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.

DadTalk Opens Swim School for 2

A few months after Seth was born, my wife insisted that I be the one to give him baths. Anne simply couldn’t cope with our son’s abject fear of water. I don’t mean your normal, garden variety fear, but top-of-his-lungs screaming. (Water fear runs strong in both parents’ families.)

The worst reaction usually came about when even the slightest drop of water slid down the side of his face, usually when washing his hair. My boy equally freaked out if a single H2O molecule entered an ear.

Within a few days of my taking over bathing duties, Seth calmed down enough to tolerate baths. A few weeks later, Seth kind of enjoyed baths. Within a few more weeks, Seth loved baths to the point I couldn’t get him out of the water. My boy was fine as long as the water stayed away from his face.

Winning Is Not Everything

When Seth plays a sport he’s never tried before, the boy quickly breaks down into “I’m a loser, everyone is better” mode.

Do I handle these situations correctly? Sort of. While I try to emphasize with Seth, I oftentimes slide into the tough love mode. “Get over it already!”

This was especially true as Seth practiced his golf on the driving range this Saturday. The self-recriminations were quickly boiling to the top:

“Everyone hits the ball farther than me.”

“The ball won’t pop up!”

“I stink at this.”

Cardinals' Loss Hits Home, Though I Don’t Know Why

I’m not a big football fan. If my son wasn’t in elementary school, I probably would not have realized the Cardinals were in the Super Bowl.

But, my son is 6, and I suppose he should at least know how one of the most followed sports in America is played. So we watched the nail-biter of a game.

Of course, we only moved out here a few months ago. Of course, Seth doesn’t even understand much about how the game is played. (For the record, basketball is easier to explain.) And of course, it’s illogical that Seth would have any emotional attachment to any team considering sports are barely discussed at home.

Still, Seth broke out into tears after the Cardinals lost to the Steelers. He clearly got caught up in the excitement and emotion of it all. I guess it could have been worse: what if Seth really cared about the team?

Have You Hugged a Cactus Today?

I finally was able to take my kids hiking on one of our local trails this weekend. Up to now, the morning temperatures would rise too quickly for comfort.

Both kids were very excited about going to the “mounts,” as Lael calls mountains. They probably walked a total of 2 miles round trip.

As a kind of running joke, I’m always asking the kids if they hugged a cactus today? After all, they get pretty lonely. On this trip, I got them to “hug” a barrel cactus.

On the jump, notice how big saguaros get.

Running on Rocks

Running along Lake Michigan’s unnaturally crystal blue waters is nice, and I’m sure many people would prefer the shoreline’s paved tranquility over desert. After all, the lake trail can’t be beat if you’re a people watcher.

But picture this: Roll out of bed in the morning, walk about half a mile through a few blocks of streets, which leads to a sidewalk that cuts through pleasantly-preserved desert and dumps you onto a trailhead. Follow a quarter-mile wide wash up through desert chock-full of saguaros, cholla, rabbits and lizards.

Cookie-cutter homes on the surrounding cliffs give way to mansions, mansions give way to mountains. The intoxicating scents of giant ragweed and creosote blend to create a desert perfume that always leaves me feeling heady and refreshed. The morning sun hides behind mountains, which keeps temperatures cooler than elsewhere in the Valley.

With a few dozen miles of immediately accessible trails available practically out my door, I’m in a runner’s paradise. No more watching every driveway for sleepy-headed businessmen. No more running on hard pavement meant for cars. No more dreary building after dreary building.

I was made for desert running. I LIKE unpredictable footing that requires full attention. I love how the trail is never constant, suddenly lurching to the right or climbing up a steep embankment out of the wash, then diving back in. I even LOVE watching out for potentially dangerous snakes, coyotes and big cat. Even the heat doesn’t bother me, as long as I run in the morning and drink the requisite gallons.

I even enjoyed a moment of humor. As I ascended a wash cliff, an overweight millionaire standing over his back yard empire waved to me as his dog pooped in the Midwestern-inspired grass. The scene reminded me of an old cartoon: Man in his underwear, belly overhanging his prodigious gut, watering a sea of grass saying something like: “I’ll make Arizona look like Michigan yet!”

New Sports Experiences

Being trapped inside an apartment for seven months of bad weather has put my kids at a disadvantage athletically. Limited funds worsened the situation.

In the summer heat, I took my kids to the Jewish Community Center to teach them racquetball. Lael wasn’t into it that much, but Seth quickly learned how to hit the ball.

More importantly, he seemed to genuinely like the sport.

Young Athletes ‘Trick Knees’Hinge on Crucial Ligament

I haven’t heard of this expression in decades: “Trick Knee.” As I remember it, kids with this condition tended to fall a lot while running or competing.

Trick Knees were something of a mystery during my childhood: a lot of us just thought kids were born with it.

Not so, doctors now know. Instead, the Trick Knee often meant a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament, which “stabilizes the joint,” reports The New York Times.

More cases are being diagnosed in children because of better diagnostic tools. Interestingly, girls are two to six times more susceptible to the injury than boys, explains the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

An ACL tear is the same injury that causes so much misery for professional athletes. Treatment involves drilling into the leg bone to replace the ligament with tissue from elsewhere, such as the athlete’s hamstring or from a cadaver, reports the Times. Unfortunately for children, drilling into the leg bone also can affect growth, resulting in uneven stature.

Recalls Speed Racer, Bead Toys, Magnets Teethers, Fishing Games, Strollers

There have been quite a few recalls this week, so I’ve had a hard time getting them all together. Before I get started, the Thomas cartoo n above was named one of Time Magazine’s Top 10 cartoons of the year.

Here Are the Recalls:

About 300,000 Baby Bead and Wire Toys and Speed Racer Pull Back & Go Action Cars are being recalled by Greenbrier International because of excessive levels of lead, reports the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Chinese-made toys were sold March 2007 through November 2007 at Dollar Tree, Dollar Bill$, Dollar Express, Greenbacks, Only One $1 and Deal$ stores nationwide.

About 153,000 Horseshoe Magnets sold to schools are being recalled by United Scientific because the paint contains high levels of lead. The Indian-made magnets were sold from March 1995 through September 2007 at stores nationwide.

My New Business: Baseball Trading Cards (on Steroids)

I’m not a close follower of sports, but it’s been hard to miss what’s been going on with the baseball drug and steroid scandal, which is summed up in The New York Times. The scandal confirms my belief that there are few compelling reasons to turn my kids into sports fans.

In fact, I consider it payback for all the times newspaper sports editors told me: “Bicycling isn’t a real sport. Only baseball, football and basketball are.” There was some debate about whether hockey constitutes a real sport.

On the other hand, I think there may be a way to profit off this ugly mess: My very own line of “Sports Trading Cards (on Steroids.)” I offer two samples here. The backsides would include a complete breakdo wn of steroid use each season. Since I doubt athletes will publish their true drug-use numbers, I will ask fans what and how much they think each player was using and then average the results.

If you want your very own Sports Trading Cards on Steroids, let me know in the comments section.