblings (along with their $1.1 billion in sales that the dolls generate annually). MGA says, by the way, that it's not giving up its Bratz children, Business Week reports. So, the fight should continue for a little while longer. In the meantime, Barbie's trying to play catch-up with her stepsisters. Coming in September http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/barbie_vs_bratz.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/barbie_vs_bratz.html Elementary Schoolers Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0400 Last week, Montgomery County passed into law a bill requiring written contracts for residents who employ nannies, housekeepers or cooks for at least 20 hours a week. The next day, Washington Post blogger Marc Fisher wrote: "I've never employed any domestic worker nor do I generally believe in the idea." Fisher should be thankful he's not an employee of Google, which wanted to charge its workers $57,000 a year for infant day care (for two children). By comparison, the average cost of infant care in licensed child care centers in the Washington region is about $10,000 annually, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. Nannies in the region generally earn between $10 and $17 per hour, based on an unscientific D.C. Urban Mom survey conducted within the past year. Of the more than 300 parents who responded to the survey, about 90 percent are very http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/google_day_care.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/google_day_care.html Babies Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0400 "Do you DS?" Several times in the past few months, boys have thrown the question out to 6-year-old. And not only don't we own any video game systems, I'm not sure he even knows what the other kids mean. Clearly, the boys are using it as a conversation starter. It's the "do you like to play the same games I do?" method of finding common interests. DS for video game neophytes like me is a Nintendo handheld video game system. While the friend queries have not yet resulted in 6-year-old begging and pleading for the games, I'm sure the requests will come eventually. What I'm not sure of yet, is just how I'll respond. So far, when he wants to buy toys, it comes from his allowance. But is living in a low-television, low-video-game-use house detrimental socially to kids? Husband and I have different views on this. Television and video http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/game_day.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/game_day.html Elementary Schoolers Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:00:16 -0400 By Rebeldad Brian Reid Yesterday, my inbox lit up after Boing-Boing, one of the biggest blogs in the world, posted an excerpt from a story that ran in the UK's Daily Mail about a father who was harassed for trying to take pictures of his kids on a Sunday afternoon. It seems that, living in an age that has brought us both the Internet and "To Catch a Predator," every guy with a camera may be a threat to plaster your child's photo all over the Web. When Gary Crutchley started taking pictures of his children playing on an inflatable slide he thought they would be happy reminders of a family day out. But the innocent snaps of seven-year-old Cory, and Miles, five, led to him being called a 'pervert'. The woman running the slide at Wolverhampton Show asked him what he was doing and other families waiting in the http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/public_photos_pedophelia_and_c.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/public_photos_pedophelia_and_c.html Safety Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:00:28 -0400 Meet some families who know how to stretch a dollar. There's the Heinz family in Sarasota, Fla., who appeared in this past weekend's Parade magazine. Their TV came from someone's trash pile. Their laundry is done in fewer, larger loads. Mom buys in bulk with coupons. She only buys items on sale. She stocks up on two-for-one day at the store and uses coupons, helping her save more than she spends on some foods. Then, there's Crissy Thompson from Georgia. Crissy has learned to navigate the system of coupons and store sales so effectively that she can sometimes buy groceries for her family of five for just $10, reports NBC affiliate Channel 11 in Atlanta. Thompson starts out by buying extra Sunday papers for the coupons. She combines sales, coupons from both papers and online and store dollars such as CVS Extra Bucks to trim her bills. The system is http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/thrifty.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/thrifty.html Family Finances Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0400 Down Time. When's the last time your child had some? In today's health section, reporter Sandra G. Boodman explores a problem that isn't going to end anytime soon -- overscheduled kids. "I'm always in a state of anxiety, but it only piles up every few months," Walt Whitman High School senior Jessica Huey told Boodman. "All my friends do this. We're all overscheduled. We live in Bethesda: It's a way of life." Ah, the way of life ... and into the best colleges hopefully with a scholarship. That's really what many high schoolers worry about these days. How many AP classes can they cram into those four years? How many extracurriculars? How many life-altering and volunteer jobs? Oh, and add to that a heavy workload of homework. There's no question that today's kids are already kings and queens of multi-tasking their social lives and homework with computers and phones. From http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/overscheduled_kids.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/overscheduled_kids.html Teens Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:00:54 -0400 You and your child finally decided he/she was old enough for sleepaway camp. You packed the bags, maybe even had your child pack with you so he'd know exactly what he was bringing, including home addressed, stamped envelopes, paper and a pen. You dropped the kid off with a kiss and a hug and words of wisdom about having a good time. And off the kid sprinted, excited for the adventure, fun and friends. So, now what? For a growing number of parents, kidsickness sets in, according to the Kansas City Star. They search the camp Web sites for photos of their kids. They cry. They worry. They call the camp when they don't get calls or letters home. "The time and energy camp directors put into preparing parents for camp is now equal to the time they prepare children for camp," Peg Smith, head of the American Camp Association, http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/are_you_a_kidsick_parent.