How many times per week do you send your grade 1 kid to after school activities? Well, why do I ask? I've put my son in minor hockey, the season will start next week. It is twice a week, i.e. 2 hours a week. He still takes skating lessons, that is once a week. Am I crazy to put him in one more...

I'm sure I've heard of doctors prescribing stuff like children's multivitamins, which one can buy straight off the shelf and I guess the user then buys direct that works out cheaper, or fills the prescription if that is cheaper or free. DS needed some cream, I was not entirely convinced that...

I am concerned about a child in my care at my family daycare. Normally it would be up to Mom to pursue this with her ped. She is not going to do this. I don't know why. I won't go on about my feelings about this Mom. I cant tell if her actions are deliberately trying to hide something or if she...

Has this ever happened to anyone? I was walking from the bathroom to an outdoor table at a restaurant where we were eating lunch. We weren't in anyone's way. As we were walking by I heard someone say Oh Look, isn't that cute, a breeder. My head swung around in shock. I was not certain I had...

As posted recently on misc.kids, I'm planning to have a go at taking my son out of nappies in a couple of weeks' time. He's quite good about weeing in the potty if he needs to go before or after his bath, so I think he's now ready for the transition, and we're planning to go the intensive...

My almost 3 yr old has never liked loud noises, so I've always tried to do vacuuming and the like when she's in another room playing, or when she's at preschool, or when she's outside with Daddy, but recently, it's turned from "don't like the vacuum" into being actually scared of it. The first...

I have an eight year old son who just doesn't help out around the house, continues to fight with his brothers and sisters, pouts, talks back and just will not settle down. I am currently single with five children, and I find myself losing my patience with him more and more every day. Today he was...

What software are people using to monitor and control their children's Internet use? We have a broadband connection to a computer running Windows XP. For our 4yo boy, the current problem is not his looking at "adult" material but his registering at various web sites, giving out personal information...

Our son will be 5 in May, which means in this state (WA), he starts kindergarten in September and as they use an August 31st cut off, he's one of the younger children in the year. State provision is for part time kindergarten, but the local school district strongly pushes full time...

Hello... We're having our first baby due in May, and we have 2 cats. We also live in a 2 bedroom apartment for now (hopefully next year we'll get our first house). We vaccuum and try to dust often, we have hardwood floors and mop and all that. So we're not dirty people, but we're not super clean...

I am looking into local preschools for my 3 yo DD. Needless to say, they are not cheap. Just sending her 2 days a week will set us back $280/month. I understand that preschool that is held in churches is a bit more affordable. The problem with that is that we are aetheist and don't want to...

I just finished student teaching, and I am just curious if parents would like to see more school work involved in kindergarten. This would also include more homework. Or do you think that children at this age should have homework and school work kept to a minimum? Tasha

My wife and I co-sleep with our 19 mo, and have since he was born. In theory, I've no problem with it, but in practice it's getting a little frustrating having a third less room in the bed (at least--the little bugger can really spread himself out). Plus, since sleeping isn't the only thing a...

DD2 is a bright, imaginative and mischevious 6 year old. She seems to be having a ball in kindergarten and is due to start 1st grade in the fall. Socially she is doing great, has lots of friends and I hear only good reports from her kindy teacher (a woman I have little respect for and do not regard...

My three boys (10, 8 and 2 ½) all love milk and rarely drink water. When they come in from playing hard outside, there's nothing better to cool them down and quench their thirst as an ice cold glass of milk. They just have it in their heads that water doesn't work as well. When they have soccer...

That's an incredibly sad story. When I think of all the pain and suffering the woman went through to birth five children. Then all the love, time, and energy she spent raising them. She absolutely had to have lost it for some reason to destroy her entire legacy. She will always have to live with...

Micah has always been very resistant to bedtime ever since he was 5 months and we transitioned him from our bed to his crib. He's now 2 years old, and with maybe a *total* of 3 weeks' exception, he still hates going to bed, and it actually seems like nighttime itself is getting worse. He's been...

How much allowance do you give your teenagers? What do they have to spend it on and what do you buy for them? When i was 15 I got no allowance, but I did babysit and so got ample spending money that way. Shaina (just turned 15) doesn't work. (Doesn't have time, and it seems that teenage...

"Sue" wrote in message ... Allison, my 11-year-old asked me tonight where people's last name originates from. She doesn't mean from our ancestors, but wants to know how last names got started. I have to admit that I...

We have birthdays and holidays coming up. We know good toys for young kids, i.e., brio trains/matchbox cars/legos--the kids played with these from age 2 on, each kid gets nearly 5 yrs regular use. But what are the good toys, what gets played with the most, over time, by kids OVER 5 or 6 yo? ...