at the toy store

do you take your kids to the toys store? yes, I'm serious, do you? we actually love taking our kid and guess what, it saves us time and money!

no shit!!

sometimes just plan an extra 30-60 minutes to let your kids play in the toy store, or the toy aisles at you local Target or Walmart or whatever. Let the kids PLAY WITH THE TOYS with the knowledge that they aren't getting anything but they can play with everything.

then just watch them!

there's a reason why all those toys have 'Try Me' features! let the kids try them, it's fun! gently keep them moving thru the aisles (so they have time to play with lots of different things) but just let them play. you'll all get to see what toys the kids actually like, not just what they think they want because some commercial or other kid said it was cool.

so you save time trying to figure out what your kid is into this month and you save money later by avoiding buying toys the kids'll like for 20 minutes then banish to toy purgatory until the next kid picks it up.

and mommy gets a few minutes to whip out the smartphone and answer an email or check facebook or write a blog post like yours truly, since once the kids get used to knowing they have a limited time to play with any toy they like, you become background noise to the plethora of sounds and lights.

some days as a reward, we'll let our kiddo bring $5 of his own spending money to get himself a toy or 2. he's only 4 yrs. old so $5 is a big deal!

give it a try. at the very least you give your kids an hour of playtime bliss.

kids should question authority

'because I said so.' 'do what grownups say.' 'just don't ask.'

I just can't bring myself to say these things to my son. it goes against the lessons we try to teach ourselves as responsible, civic-minded adults; to question authority.

I don't want to teach my kid that he's always supposed to do what grownups say without question. first, not every grownup will have his best interest at heart and he needs to learn to trust his own instincts. if more children were taught that its okay to ask adults questions and expect answers maybe fewer children would be taken advantage of by adults that mean them harm.

second, the concept of questioning authority is one I want him to embrace. I was raised to ask questions and search for answers and as long as he's respectful, I want him to ask questions, my job is to be patient enough to give the answers.

we live in a society dominated by corrupt politics and businesses and if nothing else, the entire Occupy Movement showed the world that sometimes we need to question authority at the top of our voices and expect answers that make sense. I want my son to have this knowledge now, I don't think that's bad.

so if my son asks you some questions that you don't have the patience or information to answer please don't just say 'because I said so.' just because that let's you off the hook. help him find the answer or send him to someone who will, don't just brush him off.

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." - Frederick Douglass