Category: parenting

Farewell to kindergarten; ‘We’ll always have recess’

June 21, 2013

Kindergarten graduation. Complete with mortar boards and diplomas. Audience packed with parents, grandparents and friends. What’s more, shout-outs for certain students when their name is called to be awarded the kindergarten completion certificate. (Squeezing my voice into its best Walter Brennan-like drawl:) “In my day, we didn’t have kindergarten gradge-ee-ations. When you said somebody gradge-ee-ated you … More Farewell to kindergarten; ‘We’ll always have recess’

Take a bow: Parent’s social media blackmail scheme backfires (and the good guys win)

June 17, 2013

 Call it the case of the dance recital reboot and the Facebook blackmail. Rewind: Every time a parent would describe how their child was grievously wronged or unfairly mistreated during an organized activity, I could feel my eyes trying to roll. “Pull-eaze! It’s just a game / classroom contest or some other competition that inevitably leaves someone feeling … More Take a bow: Parent’s social media blackmail scheme backfires (and the good guys win)

Hey, kids: Just in case it slipped your mind, I’m Emmalee’s Dad

June 5, 2013

Sunday afternoon. Emmalee has staked out a claim on the kitchen floor — the only place that could be considered as open space in our house right now — to do an art project, she announces. “I need glitter,” she says, making it clear no mere crayon or colored pencil will suffice. I’m sitting at … More Hey, kids: Just in case it slipped your mind, I’m Emmalee’s Dad

Kids’ TV ads: Burials, lawyers, cellular service, men’s hair coloring …

June 2, 2013

We don’t watch much children’s programming on television, and when we do it’s 30 minutes or so of Qubo in the morning (which leaves me longing for the days before Emmalee said she outgrew Sesame Street — but that’s another story). Perhaps someone can explain to me the selection of ads that run in the morning … More Kids’ TV ads: Burials, lawyers, cellular service, men’s hair coloring …