DadTalk

Swim School Success

While it’s not been quite a month since DadTalk opened his Swim School for 2, I’m happy to report that we had a major, major breakthrough over the last two evenings.

Sunday
For the past few weeks now, I take turns holding each child’s hand as we submerge into the warm water to retrieve torpedoes from the pool bottom. Both kids keep their eyes clamped shut.

Lael quickly retrieves her orange torpedo from the lowest step on the stairs. Seth holds his nose with one hand as I guide his other to the blue torpedo that’s about 3 feet below.

Both then exit the pool and run 50 feet to dry their faces off on towels that I purposely keep far away. Every day I encourage them to try goggles, but they refuse.

For some reason, I decide that today I want to push Seth and Lael to the next level. My idea: I want them to swim a couple feet from the steps to me.

Economy Hits Children

When I first started writing about the housing bubble in 2004, I feared the worst. Still, seeing the future and experiencing it are two different things.

Like most of my readers, I live in a fairly insulated community where it’s difficult to “see” what is happening to large swaths of America. We read about unemployment and poverty, but you have to know someone or drive around nearby neighborhoods to really feel the effects of the housing crash.

Statistics only tell part of the story, but they do provide some guidance. A record 33.8 million Americans received food stamps in April, reports Bloomberg. That’s a 20 percent increase from last year and a 1.8 percent climb from the month prior.

Considering that official unemployment is at 9.5 percent, it’s not surprising that the number of families needing food stamps has been increasing. Keep in mind that many economists believe the unofficial unemployment rate – people who are no longer eligible for benefits are excluded from official numbrs – is closer to 20 percent.

It Takes a Sneak

I’m eating lunch when I hear the garage door slam. It’s one of those spring-loaded fire doors that will take the toe off the slow-witted.

“That’s odd,” I think. “Lael doesn’t like going into the garage alone.”

Then I hear the bathroom door close. “Okay, so Lael was coming out of the garage. Maybe she was looking for a toy in the car?”

Figuring Lael would be in the bathroom for a while, I call my mom. A few seconds later, I hear the garage door slam again.

With my mom chattering in my ear, I open the door. There, with her back to me, Lael’s shoulders rise as her arms bend inward toward the torso; it’s a classic guilty-body reaction.

From my high vantage point, I can see there is an open roll of Smarties in my little girl’s hands, which she is now trying to shove into her mouth. Several fall to the ground. I snatch the remaining ones from her little fingers, which I later eat when she’s out of sight.

Open on the floor is a green, party-favor box, which is one of several left over from Seth’s birthday. About a week ago, I moved the extra boxes into the garage because Lael had been merrily pulling the candy and cookies out of them. At the time, I warned both kids to save the boxes for Lael’s upcoming birthday party.

“Lael! You little thief!” I say in a menacing voice. She smiles at me.

“Um, mom? Let me call you right back.”

Bringing Lael into the house, I reward my girl with a long time out. I realize the punishment is never going to deter my daughter – when she wants something, she gets it – but what else can I do?

My Kids Are a Sorry Bunch

Presents evolve as your kids age. For us, 7 seemed to be the magic birthday where Seth was more than ready for board games.

Seth was already into Battleship, Backgammon and Monopoly, but we were decidedly lacking other traditional games at home. So one of Seth’s birthday presents was Sorry!

While we knew Seth would love the game, we were surprised at how much Lael got into it. She’d set up the board, calling out, “Daddy! Seth! I’m ready to play Sorry!” Oh, and she decided which colors we’d each get.

Keep in mind, Lael is not quite 4 and doesn’t fully understand the game. Lael can actually count to 20, but there is some funky wrist motion going on when she moves her piece: a 3 card might result in 15 spaces and a 12 card might result in 2 spaces.

Of course, the real reason Lael loves the game is to force us to spend more time with her. Smart girl.

Space Birthday Party

My son, who is now 7, is pretty big on birthday themes. This year was all about space, as you can see by the birthday cake.

We held the party at our community park, which comes complete with water sprinklers, pool, open field, gym toys and park benches.

For the first time since we started throwing birthday parties, little parenting was needed. The kids ran from the sprinklers to the playground equipment to the field, where they launched Stomp Rockets.

After grilled hot dogs and chips, the kids did some arts and crafts arranged by my wife. The entire birthday was a pleasure from start to finish.

The Magnifying Glass

My wife is on one of her jewelry-making jags. While Anne always has made necklaces, bracelets and earrings using beads, her new love is pearls.

After signing up for a class at Scottsdale Community College, Anne realized she needed a magnifying glass. As you can see, Lael loves mommy’s new toy.

A Day Out on Goldwater Lake

On Father’s Day, I took the family up to Goldwater Lake for some hiking, kayaking and grilled burgers. The lake, which is near Prescott, Arizona, is perfect for young children and only costs a couple bucks to park.

Like last year, Lael didn’t want to stay out on the lake for more than a few minutes. Unlike last year, my wife, Anne there to take our daughter off my hands. At least Anne was able to shoot a few cute photos.

Seth and I enjoyed time together in the kayak, exploring coves and watching dragonflies skirt the water’s surface. We even saw ponies on the trail.

After eating, we walked to the far side of the small lake where Seth and Lael played in the water. After a while, we started collecting rocks for grandma, who has a penchant for such things.

The trip made for a great Father’s Day that was more about family than just dad.

Why You Must Eat That Chocolate Chip Cookie

Food scientists have known for years that they can create food junkies simply by combining a little fat, sugar and salt. Add another addictive ingredient such as chocolate and you have the namesake cookie that is almost impossible to resist.

The cookie is so potent that former Food and Drug Administration chief Dr. David Kessler decided to write “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite,” which is reviewed in The New York Times.

Restaurants and food makers long have been taking advantage of our human weaknesses. Writes The Times:

Growing Up Without Dad

My dad died when I was 9. For most of my life, I would have denied that his death had any real impact on my development.

After all, I was a fiercely self-sufficient young boy with a strong sense of awareness at a very young age. On the day my dad died, I mentally took on the role of “oldest male” in the house and never really saw his death as a negative. I suppose that’s strange, but I’ve always been the type who rises to meet adversity.

Of course, there was a touch of silliness to it. I didn’t get a job as my grandfather did when his dad died. I didn’t take over the role of raising my brother. And in actuality, I didn’t know squat.

But, I did grow up a lot on the day my dad died from an embolism caused by a metal plate used to mend a broken leg. My sense of responsibility was immediate and immutable. In many ways, I acted as adult-like as my immature mind could muster.

It wasn’t until my kids were born that I started to realize something had been lost. Consider:

Dad Talks on Iowa Public Radio

I’ve never been on the radio before, but when I got the email from Iowa Public Radio to be a guest, I jumped at the chance.

I’m not entirely sure why the news producer thought I’m one of the funny dad bloggers – I tend to be a bit sober as far as writers go – but I recently had done a post about my daughter cutting her own hair. Certainly, I’m not as funny as massively popular Danny Evans of Dad Gone Mad, who was the other guest.

I’m glad the audience couldn’t see me while I was on air. I couldn’t stop smiling! Is that a normal reaction to being on radio?

At one point I was incoherent, and at another I was dropped from the show, but neither incident put a damper on my mood.

If you want to listen, go here. Danny and I are on during the last half hour of the show.