Baby and a Tablet

Recently, I was at a clothing store and I saw a woman pushing her baby
in a stroller. I couldn't believe my eyes...She had a tablet computer at-
tached to the stroller. The baby looked about 6 months old, and he was
completely zoned into the cartoon that was playing on the tablet. He
should have been looking around his environment but he wasn't. The
baby had no idea what was going on around him. All he was aware of
was the cartoon sucking his attention away from a true learning experi-
ence.

Babies need to interact with people when they go out, not stare at car-
toons on their strollers. This mom doesn't realize that she's teaching
her baby that when they go out, her child will always expect some kind
of movie to be playing. I can imagine the tantrum he'll throw when the
tablet suddenly quits because it needs to be charged.

If you're a parent "entertaining" your baby with a tablet while shopping,
why don't you try attaching toys to the stroller, or simply let your baby
look around and interact with other people. Who wants a baby that's ad-
dicted to the computer before he can even talk?

Butt-Picking Girl

I've written about butt-picking before and I swear it isn't always on my
mind, but I couldn't resist telling you a positive butt-picking story.

Recently, I saw a girl around five years old digging in her butt like she
was in a butt-picking contest. Suddenly...Her grandmother spoke up,
"Get your hand out of your fanny! Do you need some more panties?"
The little girl quietly said, "No." That was the first time I had ever seen
any adult tell a child that her butt-picking was unacceptable. I was so
proud of this grandmother.

I wish butt-picking was considered inappropriate behavior. Are butt-
pickers simply suffering from dirty butts, or do they just need new
underpants?

Scared of the Pink Balloon

Yesterday, I was at a store where they give balloons to children. I saw a couple
with a boy and a girl. The salesperson asked the girl what color balloon she
wanted and the girl chose pink. But, when it was time for the boy to choose
his balloon the father spoke up, "Choose green or blue!" I couldn't believe
that the father wouldn't let his son chose his own balloon color. He didn't tell
his daughter what color to choose. The colors that were left were blue, green,
pink and orange. I watched as the little boy chose orange. I could see a sigh
of relief on the father's face. I can imagine the absolutely ridiculous argument
that could've occurred if the boy had chosen pink. Obviously the father was
scared that his son was going to chose the pink balloon.

It's shame that kids are taught at such a young age that a color can be bad
or good. This time it was balloon. The next time it could be a person.

Ever Had a Neighbor Like This?

Do you have
a rake
a needle
any Tylenol
a step stool
any new CDs?
Can I see your
Juice DVD
Boomerang DVD
your Aaliyah tape?
Can I have a ride to
McDonald's
a party
and to school?
Do you have 
some markers
a paint roller
that new Ice Cube
any clear nail polish
any white thread
an extension cord
any old newspapers?
Can I have a ride...
for the rest of the year?

Why I'm Keeping My Relaxer

I've been relaxing my hair for over 20 years, so the thought of not getting anymore
relaxers sounded like a great idea. After my last relaxer (about 6 weeks ago now)
I decided I'd research some women who have gone natural. I read through web-
sites, subscribed to newsletters, talked to women, and looked at a lot of videos
about natural hair. I've come to the conclusion that natural hair is a lot more work
than my relaxed hair.

If I was willing to cut my hair short and start completely over it wouldn't be as
much of a challenge, but I don't want really short hair. And If I decided to keep
my relaxed hair while trying to "go natural" I'd just have a head full of mess. It's
really hard to style half relaxed and half natural hair. Plus, the women that do 
have the patience to grow their natural hair long, spend hours taking care of it.
I give props to any woman with that kind of patience.

I know relaxers are full of chemicals and I'm a chemical hater, but I'd rather
give myself a relaxer every 7 weeks than spend hours a week styling my hair.
That's why I'm keeping my relaxer.