I get some of my best parenting tips and ideas by watching parents and caregivers out in public. I've become an expert at pretending like I'm not listening when really I am. My favorite line, "Hitting hurts other people's bodies," was overheard on the playground. I've also learned to admire ingenious parenting solutions from behind my dark glasses.
Which is exactly why when I saw a faux-candy necklace made out of Cheerios today, I knew I had to shout it from the rooftops to parents everywhere. It was exactly as I described: a length of twine strung with Cheerios hung around the neck of a very content toddler. Would you leave your toddler alone with this contraption? No. But for a walk around the block or to keep a kid occupied at IKEA (where I was)? Brrrrrrrilliant.
