Words With Toddlers

Words With Toddlers

In certain situations, say, a dinner party, or a funeral, conventional wisdom holds that some subject matter is off-limits. Some topics are just a tad more provocative than others and have a tendency to cause unnecessary tension when broached.

It’s better for everyone if typically contentious or potentially divisive topics are avoided, such as: politics; religion; a fondness for the Yankees; an appreciation for the Red Hot Chili Peppers; money.

There are no guarantees those topics will raise any hackles with your specific company, but they are more likely to than others. So it’s usually best to stay away.

The same holds true when you’re in the company of toddlers.

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Pop Vulture

Pop Vulture

A lot of things have changed since I became a father. I drink less, I curse less, I sleep less…

Of course, many of those things likely would have been changing anyway, by virtue of age and maturity age. So my son doesn’t get all the blame, not in those instances.

He does, however, get all the blame for the alarming shift in my pop culture habits.

Altering the media you consume because you are a parent might seem like a minor thing to some people, especially pretentious snobs who don’t own computers and don’t watch TV, and obnoxious jerks who pretend they don’t own a computer or watch TV. But for me, it’s a big deal.

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Trick or Beat!

Trick or Beat!

Every morning, when we ask my son what he wants to wear today, he says “Gabba!”

Every day. No matter that we’re deep into fall and his “Yo Gabba Gabba” shirt has short sleeves. He wants to wear it every day. I kind of suspect that he thinks “Gabba” means “clothes.”

“What do you want to wear today?”
“Clothes!”
“You got it, kid!”

But this Halloween, we took him at his word and went one further with his request. He wore a full-fledged DJ Lance Rock costume.

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Zombie Post: Halloween and a Hurricane

Zombie Post: Halloween and a Hurricane

So you may have heard about the hurricane nor’easter tornado blizzard thing we had the other day. Here in CT – where we’re staying until next week’s move down south – we lost power Monday afternoon and, thanks to some unique circumstances (tree fall, wires down, electric meter destroyed), look to be power-free for aRead more about Zombie Post: Halloween and a Hurricane[…]

Cutting the Cable Cord

Cutting the Cable Cord

We got rid of cable.

The summer is the perfect time to cancel. We don’t watch reality shows, we don’t watch USA’s oh-so-breezy summer programming…and not much else is on until fall, when, according to the last few commercials I saw, electricty disappears and hack jokes about guys having to be parents – THE HORROR! – are all the rage.

Except for Breaking Bad, there’s not much I can’t wait for.

The stuff I am gonna miss without TV? Sports, filler, and the kids programming. Oh wait, we have plenty of kids programming. No shortage of inane, annoying, loud, bright, anthropomorphized animals and songs about brushing your teeth here.

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