One of the great pleasures I have as a parent is reading to my kids. My boys are getting a little older now, and their book tastes have started to change. No longer do they want to read Dr. Seuss and PD Eastman. They’ve started to become interested in some real classics. Of course, most [...]
I wrote an article a few months ago about baby products that I thought were pretty much useless. The products I listed were included mostly because I thought they could be replaced with cheaper alternatives. I wrote the article from the perspective of a person trying to save money. Today’s article takes a slightly different [...]
This is me giving a brief explanation of each grade level in the Hooked on Phonics product line (excluding preschool). This just happens to be a product for which I am a passionate advocate. Reading is not like some other subject that can slide by for a few years before picking up. Kids who don’t read [...]
Through the years we have gone through phases with our book reading. I sometimes find myself reading a particular book every day for a month. Then, the boys get sick of it and never request it again. But there are other books which seem to have a longer life cycle and which seem immune to [...]
I loved video games when I was a kid so it’s no surprise that my kids also love them. The problem with newer generation gaming though is selecting the right game. When I (we) were 6 years old the only games we had were Pac-Man, Defender, Pong, and other equally standard games; there are [...]
It’s summer time. Kids are outside all day playing at the pool or running around the neighborhood. And that makes it a good time to talk about sun protection. Kids aren’t conscious of their time in the sun and can easily get burned if parents are not on top of it. The good [...]
I‘ve already listed several (out of many) baby products which are a waste of money. Now it’s time for a few that are worth the expense. Being a great parent means sometimes accepting a little help. Help can come from family willing to babysit or assist with various other tasks and chores. But just [...]
When you’re finished reading this article, be sure to read the continuation, Unnecessary Baby Products – Part 2 New parents almost always make the mistake of buying a bunch of gadgets for their babies that are totally unnecessary. Having kids is pretty expensive; there’s no disputing that. But, adding another family member would be [...]
OK, fine, they don’t always suck. 1% of the time they have an emergency use. But, the other 99% of the time they are completely useless and a hindrance to proper parenting. Really, when was the last time you’ve ever seen someone make an emergency call on a cell phone? Parents use that excuse all the [...]
My kids have a room in our basement dedicated to their toys. They are allowed to do whatever they want there as long as they don’t kill each other or break glass. But, last year, I was surprised to find that they didn’t use it, it was just a big room full of toys – [...]
