Hamlet has a new video, one that came with a toy fire truck he got. Part of the "Little Hard Hats" series, the video shows all the different jobs of firefighters: water rescues, vehicle crashes, and of course, fully involved fires. Some of the incidents look staged, but others look real; the cameras stay off the accident victim, though they show the many tools and techniques used to rescue him.

Although these videos are rated for ages 3 and… Read More

Hamlet recently entered that charming preschooler phase of wanting to know reasons. For just about everything.

I mean it: it's charming. He's so curious that it's hard not to overexplain. A typical conversation might go like this:

H: Do we have power?
M: Yes.
H: Why?
M: Because the workers fixed the power lines.
H: Why?
M: Because that's their job.
H: Why?
M: You know how Daddy gets up and goes to school and uses chalk? That's his job. And the… Read More

Boris is in a napping pattern that would raise many mothers' eyebrows: his longest, deepest naps take place in his wrap, on my back. In fact, save for a half-hour early-morning catnap in his bassinet upstairs, he doesn't ever really sleep apart from me.

Did I create this situation? Yes and no. Boris never did attach to a lovey, or even his thumb. He doesn't know how to self-soothe. That leaves just two alternatives: wearing him to sleep, or leaving him… Read More

As a freelancer, I focus my writing on public safety topics. I subscribe to news services that tell me, on a daily, semiweekly, or weekly basis about the latest headlines in the police world.

A few months ago, I found this: "Cops give weaker commands in violent encounters, ground-breaking new studies reveal." The article told me that officers in nonviolent situations used clear, easy-to-interpret "alpha" commands like "Stop talking," but once threatened, they unconsciously switched to "beta" commands, such… Read More

One of my favorite rainy-day activities is to try to guess what my children will be like as adults. Active and athletic, or quiet and academic? Good with their hands or with their words? Homebodies or travelers?

One of the most significant personality traits is, of course, introversion vs. extroversion. Rain Dog and I are both introverts. Being around too many people for too long drains us; we prefer parties of five (including us) or less.

When Hamlet started showing signs of… Read More

We have used Balmex zinc oxide ointment since Hamlet was a baby. We had a bunch of those sample tubes you get in the OB/GYN welcome packet, and found we liked Balmex the best of all. For one thing, it doesn't smell like cod. In fact, it doesn't have much of a smell--the faint odor of baby powder, perhaps. This is important; breastmilk poop has an almost sweet, mild scent, so an overpowering diaper rash or barrier cream… Read More