Episode 127
Notes
[Cue Episode Synth Voice]
[Cue extra lead-in “Prod Impress a
chick”]
[Cue Intro v5]
Banter: Hello and welcome to the low-blood-sugar
daddycast! Hope everyone survived the
over-indulgent Valentines Day observance.
My son came home with a bag of stuff that rivaled his Halloween take,
lemme tell ya.
It was
truly amazing. In my day, which I realize was long long ago, less than an Eon,
but certainly last century, we gave out little cards not much bigger than a
postage stamp. Now, kids are passing out
‘be my valentine electric greeting cards that light up and sing, disposable
cameras, bags and bags of candy – now I’m sure this just makes the Kindergarten
teacher sooo happy…having all these kids hyped up on sugar!
As for me
and my beloved bride, we spent the afternoon in a quaint little hamlet called
Solvang. S O L V A N G. Just Google Solvang – I’m sure there are lots
of pictures. The town was settled by
Danish farmers, who wanted to bring a little bit of
We are
chock full o’ daddycast, so lets roll…
[Cue News_Theme]
Headlines: Americans
Prefer to Leave Child's Sex to Chance, Tweens Savvy About Savings, Toddler Takes
Test Drive, Singing may Soothe Sick Kids. Child Attacked by Bed, and more, after this…
[Cue “alien break1”]
[Cue PSA “Jug Head”]
[Cue News_Bulletin]
[Cue Synth News Intro]
News:
Americans Prefer to Leave Child's
Sex to Chance – Story #1
Newswise -
Most people would not choose the sex of their child if given the option,
according to a new nationwide survey. The study is the first to examine the
demand and preferences for sex selection among the
"We
found that only 8 percent of people would use pre-implantation sex selection
for non-medical reasons," said Dr. Tarun Jain, assistant professor of
reproductive endocrinology and infertility at
The
findings, published in the February issue of the journal Fertility and
Sterility, are the result of a cross-sectional, web-based survey of 1,197
people (587 men and 610 women) between 18 and 45 years old.
In the
study, 77 percent of people who wanted more than one child indicated they
either preferred an equal number of boys and girls or had no preference as to
the sex of their children.
Pre-conception
sex selection using sperm-separation technology is currently available in the
The
marketing and increased availability of the technology poses moral, legal and
social issues. Some fear that sex selection may disrupt the natural sex ratio,
contribute to gender stereotyping and discrimination, and hasten a trend toward
"designer babies."
"So
far, all of the ethical discussions about sex selection have focused on 'what
if' scenarios without any legitimate data," Jain said. "This study
should provide a legitimate framework to better lead the discussion about the
realistic implications of sex selection technology."
Sperm
separation requires patients to provide a sperm sample and undergo an average
of three to five cycles of intrauterine insemination at a fertility center, at
a cost of approximately $2,500 per attempt.
The survey
found that while the majority of respondents would not choose the sex of their
child under these trying conditions, most would still not use the technology
even under less demanding circumstances.
Only 12
percent would use sex selection technology if it were available in any doctor's
office, if it required only a single cycle of intrauterine insemination, and if
it were covered by health insurance.
Even if it
were possible to choose the sex of a child simply by taking a "blue
pill" for a boy or a "pink pill" for a girl, only 18 percent of
respondents indicated they would do so. The rest were opposed or undecided.
…We learned
my son’s sex from an exam that our health plan said we “needed” because of my
wife’s age. My son was at a ‘high risk’
of Down’s syndrome because of my wife’s age.
The doctors also recommended performing an amniocentesis because of the
risk of birth defects. I asked “what do
we do with the information? What if
there are birth defects?”. The doctor
was rather taken aback by that question.
I knew what that info was for – to decide to abort the pregnancy. We respectfully declined that procedure,
thank you very much. And they tried to
make us sign a form stating we declined!
There are some things that you just shouldn’t know. The natural process has worked pretty well
over the centuries…populations are still growing, right? I think meddling in the sex of your kids WILL
throw out the balance of the sexes. Its
happening in
Feds Recommend Warnings on ADHD
Drugs – Story #2
By ANDREW
BRIDGES, The Associated Press
The
proposed "black box" warning would inform doctors, patients and
parents of the uncertainty regarding the risk the drugs may pose to the
cardiovascular system. The warnings could be rescinded if future studies fail
to definitely establish any risk, officials said.
