Great Illustrated Classics

As The Hamster transitions from picture books to chapter books, it’s been a challenge to find, what I consider appropriate reading material. OK- it’s always been a challenge but, now it’s a new challenge.

As I see the chapter books others read to their kindergarteners, I’m somewhat dismayed by both language and content – Do I really want to be reading him stories about kids upsetting their teachers? What will he learn from that? How about stories filled with children eating candy and watching TV? Not that my DS doesn’t have a piece of candy here and there or watch TV on occasion but, not on a daily or even weekly basis.

Fortunately, in my quest for appropriate and even educational chapter books and…ones that he will also enjoy, I happened upon Great Illustrated Classics .

Though these are geared for read-alone 9 years old, they make great beginning chapter books for the pre-reading set. Though longer then traditional chapter books, they feature a picture on every other page, so keep young children’s interest and help them to follow, the sometimes complex stories.

The pictures, in general are not terribly violent, but I still preview prior to buying, especially those that appeal most to boys – King Arthur, Ivanhoe, The Call of the Wild. I also do, I admit, edit when I am reading from time to time, depending my DS’s familiarity with certain topics.

We read the Wizard of Oz in one sitting and followed that with The Three Musketeers, reading a bit each night. An added bonus is I look forward to reading them too – over and over, of course!

Best of all, I’ve been picking them up at Michael’s for $2.00-$3.00 a few at a time, though you can also buy them used for pennies on E-bay and Amazon.

There are of course many other, perhaps better illustrated classics for children but the combination of easy to read and easy to find works for me!

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Freebird

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Craft Time

On occasion I write about crafts on this site. It’s been a somewhat crafty week, so this is one of those occasions.

I spend the last week in the mountains on a ski trip with my friend Best and her almost 5-year-old. You can imagine the definition of ski trip is a bit fuzzy when it involves two almost 5-year-olds and two avid skier adults who have not skied in 6 years- do the math.

Despite a rather limited time on skis, we had an enjoyable time and pursued other favorite activities like reading, breaking up fights and making crafts. I should say, one old favorite activity, reading, and two new ones

As hard working singles, the craftiest pursuit that Best and I engaged in was make-up application, with perhaps a splash of home décor thrown in for fun. Now we knit, sew, crochet and felt. We make dolls and toys and scarves. We discuss needles and fabric and wool. We make things; often but, not long and not well.

A few years back I worked in marketing at a fairly large company that makes craft materials. As always, one of my favorite parts of the job was delving for statistics. At that time, late ‘90s there was a significant shift going on in the field. Where, in the ‘80s much of the crafting was being done by older, empty nesters, now younger women were engaging in craft hobbies. Now we see a significant turnaround

HIA’s 2000 study determined that craft and hobby participants are more likely to be married with children, more educated, with a higher income than non-crafters. Women in these households tend to be younger and employed part-time

Alas, I am hip again. Really hip. Sewing, knitting and crocheting have seen a resurgence in the US and the UK, driven in part by the Internet and the ability to actually get information.

Not quite mainstream hip, Best and I started handcrafts when our sons started attending Waldorf school. Waldorf schools believe in the importance of handcrafts, for two very important reasons. One, at very young ages, children watch parents engaged in meaningful work – that is, in actually making something. Secondly, Steiner believed that children learn through handwork.

The importance of handwork in the Waldorf curriculum is related to the dichotomy of the machine-made and the handmade product. The very imperfection of handmade goods is a mark of dignity and bears witness to the limitations that make the artisan-and all of us, by extension-human. When the first grader finger-crochets a circular mat, or when the sixth grader learns to cut a pattern and sew together a stuffed animal, mistakes inevitably arise and corrections and revisions are made. These provide lessons in humility-in the original sense of the word-derived as it is from humus, Latin for “earth.” The child’s experience of fallibility is an experience of her relationship to the rest of nature. It is this relationship, this connection that Steiner and other thinkers of his day realized the machine would alter. Also, the children experience in handwork class the absolute uniqueness of each human being. Given the same materials and the same instruction and employing the same methods, a class of fifteen children will create fifteen unique pieces of work.

And so I knit, sew and craft, much to the amusement of DH, our moms and my single friends. Much to the pleasure of The Hamster, who, somewhat erroneously believes I can make anything. As he grows and begins to make handcrafts himself, it will aid him in the learning process

The (HIA) study, Academic value of Hands-on Activities in Elementary School, concludes that hands-on craft projects are an effective means of teaching… and that students
develop both a greater appreciation for and understanding of what they are learning.

