A picture of someone who DID show up for her shift

I’ve got to call this one for the coach.

Here’s the scoop: Jodie Hooper, mom of a 7-year-old Little Leaguer, promised to work in the concession stand, as all LL parents must do at least once in that league. She bailed, without finding a replacement.

Her son is benched for two games.

“We are not here to have kids sit benches. We want kids to be playing, but we need people to help us out,” Brouillette said.

About 370 kids play at the field. The fields are run almost exclusively by volunteers. Each parent is expected to help out at least one night.

“Is it fair if you know about it in advance and you are told? It’s one of the rules, otherwise we wouldn’t have concession stands,” parent Rebecca Diaz said…

Hooper said that she had things to do at work and that is why she could not work the stand…

“It’s a tough rule to have to enforce, because everybody has things to do,” League President Dave Brouillette said.

Yes, yes we do.

By now you all know what a hardass I am; it’s impossible to bench or otherwise punish a mother, grownups are supposed to be responsible for their commitments, the kid will get over it, he WILL be ashamed of his mother, this is a good thing. If Mommy is so indispensable at work, Mommy can damn well hire a teenager to take her place.

Thoughts?

Books are already magical, and pop up books seem somehow even more special. There is no better way to get your child hooked on reading than by introducing them to pop up books. Children (and adults too!) are completely fascinated with three dimensional pictures that are, in essence, individual sculptures. Yes, little hands can be grabby and close supervision necessary, but pop up books are also a wonderful way to teach young ones to appreciate and respect books.

Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up by Robert Sabuda Special note must be made of Robert Sabuda, as he is widely viewed as the best pop up book illustrator out there. This is not the first time you will see him on this list.

Mommy? by Maurice Sendak, Arthur Yorinks, Matthew Reinhart A classic Sendak book, which is slightly scary but has the protagonist outwitting all the monsters as he searches for his mom in a haunted castle.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: A Pop-up Adaptation by Lewis Carroll Yet another story illustrated by Sabuda, this is a retelling of the classic. But with totally cool pop up pictures.

Winter’s Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey by Robert Sabuda A story about animals who live in the snow, this visually stunning book ends with a Christmas cottage lit up by real lights.

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