The
surprise recommendation has caught the Food and Drug Administration off guard.
The regulatory agency isn't obliged to follow the advice of its outside panels
of experts but it generally does. Its
first move probably will be to ask another of its advisory committees to study
the issue further in March.
The FDA
also may undertake short-term studies into the effect of the drugs on blood
pressure, heart rate and the heart muscle itself, said Dr. Peter Gross,
chairman of the FDA's Drug Safety and Risk Management advisory committee, which
eventually did outline its thoughts on how to study the drugs.
First,
however, the committee voted 8-7 to recommend requiring black box warnings on
methylphenidates, which are sold as Ritalin, Concerta, Methylin and Metadate. Ritalin is made by Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Corp.; Concerta by Johnson & Johnson; Methylin by Mallinckrodt
Pharmaceuticals; and Metadate by UCB. The
labels for the stimulants Adderall and Adderall XR, both amphetamines made by
Shire Pharmaceuticals, have included the warnings since 2004.
An earlier
15-0 vote was to recommend the drugs include a medication guide for patients
and parents. There was one abstention on each of the late Thursday votes.
An FDA
review of its own databases found reports of 25 deaths in children and adults
treated with the increasingly popular medicines. The deaths occurred between
1999 and 2003. The review also detailed 54 cases of serious cardiovascular
problems, including heart attack, stroke, hypertension, palpitations and
arrhythmia. The FDA said the few studies
that have looked at longer-term use of ADHD drugs provide little information on
those types of risks.
…It reminds
me of those commercials for toenail fungus, where the side effects are so much
more severe than the disease. “Side
effects include permanent liver damage, heart attack, stroke, and sudden death
– but take this pill for clearer, healthier looking nails for those days when
you wanna wear those open-toed sandals in public”.
I’ve
covered the topic of ADHD a lot on this show.
There are lots of reasons kids don’t behave well in class – ADHD isn’t
always the reason, and Ritalin should not be the go-to answer all the time,
either.
I think
they SHOULD tell parents that if your kids take this stuff it could KILL your
kids. And I’ve heard all the arguments
from both sides of the ADHD discussion.
I truly believe that these drugs are being over-prescribed, and we have
people who are not doctors making the diagnosis. With any serious medical condition – like
ADHD, a second opinion is always a good idea.
We even
have kids in college dealing Ritalin as if it were meth or crack cocaine – to
help them with school work.
By KAREN
MATTHEWS
Associated
Press Writer
Former
President Clinton and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced an $8
million initiative Monday to fight childhood obesity by promoting healthier
food and more exercise in schools.
Speaking at
a
The schools
will get help in improving the nutritional value of the food served in
cafeterias and vending machines, increasing physical activity, providing health
lessons and promoting staff wellness.
'What we
want to do is to create a national recognition program shining a spotlight on
schools that have done a good job, with concrete, innovative steps to create
healthier learning environments for children and healthier work environments
for staff,' Clinton said.
The effort
is part of a campaign undertaken last year by
The two
politicians were inspired to get involved by their own health problems:
The
campaign is aimed at lowering obesity rates that have tripled over the past 40
years for kids and adolescents from ages 6 through 19, raising their risk of
risks of type 2 diabetes and a range of other diseases.
…It sounds
good, I suppose…so long as it doesn’t get over-politicized – with 2
politicians, I expect politics. Now when
now-Governor Ahnold of
Hmm…The
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation…do they make wood johnsons? Oh – sorry, my bad – wood foundations…
Toy companies push high-tech playthings
– Story #4
The
Associated Press Updated:
With young
consumers growing out of toys faster and preferring iPod digital music players
and video games, the nation's toy makers are working harder to come up with
more high-tech products, particularly robotic playmates.
Such
robotic toys, which are even more life-like than a year ago, are among the
thousands of toys featured at American International Toy Fair, which officially
began Sunday. This year's robotic lineup includes a life-sized miniature pony
that responds to touch, a Barbie doll that follows the child's dance moves and
a robot made from a Lego building set that can be programmed.