Mainstream or crunchy, it seems I’m on the right track.


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Ultimate Blog Party

This week The Ultimate Blg Party is being hosted at:

5 Minutes for Mom

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Felt Brief folio

Felt gift wrap - I sewed felt into this "brief-folio" type shape to wrap a costume.

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The Gift of Experience

My friend Tan doesn’t give gifts. She gives experiences. I learned this recently when she asked if she could take The Hamster to Medieval Timeswith her son to celebrate his birthday. Since her son’s birthday is right on the heels of the Hamster’s, I was a little confused. By the time I sorted this all out in my head, I was sold on the idea.

This, of course caused me to consider the aptness of this concept in our commercially driven world. If you house is anything like mine, mounds of toys occupy every corner. And in this age of the extravagant birthday party, “small” means at least 8- 10 more toys are likely to move in. If instead my DS enjoys a day out with a child he likes doing something special and I spend some precious time alone, we both appreciate the gift.

The beauty of this type of present is that it need not be expensive. There are many things my family enjoys that are totally unknown to my friends’ children. Unexpectedly allowing them to join in on our family traditions can be a wonderful treat.

So, instead of gifts, at the next few birthday parties we attend this year, I think The Hamster will be giving experiences. Should you wish to join us – here are some ideas!

1. A day at the zoo
2. Cooking/baking/sewing/knitting – whatever your skill
3. An obscure museum
4. The local amusement park
5. The fire station/ airport/port
6. The beach/pool/lake
7. Playing your family's sport
8. A professional/semi-pro sports game
9. Making something your family makes
10. Sleepover at your house
11. A visit to an ethnic or cultural event your family enjoys
12. A visit to a farm or ranch.
13. An introductory lesson in something neat - paid for by you!

More about the Thursday Thirteen meme.


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MP3 Player For Kids

I admit, when I first read that we can expect to see a full line of MP3 players targeted to infants, I was a bit confused. As I’ve mentioned before, toy makers believe that children are abandoning toys for gadgets at younger and younger ages…well, gee folks, aren’t you just helping them along?

As I read more, though, I became conflicted.

One the one hand, I’m increasingly concerned about “hooking up” our kids to electronic gadgets at earlier and earlier ages. Michael Bugeja, in his book Interpersonal Divide discusses the increasing,

"interpersonal divide" — the void that develops when we spend too much time in virtual rather than real communities, neglecting our primary relationships.

For very young children, this increased interaction with the “virtual” rather than the “real” may prevent them from actually developing real skills for interpersonal relationships…that is, interacting with other people face to face, rather than via e-mail, cell phone and…I guess, blog.

Are we really adding one more way for kids to entertain themselves (something every parent needs at least occasionally) or are we actually preventing them from developing these skills by inventing more and more ways for them to be entertained by themselves?

Regardless of whether the Mozart myth is true, we’ve always entertained The Hamster with music and story CDs. Since, my DS does not watch TV and only occasional movies; I’ve recently also become a fan of audio books. Smugly proud that I have been helping him to develop listening skills, now I wonder if I’m encouraging more passive entertainment. So, perhaps that's why the Waldorf philosophy eschews recorded music!

The new MP3 players, admittedly have cool features like volume control to protect tiny ears and kid friendly controls with pictograms for the pre-reading set. They certainly allow the parent more control than say, Radio Disney on what is being heard but, are these yet more gadgets that interfere with family interaction?

With a safe speaker design that does not require headphones, it can store up to 2 hours of music or stories. We don’t know about him learning ABC as yet, but he should have no problems mastering the controls.

read more digg story


Yes, he’s learning history from his Robin Hood CD but, as noted in Slate during the recent Baby Einstein uproar


....babies (children) learn much more rapidly from real life…


OK, Mom, turn off the story CD sometimes and READ to him.

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Marshall, my blogger friends and me

OK, for some reason discipline is the topic of the week. Do you ever get those days when everything you read or do is on one subject?

Two bloggers I read both posted on discipline this week: Reasons Why Parents should not Spank at Overwhelmed With Joy and 22nd Time Out at Experience Imagination.

