In a nutshell, that is what an “eminent biologist/naturist” EO Wilson said at at the Aspen Environmental Forum.

Well, Mr. Wilson, we’re even worse when we have PMS.

Not one to be above some hyperbole, Mr. Wilson was trying to encourage his audience to think about how our current society, with its advances in technology and fear of children running around unsupervised, has made our children disconnected from nature.  In theory, this leads to a society that will care less about nature than previous generations.

While I agree that we are moving toward more structure in our children’s lives via classes and playdates, I think the death of the appreciation of nature has been greatly overexaggerated. 

I don’t have to force the Munchkin outside, he loves being outside.  There is all this hand-wringing about how computers and video games are ruining our kids, but my son loves nothing more than playing in the mud.  I wish I was kidding.  Given the choice to watch Scooby Doo or go out and dig in his alloted spot in the planter, he will choose the digging every single time.  He loves the beach and just today was complaining that we haven’t been in so long. 

I happen to think that children have an innate connection with nature.  I don’t know any mom who purposely keeps their kid cooped up in the house all day.  In fact, it is exactly the opposite.   It might be because of where I live, but I don’t that’s all of it.

While I understand that Mr. Wilson was trying to make a point, I really think he is selling us moms short.

Or, maybe he is simply trying to pull a classic mom ploy.  Hands off the guilt trips, Mr. Wilson, they’re all ours!

At a certain point, you know, one has to conclude it no longer matters.

When my son has tee ball practice, I set up my little folding chair, and either chat with another parent or read a book.  Today was a reading day, and at one point I happened to look up at the team as they were lined up to run relays around the bases.

Much to my surprise, one of the boys simply walked up to another who was waiting patiently for his turn, grabbed him by the shoulders and literally threw him to the ground.  It wasn’t because the thrower was bigger or stronger than the throwee, it was just that the throwee wasn’t expecting someone to walk up and attack him for no good reason.  I can totally understand that, I wouldn’t have expected it either. 

Dad of thrower is standing near me, and says not a word to his thrower son.   And this is not the first or even the second time that thrower boy has done this to people.  The dude is a serial thrower.

Silent Dad, you get the Lazy Parenting Award^TM for your “boys will be boys” atttitude and not telling your aggressive son to knock it the heck off.

Boys, much like lion or tiger cubs, are absolutely into horsing around.  However, unless the horsing around is a mutually agreed upon activity, it shouldn’t happen.  Just the other day the Munchkin and a friend of his were in a bounce house and doing exactly the same Wrestlemania moves on each other.  However, they were landing on a soft surface, and by the dual set of giggles, you could tell it was all in good fun.   When they started to get a bit out of control, they were told to cool it.  And they did.

But, violence for the simple sake of violence is not to be excused as simply “boy” behavior.  I resent people like Silent Dad, because then I am forced to tell my son to be on his guard for cretins such as that and never let anyone throw him to the ground just because it seemed like a really good idea at the time.  These kids are five and six years old and already there is a fight for dominance in the pack.  Ridiculous.

It is people like Silent Dad who perpetuate the cycle of bullying, threats, and general dominant idiot behavior that can be so harmful to the psyches of children. 

And I have to say that even though I’m a pacifist at heart, a tiny part of me would rather like to throw Silent Dad on the ground one day and see just how he likes it. He’s kind of wimpy, and with the element of surprise on my side, I bet I could do it, too.

Bad Glinda. Bad, bad Glinda.

Beaker was always my secret favorite, so it’s nice to see him getting his due finally, rather than playing a slightly addled Igor to some mad scientist. Also, the velvet lounge suit really brings out the Titian glory of his hair, don’t you think?

via Valleywag

Carrying on from Glinda’s Teeny Poll: What causes art? In this case, it’s simple: a child’s desire for mutilation.

Do 13-year-olds really need to be saving their babysitting and paper route money for breast implants? Cheryl-Ann Webster wondered that herself, when her daughter told her that a friend was already socking away money for the boobflation job she felt would be an absolute necessity, sooner rather than later.

So Cheryl-Ann made a few synthetic boobs herself; she made The Beautiful Women Project.

To demonstrate that beautiful bodies come in all shapes and sizes, she wanted to surround young girls with sculptures of real women’s bodies…

The Beautiful Women Project is a touring art exhibition of life-sized torsos of real women aged 19-91.

Aims:

* To challenge socially-constructed images of beauty
* To raise awareness and open a dialogue about the link between self-worth and physical appearance
* To be a teaching and healing tool

In the artist’s words: “Our bodies tell our life story. They are portraits of our journeys and experiences. Knowing that our body is beautiful just as it exists, is a message more people need to see and hear.”

Hi, My name is Glinda. And I’m addicted to Webkinz.

It began so very innocently.  A small stuffed chocolate labrador was a gift from Santa, and only recently did we get around to unsealing that little packet around its neck.  Little did I know that opening that packet was going to open a rather unhealthy relationship with a completely fake universe built around completely fake pets.

And what an elaborately fake universe it is, replete with a veterinarian, (Dr. Quack, of course) an employment office, a sort of Webkinz University, a gem mine, and so many items to buy with your KinzCash that any interior decorator would drool at the possibilities.

I mean, it isn’t my fault that if you don’t have enough KinzCash, you can’t feed your pet.  And that to get the KinzCash, you have to play games and trivia quizzes. It certainly isn’t my choice to have to mine for precious gems in order to qualify for a Crown of Wonder.  I had nothing to do with the decsion to make the Wishing Well as exciting as a slot machine.

I mean, please don’t tell me I am the only parent in the world who somehow finds themselves playing Dogbeard’s Bathtub Battles after their kids have gone to bed. 

Seriously, please tell me that.

What they need to do is make it much more boring.  You know, so moms kids won’t want to play so often.