Toy makers
are hoping these items and a slew of other toys — the bulk of which will be in
stores for the holiday season — will reverse a sales decline since 2003.
"Children
are migrating to consumer electronics faster than toy companies can take them
there," said Sean McGowan, a toy analyst at Harris Nesbitt. He expects the
industry to report a sales decline of up to 4 percent in traditional toys for
2005, despite what he expects was an improvement last holiday season.
As
microchips have come down in prices, toy makers are able to make more advanced
toys that are still affordable. At least 75 percent of the toys at this year's
event will have some sort of microchip in them. Watching how parents spent more
than $200 on iPods for their children has given toy makers more confidence in
offering higher-priced toys packed with high-powered technology.
While
Mattel Inc.'s "Let's Dance" Barbie doll will be priced at an
affordable $54.99, other toys will be priced over $200. Butterscotch, the
40-inch high robotic pony from Hasbro Inc. is priced at $299.99, while Lego
Systems Inc.'s Mindstorms NXT — a robotic kit that enables the user to create
an even more powerful robot than the original Mindstorms introduced in 1998 —
will be priced at $249.
Other new
robotic toys to be featured at the industry event include:
Amazing
Allysen from Playmates Toys Inc., a companion doll to last year's Amazing
Amanda, a surprise hit last holiday season. The new doll, aimed at an older
girl ages 9 and 10 years old, recognizes and responds to key words and phrases
with lifelike facial expressions and real emotions. It will be priced at
$99.99.
Cuddle
Chimp, from Hasbro, the latest in the company's FurReal Friends collection
responds to touch by snuggling into the owner's arms and emits happy sounds. It
will be priced at $29.99.
Roboreptile,
the latest robotic pet from WowWee Ltd., which boasts even more advance sensor
technology from last year's Roboraptor. Such advancements allow the creature to
move more quickly and to avoid obstacles that get in its way. The price tag is
$120.
…My son
grew bored with the robo-sapien and the robo-raptor. Now the Mindstorms kits have given kids a
gateway into learning about real robotics, and not just gimmicky toys. Its nice to see some new life being breathed
into the Mindstorms line…Lego has needed to do that for some time. I know some robotics clubs were getting
nervous that Lego was getting out of that business.
Tweens Savvy About Savings, Weekly
Reader Research/AICPA Survey Shows – STORY #5
NEW YORK,
Feb. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- In a time when Americans have a negative savings rate
and carry crushing credit-card debt, their children seem to be learning
financial prudence.
That's the
takeaway from the results of a survey of American "tweenagers"
conducted by Weekly Reader Research and the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants (AICPA) to gauge their attitudes toward money and savings.
And they
are savers. Indeed, when asked what they would do if given a gift of $100, 59
percent of children between the ages of 9 and 12 said they would save at least
$50.
More than
half (53 percent) have savings accounts, and 47 percent said they have plans
for saving and spending their money. Higher education -- and, therefore, the
prospect of higher earnings -- motivates most "tweenagers" to save:
56 percent said they are putting money away for college.
Girls tend
to be better savers than boys, the survey showed.
The Weekly Reader Research/AICPA survey also
revealed:
* 56
percent of 9 - 12 year olds earn a weekly allowance, mostly by doing
household chores; the average allowance
among this group is $7.35
*
Only 18 percent of these children spend all their allowance
* 18
percent of 12-year olds have a job outside the home
* 24
percent of "tweenagers" report that their parents force them to save
* 31
percent said their parents discuss finances with them; high on the
list of financial topics are bills,
budgets and the cost of education.
Weekly
Reader Research and the AICPA surveyed 1,260 children between the ages of 9 and
12 from
18 percent
of 12 year olds have jobs outside the home?
I guess that means a paper route, right?
I need some help here, because I thought kids had to be 16 to get a work
permit.
24 percent
say their parents FORCE them to save…good for them! But only 31 percent talk about
finances…hmmmm…need to step up here, moms and dads, and explain why your kids
can’t have “Let’s Dance Barbie” or “Roboreptile”.
My son has
had a savings attitude from very early on.
