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Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Unhappy Meal
Can you believe that this is the toy that showed up in a Happy Meal I bought for Katherine at McDonalds the other day?
I don't get bothered by this stuff usually, but this really annoyed me. First of all, I think this is a teen toy, not
a toddler toy. Second, this figure presents women in an entirely unrealistic light. I can sort of deal with the
hair, but the legs and butt are out of control. The legs are too long and thin, and she has this tiny little but in
hotpants. I am also a believer that high-heel shoes are very bad for the feet. I can't believe how hard it is
for my wife to buy attractive shoes that are comfortable. I know I have to get used to this as the father of a little
girl, and I'm actually prepared for that. But I really think McDonald's ought to question why a doll can't be just as
popular, and more realistic at the same time.
Sometimes people ask me why I don't mind Caillou and other kids shows that illustrate bad behavior. Katherine figured out how to say, "you're stupid" from Caillou (at
just over 2 years old, I might add). The reason I don't mind is that I'd rather have Katherine see that, and see the
resolution that takes place on the show (which always seems to be appropriate), and then I can talk to her about her behavior
if she takes the wrong message away. But there is no other reinforcement of image with this doll except for the
doll. That's part of the reason I'm annoyed.
Monday, June 28, 2004
Funny Story from this Morning
We really thought Katherine had something that would cause vomiting and diarrhea, so Kara asked me to get a bucket or
a bowl or something for the TV room in case Katherine hurled. I got a big container and some hand towels. Then
I sit down to watch Dragon Tales on Tivo for the 30th time.
There is a sudden commotion to my right, as Kara desparately scrambles to get the container, and I jump up to help.
As I get to the chair, Kara hurls her first glass of water into the container while Katherine sits comfortably and passively
watching TV.
Kara hasn't thrown up in a week, but the stress of Katherine's illness and only having a Nelson DeMille book to read
are really getting to her.
A Rude Awakening
My first recollection of this morning was Kara shouting, "GET UP! Katherine is throwing up and has diarrhea..."
That was around a quarter to 6. It turns out that neither of these was true. She burped and passed a little gas.
But she did have a terrible night, and a temperature of over 102°F, so it was a logical assumption in the fog of morning.
Kara had actually gotten up and slept in with her in her bed for a half hour or so at 4AM. Then I got to thinking about
when I tucked her in last night (well, early this morning). She was mumbling about something, and I thought she was
dreaming because I had to reposition her on the bed, and I caught the word, "hungry," but nothing else. Ah, the magic
of hindsight.
Anyway, round about 8, we started calling some friends, one in particular that we knew had a sick son recently to find
out what the story was. The son presented with a temperature but no other symptoms for two days, then a pretty steady
stream of diarrhea for a half week, but otherwise was OK. Sounds pretty much like Katherine's heading in that direction.
Mind you, this was not a call to that parent to complain or anything. We know these folks well, and we also know
that her son should have been well past contagious when he last was with Katherine. She kept him out of the Y for a
week while he was sick. But these viral things spread around a lot, and there are so many kids Katherine has been in
contact with, it's not worth the effort to figure out where it came from. But those parents need to know that Katherine
is sick now, and that people she's come in contact with lately might be susceptible, so we'll make those calls too.
I really hope that's not what she has, because we are all looking forward to a 4th weekend up in New Hampshire, and Katherine
in particular has some really good play friends that are going. Not only will she miss the fun up there, but her friends
won't be here either, not that we'd have them over if she's sick.
And now, once again, I have to figure out how to catch up on sleep when I have the whole day booked already.
*sigh*
You know what would be really helpful? If the local pediatricians had a web site where they could post the indicence
and behavior of the bugs that are going around. I mean, how many different types of infirmity present with a fever and
no other obvious symptoms? But if we knew that, "Biddlebooey Sickness" was going around, and what they symptoms were,
we'd at least be able to tell if she had it or not. My wife and I talked about calling the on-call nurse (the temperature
was high enough to justify it), but both dismissed the idea. Pediatricians use behavior modification to discourage this
kind of call, probably for good reason. A little Tylenol brought the fever under control, and Katherine is now running
around the house creating havoc again, although I still think we're at the start of some kind of illness.
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Singing Babies
When I was in Texas recently, Katherine finally got sick of all the songs I was singing to her before bed, so I sang,
"America, The Beautiful" for her, and she loved it. When she and Kara got back, she had learned all the words, and it
was her favorite song. She seems to understand that it has a more important meaning than, say, "Twinkle, twinkle little
star," and she sings it all the time now.
However, after a few weeks of this, she doesn't want us to sing it with her, and she'll stick her fingers in her ears
and sing it loudly to avoid hearing us. She also has a habit of belting it out in public places (restaurants, playgrounds,
etc.), which is very cute. I joked that we should rent her out for patriotic events.
The only thing is, since she isn't hearing us (or anyone else) sing it, her pronounciation is beginning to drift from
the original lyrics. Now, when she gets to the refrain, she sings, "America, A-ma-merica, odd shit his grapes on thee."
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