Over the past few years, I have watched more Jon & Kate Plus 8 than I care to admit. The wifey got me into it a few years ago. It's not like we watch every episode, but it always seems to be on, and we get sucked in by something cute one of the kids says (like "I got to hit the tiñata."). Initially, I thought watching it made for pretty good birth control. Then Lucy came along and I began thanking my lucky stars that there weren't five more of her in there. Now that I'm doing more of the grocery shopping, I am bombarded by the tabloids alerting me to the latest "scoop" on this couple now …
Adults Are Ruining Everything
Adultitis in the NFL
The other day Jason was watching football, the Patriots vs. the Cardinals. It was on of those super snowy games that are a hoot to watch, especially when the fans throw up snowballs after a touchdown. I was paying attention out of the corner of my eye, while feeding Lucy, when Wes Welker scored a touchdown and proceeded to fall to the ground to make a snow angel. This caught my attention. Very fun! I was shocked to hear that seconds later the officials gave Welker a 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Eventually he was also slapped with a $10,000 fine. Adultitis alert! …
EA #38: Are Adults Ruining Halloween?
In this episode of the Escape Adulthood Show, brought to you from studio 315 in Madison, Wisconsin, we talk about adults who are ruining Halloween, how the economy is affecting things, and a restaurant that is serving snake on its holiday menu. We also read some fun and funny Halloween memories submitted by listeners. Just click "Play" to listen to the show... …
The Root of the Problem
How old were you when you did your first stress-relieving deep breathing exercise? The NBC station in Charleston, SC recently did a story on the way a local middle school is reacting to the stress levels of their students. They now provide weekly announcements which include deep breathing and positive thinking exercises. Students of every age are feeling pressure too from high homework loads, to overscheduled days. Cardiologist Dr. John Kennedy says 'we all have stress in our lives so if you can teach kids to manage it early, we can protect them from the chronic problems of stress later in …
Goodbye, Strawberry Shortcake
I'll admit it. My aunt Sarah (three years my senior) had a pretty vast collection of Strawberry Shortcake dolls (I mean action figures.) If I had to count how many times I begged her to play with them, I'd surely be up in the millions. They were so cute...so colorful...so smelly (in a completely irresistible sort of way.) And now American Greetings has decided to ruin Strawberry Shortcake and her sweet-smelling pals forever. In the old "Hey, let's give this classic character a face lift to appeal to the young kids" saw, Strawberry Shortcake now wears makeup, prefers fresh fruit to …
Strangers in Your Kid’s Bedroom
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I'm sure I'll make a bunch of people angry, but I'm sorry. That's about the only word I can think of to describe what I think about parents who let their kids have televisions in their bedroom. …
5 Dangerous Things Your Kids Should Do
Gever Tulley is the co-founder of the Tinkering School, a weeklong camp where lucky kids get to play with their very own power tools. He's interested in helping kids learn how to build, solve problems, use new materials and hack old ones for new purposes. He gave a short speech at a TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference. The speech was titled "5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do." Some of the suggestions? Play with fire. Throw a spear. Own a pocket knife. The current trend, suggests Tulley, is that the end goal of well-meaning adults is to round every corner and …
Let’s Blame Santa for Childhood Obesity
Well, I guess it was only a matter of time. Something had to be done. You see, kids are fatter than ever. And they're only getting fatter. Of course, we can't address the primary cause of the problem (parenting) because it is nearly impossible to question people's parenting skills -- it's a touchy issue that can make the abortion debate look like a civilized afternoon tea. Since we can't make parents be better parents (which might include doing stuff like making sure their kids don't sit in front of a video game for hours on end every day, putting a stop to the purchase of piles of junk …
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Grandparents Getting Jipped
(Warning: This is a Dr. Phil style rant that I just need to get out.) I feel sorry for grandparents these days. Many are getting jipped out of enjoying their hard-earned role as the "fun adults" in their grandkid's lives. So many grandparents are forced to be very "parental," playing a major role in disciplining their grandkids. This was not the case a few generations ago, when grandparents were allowed to spoil the kids rotten... which is how it should be! Yesterday in church we sat a few rows behind a grandma (about 65) and her five-year-old grandson. The boy's parents were not with …
Busy: The New Four Letter Word
Everyone is busy. Enough already. Do you find yourself unknowingly getting thrown into the "busyness" contest? Whether it's at work, with family or acquaintances, people start talking about how busy they are. Before you know it you, too, are spouting how little time you have. For some reason, it seems like the busiest person wins. What a twisted and damaging conversation. I am unofficially making "busy" a bad word, in order to avoid the trap of, not only the aforementioned conversation, but mostly the mentality. It's poisonous. The funny thing is that everyone has the same amount of …