“How many can I have?” G asked.
When throwing a successful party for teenaged boys,… more
Archive for the ‘Children's Books’ Category
1
Hop on Pop…Extreme!
By Daddy Clay Friday, December 7th, 2012
What have I done to deserve this violence?
I have been a loving and affectionate father to my youngest son. In his eight years, I have read to him and tucked him in at night. I have driven him to sports events and cheered him on. I have helped to prepare his meals, wash his clothes and clean his room.
And yet nothing makes this child more gleeful than cleaning out my snot locker with a blind-sided throw-pillow roundhouse. The pained exhalation I produce when he drops a pointy elbow into my spleen makes him positively cackle. He giggles himself into a hiccuping fit with every rabbit punch, body slam, and charlie horse he delivers. Read the rest of this entry »
I Am Not a Paid Endorser of the Final Harry Potter Movie
By Daddy Clay Monday, June 6th, 2011
Reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone aloud to your kids before bed is pure magic. You go into the child’s room, begin to read, and when you emerge all the dirty dishes have disappeared. That’s why I read that book to all three of my kids.
But that’s not the only reason. I also like showing off. I deploy character voices and accents. And, unlike my adult peers, the children think my Irish accent is “spot-on.” You should hear my characters — Hagrid is a gruff pirate prone to shouting loud enough to wake the other kids, the Weasleys all have a charming Australian/Cockney thing going on, and Mr. Dursley is an almost spooky homage to Fawlty Towers-era John Cleese.
I’ve gotten so good at it, that my youngest only has to stop me a few times a night to ask “who is that talking?” I particularly struggle to differentiate the bad guys: Snape, Mr. Malfoy and Voldemort all sound like Vincent Price with laryngitis. Read the rest of this entry »
Parenting News: Sleep, Children’s Book Parody, Chemicals in Baby Products, Premature Birth, College Kids
By Dad News Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Six Big Kid Sleep Problems: Parents often think kids’ sleep problems are over once their babies slumber through the night, but at least a quarter of school-age children have nighttime troubles, says Gregory Stores, M.D., emeritus professor of developmental neuropsychiatry at Britain’s University of Oxford. (CNN.com)
‘Go the F*%$ to Sleep’ Proves a Popular Lullaby with Bleary-Eyed Adults: “It’s pretty wild,” said Adam Mansbach, the 34-year-old author who was inspired to write the book “for fun” last year based on the “grueling” experience of putting his then 2-year-old daughter to sleep. (LATimes.com)
Chemical Suspected in Cancer Is in Baby Products: More than 30 years after chemical flame retardants were removed from children’s pajamas because they were suspected of being carcinogens, new research into flame retardants shows that one of the chemicals is prevalent in baby’s products made with polyurethane foam, including nursing pillows, car seats and highchairs. (NYTimes.com)
A Blood Test to Predict Premature Birth Could Hit the Market Next Year: Doctors historically have had little luck predicting which women will deliver early, but now a new study presents a way to detect more than 80% of preterm births ahead of time, with a second-trimester blood test. (TIME.com)
Families Adjusting to College Kids Home for Summer: Summer at home — so often eagerly awaited by the students, their parents and siblings — is often a mixed-up time of happy reunions, unexpected challenges and weird new family dynamics as not-quite adult kids return temporarily to the nest. (ABC News)
“Monday Is One Day” Children’s Book Giveaway – 4/25
By Dad News Friday, April 15th, 2011
Monday Is One Day
We’ve got another great giveaway for a few of our viewers. Three lucky winners will receive a copy of “Monday Is One Day” by Arthur A. Levine. It’s a great children’s book where working parents count the work week days one by one until the weekend arrives and the family gets to spend more time together.
It’s unique in that it features a variety of family types and geographic areas (single and married, black and white, gay and straight, urban and rural). Julian Hector’s colorful illustrations are another highlight. Read the rest of this entry »