Reading through the various comments was very interesting for me because this week I’ve been immersed in the topic.

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in my child development class discussing nonviolent parenting. As I have taken some courses in non-violent parenting, I was asked (coerced) to assist. I’ve posted thoughts on it on several other blogs and discussed it with my friends. You’d think I should be done with this topic.

I’m not.

Non-violent parenting, sounds like a class for parents that slap their kids around, not us. Well, maybe. Based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg from The Center for Non Violent Communication , these parenting classes focus on taking the principles of this philosophy, which they add, are nothing new, and mixing in child development knowledge.

In other words, learning and using compassionate communication and empathetic listening in the context of what a child can comprehend.

Actually, they have quite a lot of this evocative, but not necessarily clear language on their site. But, in class, the concepts come alive with a few simple analogies: Jackal Talk, Giraffe Talk and your vision for your child.

Incidentally, spanking’s not even on the table. Wait, don’t go – this about whether or not you spank your child. It’s about how you talk to him or her…just bear with me.

OK – here’s the idea. What’s your vision for your child? What do you want him or her to be?

Trusting
Independent
Kind
Good decision maker
Compassionate
Good communicator
Respectful

Now, what is the dominant parenting paradigm, in terms of language?

“My way or the highway”
“I don’t care what you think?’
“Because I said so”
“How many times do I have to tell you?”
“Because I’m the Mom”

That’s Jackel talk – harsh, no empathy or respect for child’s feelings

Here’s Giraffe talk

“I know you’d prefer that we do it your way; I understand”
“You think such and such; hmmm, it’s tough when you have to do what I ask”
“You’re asking me why we have to do something. It’s hard when I can’t really explain the reasons to you”
“I know it’s difficult for you to do what I ask sometimes”
“Because I love you”

Since, we’re all on a journey; we use Giraffe talk in our house…as much as possible. Sometimes we haven’t any idea what a Giraffe would say and the Jackal sneaks out. But, generally, we find that a calm voice (even when we’re boiling mad) is just as effective as an angry one.

Note, I don’t say MORE- it’s not more effective in getting what we want in the moment(it is about as effective - just takes longer) but, in the long term, we believe it will lead to our child growing into the adult we envision.

More non violent communication with children thoughts here .



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Antique Castle

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Eating healthy; eating out

My first few years with The Hamster were ones of smugly healthy eating – for him and me. Proud of my extended breastfeeding, organic baby food, mostly homemade and thoughtful take along snacks, I felt sure that nutritious eating would always be part of his life. Silly me.

Now at almost 5, with just a toe in the water of the real world, he is deluged by opportunities to forgo healthy eating. From lollipops at the bank to chocolate kisses at the post office to hard candy at the barbers, an errand running day turns into an exercise in sugar ingestion.

After several years of almost imperceptible head shaking, sometimes acknowledged, The Hamster caught on. He now watches me, not the purveyor of forbidden treats and complains loudly if I decline. I demure.

Struggling for balance I eventually developed, what I call, “The in and out” rule. In the house we eat healthy foods. Outside the house, just about anything goes…within limits, of course. If he is offered candy, cookies, cakes, preservative laden “fruit” snacks or a juice box, I generally allow him to have some but, not many. This sometimes means making a quick exit, but often he is satisfied with just one.

As his world expands, grocery shopping has become a bit more challenging. The mantra, “Mommy doesn’t buy candy; Mommy doesn’t buy that kind of fruit snack; they’re not healthy; Mommy doesn’t buy…” is mumbled monotonously throughout the trip, less often now, thankfully as, he is getting the message.

At home, healthy snacks are a part of life and, like any child; he is willing to live on snacks, rather than real food for days at a time. Fortunately, the contents of our pantry ease my conscience when I lazily allow him to do so.

What do I stock? Here are some of The Hamster’s favorite snacks.


1. Vegie Tray - Raw Carrots, broccoli, green beans and ranch dip

2. Organic Cheese sticks

3. Organic cereal bars

4. Fruit all kinds – strawberries, kiwi, grapes, oranges, mangos, bananas, blueberries

5. Baked chips - Pita Chips, veggie chips, tortilla chips

6. Crackers – Annies’ Organic gold bunnies are his favorite

7. Frozen Yogurt pops – he won’t eat yogurt, so I freeze the squeeze kind (organic, low sugar)

8. Olives

9. Frozen organic waffles

10. Fruit Leather – the all fruit, no added sugar kind

11. Dried fruit - cranberries, apricots, apples, cherries

12. Nuts all different kinds

13. Lots of seeds – Sunflower, pumpkin, etc.

Most of these I purchase at Trader Joe’s, though traditional grocery stores are carrying more and more variety. And, I make minor exceptions on Halloween, Christmas, Easter and other candy giving holidays (aren’t they all?)