During potty training, we used a unique training incentive - cash – yep,
25 cents for each successful trip to the potty, and a withdrawal of 10 cents
for each missed attempt. See, we had
trouble with him waiting until its too late because he was playing and just
couldn’t be bothered with going to the bathroom. NOT ANY MORE!! And my son has seen just how powerful saving
up for a toy or game can be. It really
works, and you can start early to teach your kids the value in saving.
All
Children Need to Be Safely Secured in Motor Vehicles – Story #6
Newswise -
Infants should ride in rear-facing car safety seats until they have reached
both 20 pounds AND one year of age. The AAP recommends keeping children
rear-facing to the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat's
manufacturer. Never place a rear-facing car safety seat in front of an air bag.
Children
who have outgrown their rear-facing seats should ride in forward-facing car
safety seats for as long as they fit well (ears below the top of the back of
the seat and shoulders below the top harness slots or until they reach the top
weight or height allowed for their seats).
Children
who have outgrown their car safety seats but are too small to wear seat belts
properly should ride in booster seats. For more information about safe
transportation of children who have outgrown their car safety seats, please see
the AAP/Partners for Child Passenger Safety Issue Report on Booster Seats
http://www.chop.edu/traumalink/download/2004/pcps_cpsreport.pdf
Seat belts
fit properly when they can be worn with the lap portion of the belt low and
snug across the thighs, and the shoulder portion across the chest and shoulder
without cutting across the face and neck while sitting against the vehicle seat
back with feet comfortably hanging down.
Remember
that all children age 12 years and younger are safest in the back seat.
…Is anybody
else frustrated with the ‘age creep’ that appears to be going on, all in the
interest of course in ‘child safety’.
First 4 years, then 8, now age 12 before they ride in the front seat. We have all these airbags everywhere to ‘protect’
us, yet they can KILL our kids. My car
buying choices these days are influenced more by how many airbags a car has
instead of how many cylinders or how many miles per gallon! I am all for safety, but my options for
placing my family in my car is being dictated by explosive devices built into
my car - in my opinion a bad idea in the first place - and by the
government. If the kids are safest in the back seat, lets put the driver there! The only reason today that kids aren’t just
as safe in the front seat as the back seat are the airbags built into the
dashboard. I bought a big old
gas-guzzling pickup truck, and the prime reason for my buying choice was – the
airbag defeat switch built-in. I can
turn ‘em off, so my son can sit in front…with me…
Now, there
are good reasons to keep the kids in the back seat, take this next story for
example…
Toddler Takes Test-Drive – Story #7
Police here
said that Vicki Evans' son, who turns 2 years old next month, managed to work
his way into the driver's seat of his mother's van on Feb. 7 when she hustled
into a convenience store, leaving the engine running and the toddler in his
safety seat.
Evans, 33,
told police in a report released Wednesday that when she glanced outside, she
saw her van cross U.S. 67. As she gave chase, the vehicle ran through a
car-wash bay and two panels of fencing before hitting the side of a house.
Evans' son
was found in the front seat, unhurt.
Police
Chief Mike Kiger said the toddler was too short to reach the gas pedal, so the
van must have just coasted after the boy got in to drive.
No
citations were issued.
…Mommy, can
I have my ba-ba, and the car keys?
Alright, there’s a good reason to keep the kids in the back seat, I
suppose…
Gentle singing may soothe sick
infants, say researchers – Story #8
MELBOURNE,
Australia Feb. 9 -- Babies in intensive care may be less irritable and less
likely to cry if they're exposed to music therapy, according to researchers at
the University of Western Sydney in Australia. In a long-term study of 40
infants, researchers reported that gentle singing soothed babies, and
potentially led to improved healing and weight gain. The researchers speculated
this was because babies who received music therapy may have used up less
'energy' crying when compared to babies who did not receive the therapy -
thereby promoting healing. These findings were reported at the World Congress
on Music Therapy held in Brisbane last year, and will be published in an
international music therapy journal this year. The researchers hope to
replicate and expand this study in the future in order to consolidate their
findings.
…I dunno…it
probably depends on who’s doing the singing.
If some of the folks kicked off American Idol are in the ICU, there
might be a different outcome, know what I mean…?
