Flying Without Kids: Together or Separate?

If you and your spouse were flying somewhere without your kids, would you book separate flights? Or would you roll the dice, if you will, and fly together< I know a lot of couples, both from our generation and the one before it, who insist on flying separately. You know, so, just in case the flight went down, at least one of them would be alive to raise the children. And, I know others who would fly together without giving the matter a second thought.

Predictably, I have an opinion on the matter. To read it, come visit me at Babble Voices by clicking HERE. And, if you’re so inclined, please chime in with your take in the comments section.

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Parenting from the Wonder Years

It’s raining outside, just as it has been for much of the month. Only this night, it’s really dumping, angry hurtful pellets slapping against my sweat-soaked flesh as I dash ungracefully from the gym to my car. Once behind the wheel, the steam from my body counteracts whatever modest progress the defrost is making, a humid mess I am, not only affected by the high pressure system outside, but also, apparently, by the one from within.



[Read more at BabbleVoices]

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Raising Pretty Girls

A few Friday’s ago, my wife and I were channel surfing when we stumbled upon a rare treat. Grease is the word, my friends. And it’s also a classic, one that I first saw at a very young age.

Which is how I started watching the movie. With the wide-eyed wonder of the ten-year-old whose tummy felt all funny inside the first time he saw Sandy, her fair complexion, cardigan sweater, full-length skirt and prudent yet playful ponytail.

But by the end of the movie, my perspective had changed to that of a 42-year old parent.

[read more at BabbleVoices]

Jay Z: The Daddy Rapping Shark Jumper

So, wow. I thought that Beyonce’s pregnancy got a lot of press, but it certainly pales in comparison to the press that the birth of Blue Ivy Carter has received. Lots to talk about, apparently. Like did Beyonce fake her pregnancy and farm out the dirty work to a surrogate? Or did Beyonce carry the child herself?

And what about the security measures taken by the couple? Some parents are claiming that such measures prohibited them from visiting their own children in the NICU. If true, that’s clearly disconcerting.

But of all the disconcerting elements which have surrounded the arrival of Blue Ivy Carter, none are more troubling to me than the song Jay-Z wrote in celebration of her birth.

[Read more at Babble Voices]

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10 Reasons Why I’d Never Want To Be A Toddler Again

Love being his dad, but wouldn't wanna be him.

Last week, Babble Deputy Editor Mira Jacobs wrote a post called 12 Reasons Why I Want to be a Toddler Again. Hysterical. Plus, she got me thinking that it really would be great to be a toddler again.

But upon further review, I’ve had a change of heart.

I mean, maybe it’s because I’ve lived with four toddlers already (won’t be long till Grand Finale makes five). And maybe I’m too familiar with this pesky developmental phase, thus immune to its many undeniable charms, but there’s no way in hell I’d ever want to be a toddler again. And here are 10 reasons why.

[read more at BabbleVoices]

Our 12 Best Family Pics of 2011

Hard to believe that 2011 is coming to a close. Okay, no it’s not. That’s just something people say. It’s hard to believe that summer’s already here. Or, I can’t believe you’re such a big boy already. Why is it that people have such a hard time believing that time passes us by? It’s so utterly…believable.

Even so, there are times which strike me as more profound than others. And the end of the year is one such time, possibly because it’s such a natural period of reflection. Which is exactly why I decided to make my final post of 2011 a reflective one.

[Click here to read more and see the pics]

Photo: woodleywonderworks

Twas the Night Before Christmas 2011

Twas the night before Christmas, and since we have kids,
It’s sorta amazing, the stuff we just did.
The holiday meal we prepared with great care.
The toys we assembled while slightly impaired.

We stuffed all the stockings, and wrapped all the gifts.
And even remembered to hook up St. Nick.
With cookies and milk — the rules of engagement.
And carrots for Rudolph — the standard arrangement.

[Finish reading at BabbleVoices]
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The 7 Worst Things About Christmas

Every kid loves Christmas. But that’s not to say that the season doesn’t have a few low spots. Because it does. And as parents, it’s important to identify some of these low spots, especially now that we’re heading into the heart of the holiday season. You know, to help shield our little ones from potential unpleasantrie, thereby enabling them to have the best Christmastime experience possible.

It’s in that spirit that I offer you the following list of the 7 worst things about Christmas as experienced by your child.

You can thank me later.

[click here to see the 7 Worst Things slide show on BabbleVoices]

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Yuletide Vasectomies: The Gift That Keeps Giving

I told myself that I’d never write a vasectomy post. But apparently I lied, which I’m totally comfortable with given this whole Santa Claus scam I’ve been clobbering my kids over the head with. (Say what you want about the jolly fat bastard, but you gotta give him this: he makes December bedtimes a LAY UP.)

See, I wasn’t gonna write about the big V because I believe that vasectomy posts are overdone. But a coupla things occurred to me shortly after the procedure as I sat in bed watching TV in a pain-pill-induced stupor. First, there’s no shame in crying at the end of Home Alone. It’s a tender reunion between an abandoned, vulnerable little boy and the mother who never meant to leave him.

[read more at BabbleVoices]

Photo courtesy of Loimere via Creative Commons

The Christmas Tradition That Came From a Fight

We’ve got a little tradition in our family that’s seven years in the making, now. Unlike most family traditions, however, ours has a rather inauspicious beginning — it sprang (sprung? had sprungeth?) from the very first fight Caroline and I ever had.

It was long before the tumultuous trio were conceived — even before we were married. We were just boyfriend and girlfriend at the time and clandestine ones at that, for we didn’t dare come out of the closet until we were as certain as we could be that we’d go the distance out of consideration of Caroline’s daughter. But one thing that wasn’t a secret was the fallout that came from the Great Christmas Tree Debacle of 2005.

[continue reading over at BabbleVoices]

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