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• Babble Talk: Is It Wise to Let Your Kid Run Around Naked?

  When in public, kids should wear clothes. That may be a little prudish of me to say, but it's the conclusion I must reach after reading Ellen Friedrichs's essay, "Clothing Optional." In the latest installment of Bad Parent, Ellen confesses that her two-year-old daughter Clementine frequently runs around naked in public places and, despite some misgivings, she ultimately thinks this will give her a positive self-image. I understand the fine line Ellen walks as she struggles with when to tell her little girl to cover up. Understandably, she doesn't want to send any signals that might make Clementine feel shame about her body. But there is one very important reason why no child should, in the parlance of Bart Simpson, strut around nude: Safety. Read More... Posted Sep 08 2008, 09:28 AM by Jen Chaney with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: babble talk, Bad Parent, playground etiquette, Jen Chaney, Ellen Friedrichs, children and nudity, naked kids, kids and clothes

• Babble Talk: Pushed Too Far on the Playground

  Is it a new phenomenon or have parents always been this scary? Linda J. Williamson writes about her playground learning curve in Rules of the Game where she bemoans her lack of clarity on the right reaction to the mini-bullies of the yard, while wondering if she’s the only parent paying attention when things start turning all Lord of the Flies. The driving force behind Williamson’s confusion is the fear of what those other parents might do or say to her if she steps in to discipline the kid who is torturing her toddler. Being afraid of other parents and their judgment/aggression/antisocial behavior seems to start in Lamaze class and continue until your baby is a post-grad. While Williamson doesn’t give us the answers as to why we find ourselves intimidated into smiling and even forcing a, “Hee hee, aren’t they spirited?” as the wild kids run roughshod over the ones who are just there to get a little swing time, she does offer some hard-learned lessons we can all adhere to in times of playground ambiguity. Still, an intense afternoon on the playground can make a level-headed parent wonder why more parents aren’t going nuclear and bringing out the spanking option, like our own Cole Gamble in this week’s Bad Parent. - April Peveteaux Posted Jan 03 2008, 04:00 PM by editors with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: spanking, babble talk, Cole Gamble, rules of the game, playground etiquette, linda j. williamson