Typing Skills Taught In Kindergarten
– Story #9
Many
Thanks to
many home computers, many kindergartners arrive at school with some computer
experience. Five-year-old students at
Many 5- and
6-year-old children type using both hands and get so much practice that some
high schools no longer offer typing classes, the Buffalo (N.Y.) News reported
Sunday.
However,
some educators say primary school children aren't physically ready to begin
typing, and keyboarding lessons may come at the cost of good penmanship.
Whenever
typing is taught, using a computer makes it easy to track progress of the
student. All it takes is a click of the mouse to get an instant summary of a
student's work, from the number of words per minute to the number of errors per
finger.
…On the
penmanship thing, I tend to agree. My
son is 5, and his handwriting is absolutely horrible! We work with him a lot, to try and get him
used to writing so others can actually read
it, but he has so much experience with the computer now that it may be a lost
cause…I hope not. We’re working on
it. I welcome any tips that you may
have. He’s the king of the computer lab
at school. Maybe waiting to teach
keyboard skills until they learn to use pencils is a good thing…
…In the
‘headline too funny to be real’ department…
Bed Attacks Boy – Story #10
BERLIN
(Reuters) - A German youth who tied himself to a foldaway bed because he was
bored was rescued by police after becoming trapped in its mechanism, officials
said on Tuesday.
Neighbors
alerted the police in the western German town of
When police
entered the apartment, they found the bed had folded itself away and the
red-faced youth was tied upside down to it with a tow-rope and wire and unable
to free himself.
"He
said he did it because he was bored," said Dietmar Trust, a spokesman for
the local police. "He was visibly embarrassed but it was also a pretty
amusing situation."
...This kid
should be in some kind of after-school program, so he doesn’t get bored. This message from the After-School Alliance
and the Ad Council…
Next he’ll
be checking out the paper shredder to see if his kid sister fits inside it –
‘cause he’s bored. Says he called for
help LATE AT NIGHT – where were mom and dad?
On Monday night?
From the ‘Not exactly news for parents (yet)’ section comes our final story…
Energized Undies – Story #11
Forget the
Flintstones, all you need for your daily vitamin dose is a pair of souped-up
skivvies.
Trendy
Australian undies maker aussieBum has rolled out vitamin-infused undies called
Essence, according to The New York Post.
Company
founder Sean Ashby told the paper health-care giant Bayer developed the
drawers' special blend of polyester and lycra to "trap organic substances,
which are then released slowly by natural body heat."
The
enlivening underpants offer "dermo-protective properties" and
"give your whole body an overall feeling of well-being," the company
said.
The
beefed-up briefs come in acerola, a plant rich in vitamin C, ginseng and the
company hopes to release a Viagra version soon, Ashby told The Post.
The concept
was cooked up by "a bunch of us sitting around the pub last year, having a
few beers, when I asked, 'What can we do with our knickers that'll be the next
big thing?'" Ashby told The Post.
"One
of my guys joked that we should put vitamins in them — and everyone laughed.
But the next day I realized what a great idea that was," he said.
The $24
laced lingerie debuts in
The
toughened tighty-whities stay vital through 15 washings, and then should be
soaked in "Essence Extender" to re-energize them, Ashby told The
Post.
Some 25,000
pairs of invigorating underpants have already been sold worldwide so far.
…And their
next invention: Toddler-sized undies laced with Ritalin! C’mon, this is just another example of what
boredom can do! How ‘bout making
something practical and maybe coat ‘em with – oh I dunno – TEFLON – so that we
can get the skid marks out – now there’s an invention!
[Cue Alien Break 2]
[Cue Song 1 100 Year Picnic, “Mary
Faye Tucker”]
Here somes
100 Year Picnic, with “Mary Faye Tucker”.
Jeff Greeneberg e-mailed me and told me this is based on real happenings
during a family vacation. Music dot
podshow dot com.
That’s Jeff
and 100 Year Picnic…Mary Faye Tucker.
You can find that and a bunch more stuff on the Podsafe Music
Network. Music dot podshow dot com. I’ve been to those so-called ‘no obligations
presentations’ for timeshares…does anybody actually get the big screen TV or
the new car they always promise in those sales pitches?
