My 5-year-old son’s love affair with Pokemon was the subject of my most recent column in The Daily Journal. The column details the reasons why children collect things and what they tend to collect.

Margret Nickels, a seasoned child psychologist at the Erikson Institute, provided the insight. She’s also a mother and has firsthand knowledge of Pokemon cards. When I mentioned to her about the game associated with these cards, she had a quick response.

“Oh, no one plays the game,” she said.

Most of the people I spoke with about Pokemon had the same experience. These cards are intended to be used to play a game, but nobody ever plays. Instead, the cards are simply collected like baseball cards or comic books.

Part of me is curious about this game - just not enough to research the rules and/or strategy. Plus, I have a feeling the game would be well beyond the capacity of my 5-year-old boy anyway.

However, I was able to make up a game that is within his grasp. It’s basically the same as the card game known as War.

We use the numbers in the upper right corner to determine the card’s value (see photo). These numbers end with HP.

I have no idea what HP stands for, but it doesn’t matter. In this game, we are simply flipping over cards to see which one has the higher value. If there’s a match, we have a “War.”

Bubba seems to enjoy this game, and I feel like I’m teaching him something about the value of numbers.

It must be working, because I’ve even seen him attempting to cheat on occasion.

I also think it makes having a Pokemon collection a bit more interesting.

I don’t need to tell you that the Internet has revolutionized the way teens search for money for college.

But, did you know that there are scholarships offered for some really odd talents and interests?

They are nerdy, but that is part of the fun.

It is really encouraging, actually.

Start by making a list of your hobbies. Then, use a search engine to search them, along with the word scholarship, one by one.

For example, “The Klingon Language Institute’s Kor Memorial Scholarship” is actually a scholarship for language study; and, for the person who is creative with the standard roll of duct tape, there is the prom fashions scholarship contest, in which several readers of the The Daily Journal have participated in the past.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m smart enough to know not delve much into feminism. I’m not particularly learned on the subject. The people have studied feminism I can only imagine would bury me in my own ignorance if we ever got into an argument.

But mostly, I don’t think being a stay-at-home dad has much to do with feminism. The fact that I’m in a non-traditional role as a male primary caregiver may be different, but I don’t think feminism plays into it. I’m just a dude, raising two little dudes while The Wife is at work.

That being said, a friend forwarded me an interesting YouTube video this week, posted by a woman who goes by girlwriteswhat. The commentator describes herself as, “a divorced mother of three who’s tired of living in a society that treats men like assholes and women like children.”

It’s a rather brash description that coincides with her bold commentary. In her 16-minute post, the commentator describes how men have been taught since the dawn of time that their lives are worth less than those of women and children.

She uses several examples to make her point. One of them being that a man on a sinking ship is always supposed to give up his seat on the lifeboat to a woman or child. It doesn’t matter the circumstances. Society dictates this is what a man does.

She also referenced studies that show that while baby boys cry more often, parents are slower to react to their cries than they are to the cries of a baby girl. The commentator again argues that this reinforces her opinion that men are systematically taught that their lives don’t matter.

Placing women and children ahead of men made sense when humans were existed as roaming tribes. These were the people responsible for the longevity of the group, whereas one man could impregnate many women.

However, we are past that now. Humans are the dominant species on the planet by leaps and bounds, and it’s time to reexamine this dynamic, according to the commentator.

I think the speaker makes an interesting argument. It’s definitely something to think about, particularly if you are going on a cruise that’s short on lifeboats.

If there’s one thing stay-at-home dads agree on, it’s a universal distaste for the term “Mr. Mom.” I’ve been to plenty of playgroups for at-home dads. I’ve even attended two conventions for full-time fathers. And never once have I heard any of my peers say, “I love being called ‘Mr. Mom!’”

Now, I’ve heard newbie dads use the term among seasoned veterans. These dads are almost always pulled aside and given a quick education on why the term ‘Mr. Mom’ is uncool. The conversation generally goes something like this:

“A stay-at-home dad isn’t anybody’s mom. We are not trying be a mom or replace their mother. We are dads playing the role of primary caregiver. That doesn’t make us feminine in any way. You wouldn’t dare call a working mother ‘Ms. Dad,’ would you?”

It’s a valid point. Though as a journalist, I understand why the term has lived on long past the 1983 release of John Hughes’ comedy “Mr. Mom.” Basically, these five letters give most people a clear idea of what you are talking about, whereas the term “male primary caregiver” is wordy and awkward.

That being said, the Internet was abuzz this morning on news that MGM is planning to remake “Mr. Mom” as well as several other classics from the 1980s. Most the daddy bloggers and my stay-at-home dad pals on Facebook were concerned that a remake would reinforce a stereotype that we/they have been trying to beat back for decades - namely that fathers are naturally incompetent when it comes to raising children.

I’m confident Hollywood will wise up with the remake. There’s been several stay-at-home dads who’ve appeared on television and in movies since Michael Keaton pioneered the concept. Increasingly, these portrayals have been positive. I’m thinking primarily of Will Arnett’s character Chris in NBC’s “Up All Night.”

Hopefully the trend towards positive portrayals of stay-at-home dads continues… even if it’s under the unfortunate banner of “Mr. Mom.”

Well why wouldn’t teens take advantage of every opportunity they had in high school to get a jump-start on their careers?

A conversation among several teens and a few adults materialized recently in reaction to a front page story in the Weekend Edition of The Daily Journal. The story mentioned the possibility that high schools may be changing graduation requirements to include more math.

