Category: Kids & Cute Stories

This was discussed here not too long ago:

Even the tooth fairy feels inflation’s bite. The price per baby tooth is 22% steeper today than it was a year ago.

That’s according to a new tooth fairy poll from Securian Dental, which runs dental plans.

The poll, which included 647 parents, shows that the tooth fairy pays $2.09 per baby tooth, on average, up from $1.71 last year.

Most parents said they pay $1 per tooth. The second most common payment was $5 per tooth.

Then there were the outliers. One parent says the payout is a nickel per tooth. And at the other end of the spectrum, another parent splurges with $50 per tooth.

WebMD

Kids have 20 baby teeth.

And that’s good enough for me.

NPR profiles the Cookie Monster.

The accompanying video is great fun.

Ken, official oldest son of New MexiKen, reports on the meaning of life, four-year-old style:

Sofie asked some important questions this evening:

Babies come from mommies, so where did the first mommy come from?
(Answer: evolution)

Where did the first animal come from?
(Answer: early life in water)

Where did first plants in water come from?
(Answer: elements combined from energy in lightning storm)

Where did elements come from?
(Answer: big bang)

But, where did first toy come from?

Cat’s Mom Tanya reports:

My elder child, Cat, age 5, is currently fascinated with the Tooth Fairy. Some of her friends and classmates have started to lose their teeth and some have fetched as high as $10 and a jibbet for their nocturnal submission to the Tooth Fairy.

Alas, unfortunately for Cat, she has all of her baby teeth and they all appear inclined to stick around for a while. Cat, having my patience, or lack thereof, is trying to expedite the Fairy’s visit.

Tonight, as I was tucking her in, I noticed her stuffing something under her pillow. I asked her what it was and she replied, “A tiny piece of old soap that I shaped to look like a tooth. I am sticking it under my pillow to see if I can fool the Tooth Fairy. Maybe she will leave me some cash or a Squeeze-A-Burp toy.”

I told Cat that I thought the Tooth Fairy was too smart for that and might leave her Monopoly money instead of the real thing.

“That’s okay, mom,” she said. “We all have to start somewhere.”

I am now going in search of my old Monopoly set…..

First posted here two years ago today:

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With son number three due this spring, Jill, official oldest daughter of NewMexiKen, and Byron, official husband of Jill, are calculating costs. According to their financial advisor, here are some estimates for the cost of four years of college when the boys reach that age:

University of Virginia………………$486,715
College of William and Mary……$512,956
University of Notre Dame……$1,454,963
Stanford University………………$1,599,440

NewMexiKen, official grandpa of Jill’s three sons, can only offer these four words of wisdom:

Linebacker
Quarterback
Point Guard

First posted here two years ago today:

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Mack, official oldest grandchild of NewMexiKen, watched much of the Rose Bowl with his mother Wednesday night. Here’s the story as told by his mother, Jill:

The honorary marshal came onto the field, before the game, to flip the coin. I saw that it was Sandra Day O’Connor.

I said, “Oh, Mack, that is one of my heroes.”

“Why?”

I referenced conversations we’ve had in the past, “You know how we’ve talked about how, for thousands of years, men got to be in charge of everything and women didn’t get to do lots of things?” (Mack has a fairly solid background knowledge in this stuff, at least for a five-year-old boy.)

“Yes, like how they couldn’t vote or have a house or do lots of jobs?”

“Right. Well one job they didn’t get to do was be a judge. A judge gets to decide the laws for all the people to follow. It’s a really important job. Well, that lady was the first woman who got to be a judge. So she is one of Mommy’s heroes.” (Not strictly accurate, I know.)

Mack looked at me for a minute, then said, “Then she is one of my heroes, too.”

My heart melted. I put my arms out for a hug, so proud of my brilliant, sensitive child.

He continued, “Yes. Also Batman.”

1900-1909 Crayola Crayons
1910-1919 Raggedy Ann Dolls
1920-1929 Madame Alexander Collectible Dolls
1930-1939 View-Master 3-D Viewer
1940-1949 Candy Land
1950-1959 Mr. Potato Head
1960-1969 G.I. Joe
1970-1979 Rubik’s Cube
1980-1989 Cabbage Patch Kids
1990-1999 Beanie Babies
2000-Present Razor Scooter

Here are the details from Forbes, including other notable toys of each decade. (Article is from 2005.)

Many of the toys tested over the weekend contained lead levels far beyond safe levels. A red plastic roof piece from a Lincoln Logs set tested at 1488 parts per million for lead (or 37 times the AAP standard). A small plastic Fisher Price Sesame Street Bert figure tested at 5346 ppm (or 133 times the standard). A Tinkerbell pink rolling backpack tested at 533 ppm for lead, while a Cinderella princess backpack tested at 474 ppm. A Winnie the Pooh placemat contained 985 ppm.
 
