Recent content by PaterFamilias

I'm uncomfortable with this idea, I must admit. I know the arguments that football players often take ballet to improve coordination, strength, etc., but I think there is a difference between a grown man who is secure in his male identity utilizing ballet to improve his game, and a young boy...

Well I'm relieved to hear that you've found some peace. Funny, you know...I was <I>just</I> thinking about you and your situation this morning, before I even logged on and saw this thread <I>or</I> your PM. That's pretty spooky. I was wondering whatever became of you and your wife and, I'm...

I don't doubt that children <I>do</I> it. My point is that masturbation was the original poster's <I>first assumption</I>, rather than the child may be experiencing discomfort from a UT infection or something. If you rely on masturbation as the <I>first assumption</I>, then you risk...

I guess now that you mention it, that's what my wife and I do too. In fact, I don't remember the last time we actually made any of the children sit as a punishment. Recently, we've pretty much exclusively been taking away priviliges as punishment.

WOW. What a <I>beautiful</I> sentiment, Mom2all...your dad must have been very wise. I understand seeeker's sentiment (and, to a certain extent, agree with it) that there seems to be a paucity of long-term research to prove that "time-outs" are more successful over spanking over other forms...

Whew...that is a <I>tough</I> one, 16th. Depending on how old your mother is, I'm not so sure it <I>is</I> possible to teach her independence at this age. You're dealing with (if she's as old as my mother) more than 70 years of patterned learning. If your mother is elderly, she may have...

I've heard this word used by small children with alarming frequency. My son said that about a month ago, and I scolded him soundly for it, emphasizing that one should <I>never</I> threaten to kill another person. I haven't heard him say it since. Then, a little boy of about 7 or 8 said it to...

Wow...I'd just like to commend everyone who contributed to this thread on the civil way you've presented your positions, and to the original poster in not taking umbrage. I've had the unfortunate experience on internet forums of seeing a lot of touchy threads like this one degenerate, and it...

Oh GEEZ! I'm sorry, everybody! I could have sworn I saw this thread in the "Hot Topics" box...I must have been confused, and saw it in the other box (the "related threads" box or something like that?). My apologies...I'm still getting familiar with the interface. I'll try to be more mindful of...

Damn, Brent, this is heart-wrenching. There's little I can say here that hasn't been said already. I think all the thoughts I was considering posting were summed up eloquently by Xero in her first post. While mindful that there're always two sides to every story, the facts as you present...

Mmmm hmmm. Thanks for that update, 16th ave. Now the news articles are starting to place more focus on the school's claim that the drawing the father is showing to the world is <I>not</I> the one that troubled the school. I had a feeling the father was building a straw man.

Picopaco, I don't know of any particular sites that have stories for children, but I'm sure a Google search (we can say "Google search," can't we Xero?...Google's like Kleenex and Xerox...it's synonomous with "search engine search" and less redundant) for something like: <I>"stories for...

I really get the feeling that there's more to this story than we're seeing in the press...whether it's the father of the child who's not being forthright or the school, I don't know. But I look at that picture, and I see a depiction of the crucifiction of Jesus, clear and simple. I went to...

Wow...so few responses...but chock full of insightful comments! Well said, Ben &amp; Choppy. Ben mentioned: Not eating right, fast food, bad parenting (i.e. not cooking their kids good food or teaching good eating habits). I agree wholeheartedly with this list, but I'd also like to mention...

<I>Well</I>...I find that anything that lets my skin breathe is best...cotton, for example. Synthetic fibres -- like Patagonia's Cappeline long underwear, while it <I>really</I> helps keep you warm -- don't let the skin breathe too much, and, hence, irritate the skin. Even if I wear socks to...