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/are_you_a_kidsick_parent.html Elementary Schoolers Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:00:59 -0400 On July 4th, Barack and Michelle Obama granted "Access Hollywood" video time with 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha. The resulting footage shows a tight-knit family. Talkative Malia tells it how it is in her house. Dad leaves his heavy bag in the doorway for the family to trip on it. He shakes hands with her friends, embarrassing her. If Obama wins the presidency, she's looking forward to decorating her own room in the White House. And the family says they stay in touch daily via telephone while Dad is out campaigning. After the interview aired, it spread through cable TV like wildfire, surprising the Obamas. "We wouldn't do it again and we won't be doing it again," Obama said to Matt Lauer on the "Today Show." The question, though, is why did they grant the interview in the first place? As a parent who writes regularly about her kids in http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/the_obama_children.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/the_obama_children.html Newsmakers Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:01:02 -0400 By Rebeldad Brian Reid I just returned from vacation, which seems to be an excellent opportunity for the kids to collect all manner of minor injuries. Maybe it was being out of the house and in a weird setting, maybe it was the total boycott on footwear, but we endured a great many scrapes, bumps, bruises and minor sunburns, raising the eternal question of when -- exactly -- parental first aid is needed and when the proper response is "suck it up." Around here, the rule is that we break out the Band-Aids only when there's blood and the ice packs only when there's an actual, physical bump. This seems to be the growing consensus, in part because "The Blessing of a Skinned Knee" has so eloquently outlined the lessons to be learned from a little pain now and again. Heck, even the idea of the hard-edged, slightly distant father http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/the_skinnedknee_conundrum.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/the_skinnedknee_conundrum.html Health Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:00:38 -0400 Ah, July. The weather in D.C. alternates between hot and sweltering. And about the only relief is to: a) stay indoors or b) swim All that time at pools and playing in water fountains means the kids get lathered with sunscreens, some of which contain ingredients I can't possibly pronounce. So, who else to turn to but a dermatologist for answers on what parents should look for in caring for their kids' skin? Dr. Adelaide Hebert, a professor of dermatology and pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston said almost any child warrants sunscreen with an SPF of 15. Fair- or light-skinned kids should wear a minimum of SPF 30. And if a parent is willing to go all the way up to SPF 45, go for it. That's even better. When examining sunscreens look for both UVA and UVB protections as well as the SPF level. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/sunscreen.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/sunscreen.html Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:00:29 -0400 The news is filled with lots of tidbits this week. So, for today, put your hand in the grab bag and pull a few out: First, the good news. Baby's first smiles are great for mom. Now, I'm fairly certain that most moms could've told you this without a study, but hey, science confirms it. When a mom sees her baby smile, it prompts a biological pleasure reaction in mom akin to the response derived from sex or food. The study, by scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine, appears in this month's Pediatrics. Also good news, though surprising for the scientists: A child's crying doesn't cause the corrollary negative effects of smiling. Instead, moms responded to all baby crying about the same. Now, the bad news. Crocs are STILL bad for kids. On June 4, a 3-year-old wearing Crocs got her foot caught in an escalator at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/grab_bag.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/grab_bag.html Babies Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:00:00 -0400 Before becoming mom, I made certain, shall we say, presumptions about my future children. They'd need glasses early, just like their dad and mom. They'd be adventurous eaters, not unlike mom and dad. And they'd be right-handed, again like mom and dad. Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong about the offspring. I was zero for three. I didn't really think too much about the kids' handedness until my oldest was about 6 months old. We were eating with my sister and her parents-in-law, when mom-in-law said that I'd better work on teaching little babe to grab with his right hand. "The world's made for right-handed people," she said. To make her point, she showed how silverware is placed at the table in a way that makes sense for righties. While some kids take three years to decide handedness, my first son came out knowing which hand he liked http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/lefties.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/lefties.html Elementary Schoolers Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:20:29 -0400 Salvia divinorum is not your average herb. But it is easy to grow and dangerous to ingest. And because it is easy and legal in many places to obtain, particularly over the Internet, it has developed a growing market in young adults. The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified the plant -- which goes by the names Maria Pastora, Sage of the Seers, Diviner's Sage, Salvia, Sally-D, Magic Mint -- as a drug of concern. This month, Virginia and Florida are joining a growing number of states including Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Tennessee, in adding Salvia to its controlled substance list. A 2006 national survey on drug use by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that 1.8 million people have used Salvia at least once. About 750,000 people used it in the past year. Salvia ranked second among hallucinogen usage behind Ecstasy for people http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/salvia.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2008/07/salvia.html Teens Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:00:49 -0400