[Cue Mailtime]
Listener
Mail:
Well it was
a banner week for the mailbag this week.
Got lots of stuff to share.
Please send your comments, suggestions, gripes, any thing at all you’d
like, to our complaint department, which is SUBMIT at 101 uses for baby wipes
dot com.
Jeff from
100 Year Picnic wrote me to tell me about his music up on the podsafe music
network. He also is the proud papa of
twins age 9-1/2. He sent me a link to a
song his daughter Lexie and her friend Katherine wrote…so here goes..its a bit
dark, but I liked it. Its called ‘Billy
Bob Joe’ He said it’s a bit dark – you
decide.
[Cue Billy Bob Joe]
Thanks,
Jeff for sharing that. I hope to set up
a chat with Jeff in an upcoming episode.
This is from
Brad, who writes;
Dennis,
Although I
don't agree with all of your comments, I appreciate you putting yourself out
there and providing a very entertaining show.
I only recently found your podcast and still on Episode 122. Thank you for taking the time in making me a
more informed parent.
Anyway, I thought you would find some humor in this
MP3. –Brad
[Cue Phone_call_to_school_office]
Got lots of
e-mail notes regarding the article that ran this week in USA Today. Jim wrote in to say “Its out – way
cool”. Some of the e-mails were scornful
and sounded disappointed. I got this
note from reporter Steve himself…
Thanks for
your patience. the parenting podcasting piece is running tomorrow in USAT.
Apparently space is so tight because of the Olympic coverage that the Money and
Life sections will be combined, so look for it in there somewhere. There's a photo and a side box with the web
addresses for your shows. The piece was also cut a bit, so if you're not in
there it's likely some evil editor chopped your comments out. A hex on evil
editors.
He followed
up with this little note…
So it looks
like your quote got cut. but your podcast is listed in the info box, so that's
cool, huh?
Now I had
to tease Steve a bit, ‘cause the name of the show was wrong and the city was
spelled wrong. The governor can’t even
pronounce it for pete’s sake! But I was
not disappointed in the least. Besides,
how many reporters do you know would send you e-mail telling you when a story
was running, and another note trying to cheer you up afterwards? So thanks so much to Steve Friess, for
putting the article together and featuring this humble dadycast.
It may come
as no surprise, but Steve is also a fellow podcaster, and I asked him to send
me a promo. He broke a big story in
I’m gonna
play the clip Steve sent me for his show ‘The Strip Podcast’ WARNING: There is one bad word, starts with
an ‘A’, and some content that you might not want little ears to hear…but Steve
got a quote from the mayor of Las Vegas in this clip that I thought was pretty
funny…so I’m gonna count to three, and if you don’t wanna hear it – skip
forward about 60 seconds, OK? One, Two,
Three…here we go
[Cue Promo2]
So to find
out what all the buzz is about, go over to the strip podcast dot com and check
out his show, OK? Thanks Steve.
The USA
Today piece was not the only article featuring this Daddycast that came out
last week. The St. Petersburg Times ran a story called “Can Transformation Sprout
In Your Earbuds?” Here’s a little
excerpt;
Dale
Critchley, a licensed foster parent in rural
The
33-year-old Lutheran pastor is raising six kids - three biological and three
foster - so he doesn't have time to sit down with a newspaper or camp out in
front of the TV. Firing up his iPod for six hours a day is how he gets
"news items you might not see on the
…Pretty
cool, Dale…thanks for taking the time to participate in that news piece. And for listening to the show!
Greg wrote
a couple notes, one chastising me for using a ‘top 40 DJ voice’ in the last
episode. I think its genetic – hang a
big fat mic in my face and sometimes I can’t help it – my voice just changes
uncontrollably…!
Greg also
wrote to tell me about a story featured on Oprah Winfrey’s show. It’s a story about Justin, a young boy who
was selling images of himself, taken with a webcam and money collected via a
PayPal account, starting when he was 13 years old. The sad thing is, his father knew about it
and shared in the profits! This story is
just disgusting…I felt like I needed a shower after I read it…anyway, here’s a
piece of the story, originally published by the New York Times in December
2005…
“Justin's
dark coming-of-age story is a collateral effect of recent technological
advances. Minors, often under the online tutelage of adults, are opening for-pay
pornography sites featuring their own images sent onto the Internet by
inexpensive Webcams. And they perform from the privacy of home, while parents
are nearby, beyond their children's closed bedroom doors.”
