Meadowdale County Park
Gia at the Science Center
Forget You: My wife turned our girls onto Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You,” a song that tells “this girl” to bugger off. There’s also the original, titled “F*** You” (see Profanity Policy). Our daughters loved the song and so my wife downloaded it onto her I-Pad. However, she did not know about the two versions, and you can guess what happened. After listening to Cee Lo chant “F*** You,” rather than erase the song and download the other, the girls kept wanting to listen. So we used this as an opportunity to teach about profanity. Good idea?
Kaya Learns the Alphabet
Why the “F” Is “F” Wrong? Soon Ava’s walking around the house, humming the song, and then she drops the F-Bomb. Now I’ve been known to play ICP, Geto Boys, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Richard Cheese doing Nine Inch Nails, and Kid Rock, but I avoid planting F-Bombs amidst kids, though I’m guilty of lapsing. It’s tough to explain the ethical implications of “F***” to a nine, seven, and five year old. At least the girls haven’t let the word slip at school…so far.
Chope-Dog
Kaya’s Nasty Tooth: Recently Kaya had a wiggly tooth, her first, and she heard about this fairy that drops a dollar underneath her pillow. We told her to be sure and save the tooth. That afternoon we took her to Time 4 Kids, and when we picked her up she said she lost her tooth. Where was it? She swallowed it. Swallowed? Yes. Kaya explained, “Later it come out my poo!”
Wet Gia
Playing the Gay Game of Life: Gia, Ava, & Elliot are playing Life, and Elliot reaches the point where he gets a spouse, namely, a pink peg to sit next to his blue one. Gia tells Elliot he can choose a boy or girl, a pink or blue, for a spouse, and that it’s okay if he wants to marry a boy. Elliot screams, “That’s gross!” Wow, kids acting lack the old generation, what a switch.
Photo of the Month:
Summer Comes Soon
Notes of a Sexist Stay-at-home Father 
I had a similar “Life” experience with Maylin a few years ago. The first time we played and got to the point of her choosing a spouse I had a stream of thoughts which concluded with me not wanting to assume or even promote the “default” of her choosing a blue peg for her spouse. I simply asked her which one she wanted to choose. For now she chooses blue 🙂 obviously the default is the example she sees most in her life. I still feel better that I have let her know the choice is hers.
We have a policy in our house that if I let fly the F word, I get my pens taken away. At least, that used to work. Dain finally figured out that I had a secret stash of pens. Now he knows to demand compensation; consequences, should I fail to bargain, are not worth what’s at stake with Mom, which he knows very well.