This seems to work for us. What works for you?

Check out mindful momma's post on this topic too!

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Druids?

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I've been Nominated

I know that many of the bloggers I read have been nominated for awards. I know they usually write a humble yet pleased post about the nomination. I know they gracefully and politely ask that you vote for their entry.

Darned if I can find them when I need them!

So, without the benefit of my mentors' examples, I will wing it.

I humbly ask you to check out my nomination at GNMparents.com for this post .

Please vote for The Not Quite Crunchy Parent's, "Appreciate it or Not; I love you"...that is, if you liked it ;-) ...if not, vote for someone else, it's OK, I won't mind.


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My Love Affair with Felt

Despite my crunchy tendencies, I lack the skills to be considered a “crafty type”. I rely on my blogger friend over at Echos of a Dream and various, generally Waldorf Type, books for many of my ideas. My friend, Crystal, though not quite crafty herself, supplies me with most of my quick and easy ideas. With three under 5, if it’s not quick and easy, she’d never get it done. One awesome idea was felt.

As a teen who flunked sewing class, I’ve always been a bit leery of any craft which required patterns, needles and large machines with thread. However, having run through my non-existent trust fund years ago, and the parent of a child with an intense interest in pretend play, I’ve found felt and a $30 sewing machine purchased at Rite-Aid, meets most of our costuming needs.

You see, felt is available in large rolls in many colors, is easy to sew and…doesn’t need to be hemmed!

Eschewing patterns, whenever The Hamster requests an accessory for his pretend play, I roll out my felt, lay him down in the approximate position and get out the chalk. Picture books to supply approximate ideas and a rudimentary knowledge of darning seem to get me by. This year we’ve made a Viking Ship Felt bag, a quiver for a Robin Hood costume, Knight’s armor, a fish tail and, in progress, is a Giant Squid costume.

For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas visit Rocks in my Dryer.


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Science Toys at Toy Fair

One of the major trends apparent at this year’s Toy Fair in NYC city seems to be science kits. Even at 4, almost 5, The Hamster loves science, devouring Magic School Bus chapter books,(I suppose I should say, “being fed”, as I am doing the reading) and pouring over our collection of Usbourne science books.

The CNET reporter covering the show speculates that this interest in science stems from the popularity of TV shows, targeted to both children (Spy Kids) and adults (Grey’s Anatomy) and the über parents bent on building a super child. Whatever. Get them experimenting!

Many of this year’s science toys are manufactured by established school supply and educational products companies. A few mainstream science suppliers though, seem to be getting into the act. This can only be a good thing. I’d much rather my DS use an inexpensive version of the real thing than a brightly colored plastic version.

I not too sure, though, about the Steve Irwin action figure, plush and toy line. Though it is sponsored by the Irwin family and the Australia Zoo, purportedly to promote wildlife awareness and protection, it smacks a bit of commercialism and carries the ubiquitous contribution to charity. As a marketer, I know appealing to parents’ altruistic side while pleasing their kids is a sure winner. Never-the- less, I like Wild Republic products and would be happy to support this, if my DS even knew who Steve Irwin was.


We can expect to see these toys in store this Spring. I can hardly wait.


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Where are the "Toys" at Toy Fair?

I spent this morning reading through a variety of articles and press releases on Toy Fair, which starts in NYC this week. Though I have not attended the toy industry's annual fest in a few years, my clearest memories are of hundreds of frozen roses in The Time Square Marriott’s lobby, sent to the female marketers (me included) and sales people stuck at a trade show on Valentine’s Day.

At Toy Fair, toy manufacturers, theoretically, introduce their new products to US retailers. In reality, major players (Wal-mart, Toys R Us) have seen them and passed blessing months earlier. So it becomes a media and smoozing event for the big players and a desperate attempt by small and new manufacturers to reach out to the ever dwindling supply of independent toy retailers.