The teens were the first ones to speak up and say “I thought four years of math were required already.”

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the best animated features of the decade has to be Disney’s “Tangled.”

I love this movie. And I have two boys! The film features Rapunzel in a wonderful retelling of her story of long hair and tall towers. If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend it.

That being said, there’s a new chapter to the story in theaters now - albeit a short chapter.

The Wife took our two sons to see “Beauty and the Beast” this weekend. The 1991 film was re-released this month in 3D. I didn’t attend the film, but I was told the boys enjoyed the flick on the big screen.

The Wife also told me about an animated short film that appears prior to the movie. It appears to be set on the day of Rapunzel and Flynn’s wedding.

I did some Internet surfing and learned the short is called “Tangled Ever After.” You can read more about the film HERE as well as see a small clip.

According to The Wife, the main characters are Maximus (a horse and captain of the palace guard) and Pascal (Rapunzel’s pet chameleon). The pair apparently lose the wedding rings due to a wayward sneeze and a wild search ensues.

Disney also added a short from its “Toy Story” franchise called “Small Fry” to latest Muppet movie - “The Muppets.”

I love bonus features on DVDs that include deleted scenes and alternate endings. These short films that Disney is adding to it’s theatrical releases reminds me of those freebies. And for what you pay to attend a movie these days, the more entertainment I receive for my $10, the better.

If kids are growing up in a household where they are constantly being yelled at and told they “cannot do anything right,” does that help them grow stronger and more resistant to the criticism of the rude world we live in?

It really hurts their self-esteem, but some argue it also helps them grow stronger and more resilient. The real answer is that it depends on the child. I’ve seen both sides of this. To get the real answer, parents have to gauge each child as an individual (and don’t go comparing them to a sibling).

But what does it do to their grades? Are they lazier if they don’t receive any guidance one way or the other? Will they do worse in school If they don’t get any consistent reminders (also known as nagging) to stay focused on their homework before they go and play with their toys? Read the rest of this entry »

My five-year-old son wanted Santa to bring him Legos this Christmas. But not just any Legos, Bubba wanted Lego ninjas.

Of course Santa obliged. Bubba received several of the Danish toy maker’s Ninjago building sets. I have to say, they’re pretty cool. Bubba received nearly all of the characters, a dojo and several dragons - the preferred method of transportation for all Lego ninjas.

The “bad guys” were Lego skeletons. These villains came from the “underworld,” and relied on machines for transportation. These are also pretty cool. Bubba received a handful of skeleton warriors as well as a helicopter and “chopper” motorcycle.

So, we are well stocked with Lego ninja sets. Thus, I was excited to hear of a new series on Cartoon Network that focused on the Ninjago characters. I figured these shows would showcase all the the characters, vehicles and buildings Bubba received for Christmas.

We watched the first two episodes for free using On Demand through Comcast this weekend. The show was fine. Both Bubba and his four-year-old brother, Peter, were riveted.

However, I was sort of bummed. Instead of the skeletons being the villains, a new enemy was featured - snakes.

What the hell? Here we went out and bought all the latest toys this Christmas only to have something new introduced not even a month later. The skeletons were mentioned in the inaugural episodes, but clearly there’s a new group of “bad guys.”

I’m sure Bubba is going to want these new toys. I just feel like Lego could have given me a few months to enjoy the Christmas toys before rolling out something new.

After reading Howard Ludwig’s “What to do with all those school papers,” column last month, the next step in the kids’ paperwork project was put on the list as one of those Christmas vacation projects.

Then, my parents both ended up in the hospital, so that home decluttering project moved to the bottom of the priority list.

A Sunday afternoon in the basement this past weekend had me facing the facts and thinking about it again. It would be nice for us to road trip to see the kids’ maternal grandparents and spend a day sharing the finished project with them before it is too late.

We are talking about the next step beyond the bulky box of a pocket folder of memorabilia papers for each year. You have to admit that box is a little hard to navigate in a nursing home environment.

Read the rest of this entry »

I know parents who are unable to sit through a children’s movie or television show without going batty.

I am not among them. I watch a couple minutes of every television show my four- and five-year-old sons consume. I rarely make it though the whole episode, as I typically use this time to take care of odds and ends. This includes showering, unloading the dishwasher and/or checking email.

Almost all of the movies Bubba and Peter watch I’ve seen in their entirety.  Some of their movies I genuinely enjoy. “Up”, “The Secret of NIMH” and “Toy Story 3″ are among my favorites.

But just as there’s quality children’s television shows and movies, there’s also garbage. And boy, did I see a stinker last week.

It was during winter break, and a local youth group was showing “Zookeeper.” I was desperate for an activity on this cold afternoon. A free movie sounded like a good time.

I was wrong.

Kevin James (of “The King of Queens” and “Paul Blart, Mall Cop” fame) plays a lovelorn zookeeper who learns animals can speak. The animals break their unwritten code and decide to help their caretaker land the girl of his dreams.

The premise is dumb enough, but things get worse as the story unfolds. At one point, James’ character - Griffin Keyes - takes a talking gorilla to TGI Fridays.

I’m not kidding.

I say this not simply to bash the movie. It’s more of a public service. I saw “Zookeeper” for sale earlier today for $19.99. Now, I doubt anyone will pay that much for this flick. But soon it will be in the $4.99 bin. At that price, you might be tempted to add it to your kids’ movie collection. Don’t do it!

You’ve been warned. That’s my good deed for the week.