I Swear That Toddler is Not Listening to Me!

Here is one possible reason found at Science Digest:

"For parents who have found themselves repeating the same warnings or directions to their toddler over and over to no avail, new research from the University of Colorado at Boulder offers them an answer as to why their toddlers don't listen to their advice: they're just storing it away for later."

The WebKinz Party

Last Friday I was part of a Webkinz Party at a library. My role was to manage the
"Paint the Fence" game. Prior to participating in the event, I had a vague understanding of the Webkinz "movement" and had to search the Web for information to prepare for the party.

In all my planning, I still wasn't prepared for the high-energy level of the kids at the party. The kids repeated roamed through the seven activities. I found it difficult to understand why "glorified-beany babies" were receiving such attention.

There was one comical moment for me when a little guy related how happy he was to receive the prize for painting the fence, and I noticed that he was missing two front teeth. I'm not sure what it says about me that I find kids with missing teeth hilarious.

I found it interesting watching whether a parent chose to help or not help a child playing games. In some instances I found it sad to see some parents not giving children time to work through missteps and instead playing the game for the children.

Changing Times

Today I went to see the movie Watchmen. The picturesque quality of the movie was complimented by the music, which lprompted me to research the lyrics of one of Bob Dylan's songs used in the movie. Here is the part of the lyrics that highlights ideas that I often ponder:

The Times They Are A-Changin'

...Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.