This year’s toy offering, according to the industry press, follows the general trend of more electronics, more licensed products and the marketing of more adult oriented products to children.

In keeping with the general trend toward "age compression" or KGOY (industry shorthand for "kids getting older younger"), toy manufacturers will be introducing a host of adult technologies aimed at small children -- including kid-friendly laptops, graphics tablets, digital cameras and a host of other high-tech items.


While toy manufacturers capitalize on the ever cheaper cost of inserting electronics into toys that children use, generally while seated, we face an epidemic rise in obesity in children. Fortunately Fischer Price seems to have the answer, the Richard Simmons “Smart cycle” stationary bike for kids, with interactive video game. Phew, and I thought my only option was to actually get him outside to enjoy riding his bike in the fresh air!


While much of what is to be offered to harried parents this year seems fairly predictable, electronic laden versions of traditional toys and figurines based on movie characters Mattel’s new, Myscene Growing up Glam, doll strikes me as a little too realistic. By twisting a dial, the flat-chested, Barbie type doll grows an inch taller and sports budding breasts. The idea is to keep girls, who in this day and age, abandon dolls in favor of iPods around the age of ten, playing with them longer. Do y’all think this will work? Or, will we now have 5- year-olds yearning to grow breasts?

So it seems we face yet another year of the vicious circle, kids clamoring for toys heavily advertised on TV, by manufacturers convinced that this is what kids want. Maybe it is what they want. Maybe it’s what they want because it’s heavily advertised. Either way, it sure isn’t good for them in heavy doses.

You give them a choice between playing with an electronic thing on a computer and a pile of Lego bricks, and a lot of Ph.Ds will tell you it's better for them to play with the Lego bricks," says Kutoka's Vincent. "But they'll take the computer."

Despite that dour prediction, some of my favorite mass market manufacturers of wooden and natural toys will be present. Melissa and Doug, Alex and Guidecraft all will be exhibiting and hopefully will have great offerings that don’t require batteries. I'll keep you posted.


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Danger! Weapons, and boys

There comes a point in every Mother of boy’s life when she begins to weaken on the subject of weapons. For some, sisters of boys, those with a handle on gender differences and the unconcerned, this comes sooner rather than later. As a member of the neurotic, over involved parent society, this has come to me just recently.

Despite my tendency to favor books featuring weapons (crime novels and mysteries) as an active pacifist, I advocated a “no weapons” rule for my DS. By the time the Hamster turned two, this had changed to a “swords only” rule and then, later, an “if you make it” you can have it but, I’m not buying it” rule. It now seems that too has fallen by the wayside.

The Hamster is currently enamored of Robin Hood and spends his time recently listening to his Robin Hood CD, bugging my DH to watch clips from old Robin Hood movies with him, “reading” his Robin Hood books and avidly discussing the inconsistencies of the different versions of the story with his best friends. This has naturally led to acting out the story with his Playmobil figures and dressing the part. There comes the rub…Robin Hood has weapons.

Of course, DH by this time is in favor of allowing him weapons. DH abhors electronic, light up fantasy guns but, smiled effusively when we came home yesterday with a wooden dagger, an unusual reaction for him when we bring home yet another toy.

So it seems I have caved. Really caved, as I then acceded to The Hamster’s request to help him make a bow out of Tinker Toys and a rubber band and then whip up a quiver on my sewing machine for the Tinker Toy arrows. He spent the evening proudly strutting around the house, arrow filled quiver attached by a playcord on his back, and dagger on his belt.

This for me, of course, leads to niggling feelings of self-doubt and pondering, “So, what is my rule NOW!” Fortunately this morning, I happened upon a Post discussing a new book, The Dangerous Book for Boys. While most articles in the mainstream discuss the risk taking focus of this book; I focused on DrHelen’s comment:


The authors make no secret of their belief in the magically beneficial effects of children making their own fun.


Now this is a concept I can back. The book, apparently lists items every boy needs to start along that path of creating his own fun and declares that old fashioned boy activities have a place in today’s video/cell phone/ Game boy world.

