They aren't battery-operated or computer-animated. They don't talk to you, sing to you or boast loud bells or whistles (thank goodness). And they certainly don't promise to turn your child into a baby genius. They are so low-tech you may have forgotten all about them, unless of course you have a young child. And then, you know, they still delight.

I am of course talking about Tinkertoys, providing hours of fun since 1913.
http://www.hasbro.com/playskool/tinkertoy/

Annie happened to get a big… Read More

"You can tell a lot about a school by its front office."

I was talking to a woman who worked for 16 years in the front office of her local elementary school.

"Are the staff friendly and welcoming to parents or other visitors?"

As one who has visited hundreds of school in the last 20 years, I would agree. A chaotic front office usually portends other more systemic problems at a school.

This veteran front office secretary, I'll call her Betty, also said she… Read More

Last night, our family was the picture of domestic tranquility.

While I flipped through magazines on the couch - Labrador Gus snuggled close - my husband and daughter played Candyland on the dining table.

I was quite focused on my home and garden-type magazines and did not really follow their game. Their conversation was a mid-level hum punctuated by a few "double blues!" and "I'm ahead of yous!" It all seemed so domesticated, so . . . .

"You cheated" my… Read More

As a child I guess I never quite believed my mother when she would tell me that the best gifts were homemade.

I would scrimp and save my allowance money to buy her something really special for her birthday or Mother's Day. Perfume? Jewelry? Inevitably, I never had enough to buy what I really wanted to get for her.

"The best gifts are homemade," Mom would tell me.

On the big day her face would brighten with joy as she opened… Read More

It's that question many parents dread.

"Mom, Dad, where do babies come from?" my daughter asks at the dinner table last night.

I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that she waited until 4 and a half to ask it. Our friends who had a second baby when their first was 2 or 3 had to answer the question much earlier.

Of course, comprehension levels are a bit sketchier at the toddler stage, too.

Annie is old enough now to make more… Read More

I now have more respect for the Walmart photographers than I ever did before.

Several years back we took a big family photo there with grandparents, and this photographer was a pro.

First, she got my active child to sit still.

Next, she coaxed angelic smiles out of her.

Finally, my kid asked to go back and do it all again!

Sadly, our Mother's Day photo session yesterday did not go so well. Granted Perfect Husband is a fine photographer, but one of… Read More