The highest lead level was found was in a Fisher Price Flip Track crane from a plastic train set that was owned by Burner’s own 5 year-old son, which tested at 10,600 ppm, or 265 times the AAP standard.
 
During the two days of testing, some important patterns came to light. All of the children’s character placemats tested contained high levels of lead or cadmium; Dora, Spiderman and Winnie the Pooh all tested positive. Cooler-style lunchboxes and soft coolers tended to have high lead content as well. Parents may want to consider keeping such items in their own homes away from their children.

Darcy Burner | Democrat For Congress

Overall, the campaign conducted 798 tests on 479 toys and children’s items that were brought in for testing from across the district. 56 items tested positive for lead, and of those 47 items – 10 percent of the total – contained excessive lead levels above the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended maximum of 40 parts per million. Nine items tested positive for cadmium, another toxic element.

Katherine Ozment writes about motherhood and all that and she does it well.

Half of NewMexiKen’s children and half of NewMexiKen’s grandchildren plunge to their doom last week on Splash Mountain, Disneyland. Click image for larger version.

Hey, someone had to stay and take the photo.

[I rode it earlier.]

I liked the signs at a water ride in Disney’s California Adventure — “You will get wet.” “You may get soaked.” I settled for wet.

Three of The Sweeties return to the hotel Saturday night after a long (and chilly) day at Disneyland. Click image for larger version.

Grandpa would have gladly been pushed home in a stroller, too.

To me, the money quote comes from R. Buckminster Fuller: “Those who play with the devil’s toys will be brought by degrees to wield his sword.” Typically at this time of year, retailing experts offer their lists of hot toys for the season. Among the buy-early favorites for 2007 are Webkinz, stuffed animals that come with fluffy avatars in an online Webkinz virtual world—dry sand for emotionally thirsty children. And so, in honor of the first day of orgiastic holiday shopping this Friday, I thought I’d offer my own list of the most awful, creepy and child-nullifying products for sale this year. Or, in Fuller’s happy phrase, the devil’s toys. Please enjoy.

Dan Neil picks The Devil’s Playthings.

“This is a great toy if you want your 4-year-old to grow up to be Tommy Lee.”

Cat’s Mom Tanya reports:

I had to be away over the weekend due to a family emergency and arrived home just in time to tuck in Cat, age 5. I asked her if she and her sister behaved well for her grandparents in my absence.

“Mostly well” she replied. “We weren’t bad enough for Grandma to have to call Santa.”

She thought for a minute and then said “Well, maybe we might get ONE lump of coal.”

I asked her what she would do with one lump of coal if one arrived.

“I would put it with all of the ones my sister is getting and we could grill cheeseburgers.”

Reposted from one year ago today:

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This is Mack’s first Thanksgiving in school, so of course he’s hearing the public school version of the First Thanksgiving story. Some teachers don’t use the correct name for the indigenous people near Plymouth — Wampanoags — or even the preferred generic term — American Indians. No, they use the presumed politically correct name — Native Americans.

That’s what the teacher says, but what do the children hear?

Mack’s mother Jill reports:

“At school, Mack is learning about the first Thanksgiving. He came home today with a short story about it, which I asked him to read to me. It went well until he got to the first reference to what he called the ‘Made Up’ Americans.”

Anita Renfroe.

Thanks to Amy and SnoLepard for this link — you knew I’d get around to it, didn’t you?

Jill, official older daughter of NewMexiKen, and mother of three sons, reports:

“It’s funny having a girl here for a playdate with Aidan. All the Super Hero figures are dating, breaking up, and getting married. It’s all very dramatic.”

Jill, official older daughter of NewMexiKen, reports:

Last night, the boys were, as usual, not giving me an inch of breathing room. Finally, in exasperation, I sighed, “I can’t wait until you guys are teenagers!”

“Why, Mommy?”

“Because then you will always want to be off doing your own thing, or hanging out with your friends. You won’t want me all the time. I’ll have some time for myself.” Then I reconsidered. “Actually, that makes me sad. One day I’ll be begging you, ‘Boys, please come spend time with me, please snuggle me’ and you’ll tell me ‘No, we’re too busy with our own lives.'”

Their eyes got big and round. Both of them immediately started shaking their heads. “No, no, we’ll say yes. We’ll still want to be with you Mommy!”

Then Aidan asked, “Mommy, are you a teenager?”

“No. I was a teenager a long time ago. But now I’m an old lady.”

Again, both heads started shaking. Mack said, “You’re not old, Mommy!” And Aidan added, “You’re not old. You’re still…shiny.”

So now I have my new Life Motto. Jill: Still Shiny.

Out in Left Field has a problem with neighborhood kids. What should she do?