What every boy should have to hand to hand:

· Swiss Army knife - removes splinters
· Compass - your trusty guide
· Handkerchief - doubles as a sling
· Magnifying glass - look at small things, start a campfire
· A marble - big one, for luck
· Needle and thread - to sew up wounds, mend torn shirt
· Pencil and paper - note down criminals' car numbers
· Torch - read secret plans by night
· Fish-hook and thread - add stick and worm and you won't starve
· Box of matches - dip the tips in wax (it waterproofs them)


I notice that Tinkertoy arrows and felt quivers don’t make the list, but then again, this book is targeted to a middle school crowd. Perhaps the list might be modified for preschoolers, though that still means I must rethink my rule.

For now, I’ll stick with a modified version of “If you make it, you can have it.” But, add in “…perhaps I’ll buy it if it’s wood and has historical value.” Obviously, this is a work in process.


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This is Age Appropriate?

I was inspired to write this post by one made by scribbit earlier this week after she reviewed a comic book. The ensuing discussion revolved around age appropriate images and the penchant of comic book authors to draw super heroines with 40 double Ds.

As a marketing professional, with 20 plus years in the business, including a substantial amount of time marketing products to children, I’m keenly aware of the trends in marketing to children. And, now that I am a parent, more than a little concerned. Whether it is comic books, movies or licensed toys, the trend in the industry is to target younger. That is, as marketers grapple to find larger and larger markets for their products, they target younger and younger.

Marketing young children toys that are based on restricted movies and Mature rated video games is a common industry practice. A report in 2000 by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission exposed how the media industries actively target young children with violent entertainment meant for adults. Among their findings was the fact that action toys, based on characters from video games rated Teen and Mature, were labelled suitable for children (sometimes as young as 4 or 5 years old).

If you had a niggling feeling that you were not exposed to this kind of content as a child…you were right. While we often blithely accept the suggested ages recommended on packages, assuming manufacturers have our best interests at heart, they operate by a different set of rules.

In general, toy manufacturers must meet toy safety guidelines that include – no small pieces in products manufactured for children under 3 and not sharp edges for children under 8 years old. But, and this is a big one – foreign manufacturers and online retailers, need not include that information.

Even more disturbing are the guidelines, or lack of, for marketing of age appropriate content. The Gore (Tipper) and Clinton (Hillary) team have made some progress over the last 10 years in establishing guidelines that, at least address the most violent and sexually explicit video games, movies and music, by establishing SELF-REGULATORY guidelines. That is, manufacturers are not bound by these guidelines but, rather encouraged to comply.

Alas, annual FTC reports continue to find a high degree of non compliance. And, this does not even address the trickle down of this type of marketing to other children’s products, including comic books, toys and clothing.The result:

The ubiquitous nature of sexual imagery and content has "de-sensitized parents" to its impact on children, who don't understand much of it and sometimes even find it scary, Levin said. Parents "have come to accept such sexualized content as Britney Spears, Bratz dolls and professional wrestling females as a regular part of even young children's environment."

While parents do have some good resources , it’s a dizzying array, sponsored by a variety of socially conscious organizations, not the government and not the industry. What’s a parent to do?

In my home, we rely on constant vigilance, active previewing and minimal purchases. Since this can be somewhat exhausting, as well as unrealistic, we have developed a simpler system. I’m immediately suspicious of books, movies, videos, toys and anything else developed prior to 1975.

Simple, but it works

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Appreciate it or not- I love You!

If you have read the book, The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell, you are familiar with the concept of giving children the type of love they most appreciate.

According to the authors, the five ways to give love are as follows.

physical touch
affirmative words
gifts
acts of service
quality time

As a parent, it often seems that gifts are the highest priority on most children’s lists, especially after a trip to Target.

While I firmly believe that being aware of the way your child most appreciates being loved, is important, any parent knows that we love them in other ways that are not appreciated in the moment, but that they may appreciate later. ..or maybe not. Thus follows the conflict between doing what your child wants and doing your job as a parent.

As a not quite crunchy parent, here are some of the ways that I love my child, rather he appreciates it or not!

1. Limiting media
2. Buying no candy - he gets enough from others
3. Serving water as the drink of choice
4. Eschewing licensed toys, clothes and books (usually)
5. Limiting toy weapons to those developed prior to the industrial age
6. Buying Playmobil figures rather than action figures
7. Saving trips to MacDonalds for emergency situations
8. Previewing DVDs with a hawk eye for inappropriate content
9. Offering organic cereal bars instead of cookies for snacks
10.Not allowing him Lego Bionicle until he is older
11.Pretending it is impossible for us to have television reception –