August 25, 2008

Let the kid play!

It figures that, on the heels of writing a blog about letting kids be kids, the parenting world is all in a rage about a nine-year-old who is acting anything but his age. Turns out the kid can throw 40-mile-per-hour strikes in a youth baseball league that is used to pitches much, much, much slower.

July 14, 2008

Priceless parenting experiences

When K-Man entered his first pre-pre-preschool program (it’s never too early to start practicing for the SATs), I was amazed by two things: The size of the check we needed to write each month, and the number of emails we received (daily?) asking us not only for more money, but also to help out with the neverending after (or before or during) school activities. As if it weren’t enough that most of the parents had full-time jobs on top of their full-time parenting responsibilities, now we had to be teachers and teachers’ aides, as well?

July 8, 2008

Kids know the score

I never really thought that sports radio would be a place where I’d hear a lively debate about parenting, but it’s happening. In an effort to avoid bruising the self-esteem of any young athletes (ages 9 to 12), the mayor of Beechwood, Ohio has cancelled all Little League All-Star Games and activities. His decree, based on an article written by the founder of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, argues that such games stifle sportsmanship and damage the young psyches of the budding athletes. I understand that.