Greg’s
comment makes perfect sense…
The take
home message I got from the little part of Oprah that I saw was STAY IN YOUR
CHILD'S LIFE. The internet can be an
evil and dangerous place, but it is such a part of our lives that we can't turn
it off, in fact it would be impossible.
On the show, Kurt Eichenwald gave
a list of the types of people that were abusing
Justin, the boy in this story, and they were pediatricians, teachers, priests,
lawyers who work children's cases, all people who have daily interactions with
kids. So unless I'm willing to have an
FBI background check done on every
person who can come in contact with my boys, the best I can do is to teach them
to be vigilant. To talk with them, to always be available to them. To be concerned as to
what is
going on in their lives. To let them
know that I am concerned as to what is going on in their lives.
Thanks Greg
for the comment…I couldn’t agree more.
And I’d like to add one simple step – keep the computer out of the kid’s
bedroom! Don’t let that piece of
technology get misused from behind closed doors! Keep it somewhere in the house that’s
public…or…lock it down (like I do) so your kids can’t do anything online unless
you know what it is! Anybody got the
address of the father of this boy Justin?
I’d like to ask one question: Are you so greedy that you let your kid
sell his body online? Is that your
definition of ‘love for your child’ you sick freak?
[Cue Wipes Use #41 Intro]
Baby Wipes
Use: Carbol Fusion De-Fuser
My wife is
enrolled in pre-med, and is taking the dreaded microbiology course right
now, Well, the other day, a bright,
beautiful sunny day with big puffy clouds and a gentle breeze, birds singing
happily, a sure sign of an early spring, my wife came home from school in a
foul enough mood to make me think winter had returned.
She has a
lab mate in her class – a rather clumsy, all-thumbs sort of lab mate – who
knocked over some stuff called ‘Carbol Fusion’.
Now I never took biology – I knew I could not dissect a cat, so why even
enroll – so I had to ask, what the heck is ‘carbol fusion’ – some sort of new
soft drink I thought.
Turns out,
this stuff is a dye for coloring microbes and really, really tiny stuff so you
can see them under a microscope. But
there was nothing microscopic about her now-purple arm, purple watch, her
purple wedding ring, or her new lab coat we just shelled out 38 bucks for at
the campus bookstore. Why do those only come in white, anyway?
SO we set
to work, cleaning what we could. The
baby wipes work excellently at cleaning the inorganic stuff like the wedding
ring and the watch. The organic stuff –
leather watchband, cotton lab coat, and sadly, her arm, hand and fingers, look
like they’ll be purple long after she graduates, which if she sticks with her
current lab partner, could be a very long time.
[Cue Song 2 Edie Carey - “Chemistry”]
Here’s a
song with an appropriate title…Edie Carey, and Chemistry…music dot podshow dot
com.
I’m a
sucker for a good banjo solo…well…not the ‘Deliverance’ sort of banjo solo…Edie
Carey – Chemistry.
Lexie,
Katherine, Nik, Caleb, Evan – you guys paying attention? Ready – Set – TOONTEST!!
[Cue ToonTest 39+40]
ToonTest Answers:
#3: The Backyardigans, #2: One Piece, #1: Digimon
So we had
backyard buddies, pirates from the future and digital monsters – right now the
only place for fresh ideas and themes are in cartoons!
[Cue Alan Jay_Time]
Wow – we
had a full rack o’ daddycast this week.
Wanna thank Everybody for listening, subscribing, and hey – I really
appreciate the feedback this week – you guys are terrific. Thanks for the music to Jeff and 100 Year
Picnic, Edie Carey, all the music can be found over at the Podsafe Music
Network, that’s music dot podshow dot com
Comments or questions, submit at 101 uses for baby wipes dot com..
Granian
will take us out – this is “Mark My Words”
C-YA!!
[Cue Song #3 – Granian, “Mark My
Words”]
[Cue Evan – Darkish Red]
[Cue Podshow ID]