Mail Bag

Over the past months (ever since I blogged this Lesson in Parenting), I have been getting emails and letters.  I haven't had much time to respond so I decided to open a few and get some answers back to my faithful followers that have parenting questions.  So let's get to the first letter. (all names have been removed to protect the innocent)

Dear Our Life,
Long time reader, first time writer.  We have a two year old daughter and a 10 month old son.  She loves her brother and wants to hold/pick him up.  We were wondering when it was okay for her to hold him on her own.  She is determined to hold him, is pretty strong and is always helping her daddy carry stuff.


Thanks,
Pocket Hercules Mother


Dear Pocket Hercules Mother,
Thanks for writing and sorry to the delay in responding but it's been busy around "Our Life".  Your question brings up a problem that I am sure all our parents wonder about.  Kids love babies and love holding them.  My general guideline is two years old is too young to hold your 10 month old on their own - supervised on the sofa would be allowed.  To help you get an idea what might happen if you don't follow "Our Life" guidelines...Let's says your daughter wants to hold your son while sitting on the surround around the tub.  You agree to let her hold him because you are sitting right beside her.  What you now have is a basic ticking time bomb.  The longer she holds him the greater the potential for her to drop him.

Now that your on the slippery slope of your two year old holding your ten month old there are only three results -
1.You catch the ten month old before they hit the floor
2.She drops him and saves herself
3.She drops him but takes the fall with him using him to break her fall and giving him a goose egg on his forehead. 

Let's review the results.  Number 1, not much chance of this actually happening you think you are close enough but your not a ninja and you are going to get distracted, turn your head, or begin talking to your wife and not hear your daughter telling you her legs are "tired".  Between number 2 and 3, it's a fifty-fifty shot.   Number 2 says that she isn't a team player and not committed to the task of holding him - I am not going to fall and get hurt.  Number 3 shows that she not a quitter and she is committed to holding him at all costs, even if they fall because she can say "I didn't drop him" (nope, you sure  didn't but you did use him to break your fall).


My recommendation is four years old.  If you let them hold your infant before then, you've been warned what might happen.


Sincerely,
Our Life

Celebrate Good Times - It's Greg's Birthday

I have decided to make 2011 nothing but celebrations on "Our Life".  This blog will now be focused on the celebrations of birthdays and babies...and speaking of "Celebrate Good Times", I am pretty sure I am the only one reading this blog that remembers when Kool and The Gang came out with that song but it's appropriate - live it up large today, Greg!

Today "Our Life" would like to give a Birthday shout out to Greg from "I'm Just Sayin".  I am not going to guess how old he is because then he will get mad when he is reading this if I say he is older and then this goes from something that was supposed to make him happy to him being mad and it is just not worth it (and honestly once you are past 21 does it really matter?).  Let just suffice it to say that he is older than 21 and younger than I am (by a good number of years).

Just a couple of things about Greg:

Pittsburgh Steelers Fan (BEAT not beat but BEAT the JETS)
Winthrop Graduate (Student Body President, Graduated with Honors)
Charleston Southern University Graduate (Masters - Graduated with Honors because of a paper that was written about me...put him over the top)
Works at MUSC but not downtown and not even in a hospital or doctor's office (I know it's confusing...)
Dog Lover (sorry about Lucy, read his blog to find out how great of a dog Lucy was)
Husband of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010 (attempting the four-peat in 2011)

I could go on but I think you get the point...tremendous human being and I am lucky to know him and call him a friend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GREG!

I put this on your Facebook page - I hope Jenn treats you like the KING that you are today.

Hope you have many more!

Late Breaking News From Monday (In Case You Live In A Cave And It's Not About The Game...Much More Important) And My 1st Prediction Of 2011 After The Story

Editor Note: An alert reader (who ironically was part of the prediction) pointed out an error in my 2011 prediction - see below for correction and the pictures are EXCLUSIVE 1st pictures to "Our Life".......(and everyone that is friends with them on facebook)

Evidently, I misspelled Ashley and Cory's daughter's name.  It should be Ellis Cate (not Kate, which I would apologize but I think an apology is in order from them.  I assumed it was Kate with a "K" in my honor (we did after all name our son Corey Wyatt) but I guess it's Cate with a "C" in honor of her father, again.  You would think one child with your first letter would be enough and you could throw a friend a bone.  I will not let this slight affect our friendship.  I will be honest it hurts but I will get over it..........in time.)   
 
You didn't hear it here first because we were scooped on the story by "I'm Just Sayin" but the new readers/followers of "Our Life" has already doubled in 2011. It looks like 2011 is going to be a banner year for "Our Life" viewership. Welcome to the family Ellis Kate (1.10.11, 8:05pm, 6lbs, 12oz and 20.5"). The proud parents are long time reader, Ashley and her husband, Cory.  Thanks, Ashley for giving birth before kickoff because that was going to be awkward if the game was on and you still hadn't given birth.  Congratulations and Wyatt is looking for a girlfriend.  Here is a picture of Ellis Kate, Daddy and Big Sister:

I am not going to leave mommy out:

Side Note - Not going to make excuses about why I got scooped on the story but I am going to say stomach virus...enough said - hope you don't get it.

Prediction

I went 1 for 1 in 2010 with predictions (read about it here and here).  So I must have a 6th sense and I am going to put it to use in 2011.

Monday night (1.10.11) was the BCS championship game between Auburn and Oregon.  Not going to recap the game or the other stories of the game but I would like to point out a few facts...A long time follower and reader of "Our Life" and a blogger herself, Jenn and her husband, Clark are rabid Auburn Tiger fans and have been chanting "War Eagle" each week with a little more passion for the past 18 weeks.  Auburn won the national championship actually on 1.11.11 because the game had a bunch of commercials.  It just so happens that Clark's birthday is 1.11 (BTW, Happy 31st Birthday, Clark!).  What a nice birthday present from the Auburn nation to Clark. 

Auburn National Championship + Birthday + Clark's 31....you add it all up and the numbers don't lie: 3+1=4

You heard it here first...Williams +1 in 2012 2011 (I'm feeling October - December) - WAR EAGLE!

Our Life Readership Increases By 1

A big "Our Life" shout out to our newest reader (making total readership - 5 and I am counting LA in that number. I think she reads this. If I find out she isn't the posts will get better.). Actually, he is too young to read but I am sure his daddy (Jeremy) will read it to him. Welcome to the "Our Life" family Lucas Dunlap. Born on 1.5.10 at 3:39pm, 8lb 7oz, 21.25" long. Congrats to Jeremy and Rebeca! Welcome to the world of parenting. Keep reading "Our Life" and learn from our mistakes.

Jeremy, and Rebeca, I don't know if it's too late but you might want to read this post before Lucas goes under the knife.