Rewarding Good Behavior

The weather was incredibly beautiful today, so it was very easy to get ourselves out of the house to run a couple of quick errands. First stop was Friends of Nature to pick up some wild bird seed and a couple of bags of horse feed.

Jack really loves the Friends of Nature store because there are images of animals featured on just about every piece of merchandise. Each aisle is thoroughly entertaining for a 2 1/2-year old. I like to let Jack walk on his own, (as opposed to confining him to a shopping cart), because he loves to explore the store. The store isn't very large, so there is little risk of Jack disappearing from my sight. It is important to keep one eye on him though because at one point today, Jack tried to eat an ear of field corn that was part of a display in the squirrel section.

After we purchased our stash of animal goodies from Friends of Nature, we headed up to Target. As soon as we set foot in Target, Jack led me directly to his favorite destination -- the toy department. As I mentioned in a previous post, Jack loves to add to his Thomas the Tank Engine collection. Today's purchase was a little yellow engine named, "Molly".

While Molly is not one of the major characters in the "Thomas" storyline, this engine has a very distinctive paint scheme, and is sure to be Jack's favorite locomotive for a very long time. Or at least until our next visit to Target.

With Molly now in his possession, I was guaranteed that Jack would behave like a perfect little toddler for the remainder of this shopping experience. I don't want to give the impression that Jack is spoiled, or motivated by material things. My point is simply that Jack is smart enough to realize that good behavior can earn rewards. (In this case, the reward came first, but that's a mere technicality). This is a lesson that I'm more than happy to instill on my son; when you choose to behave and do the right thing, (now and throughout life), rewards may follow. On the other hand, if you choose to misbehave, there are consequences that are not nearly as rewarding as receiving a fun new toy.

Following my own fatherly advice, I decided that my good behavior of doing laundry today deserved one of my favorite rewards -- an iced vanilla latte from Starbucks. Hey, even big kids need rewards.

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

Every once in awhile, you come across children's books that are more than just silly literature. Some books actually offer valuable advice that young children (and adults) should pay attention to. An example of such a book is "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed".


I've read this book to Jack a hundred times. And up until last week, the educational value of this book was little more than a fun way to count to five, and maybe an illustration of what a monkey looks like. But last Tuesday, Jack was the monkey jumping on the bed, and he fell off and bumped his head. Hard. Jack has a high tolerance for pain, so after 20 or 30 seconds of hard crying, not surprisingly, he calmed down. But when he vomited about 20 minutes later, I feared that the fall could be more serious than just a bump on the head.

I immediately called Jack's pediatrician, and he recommended coming in for a check up. I was able to get an appointment by 9:15 am, but in the meantime, Jack vomited for a second time.

At Jack's examination, everything seemed to check out just fine. But should Jack vomit again, or show signs of dizziness, I was advised to take him directly to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. After we got home from Jack's pediatrician, Jack ate a healthy lunch, and had no problems keeping it down. But in the early afternoon, Jack just didn't seem like he had his wits about him. So playing it safe, I made the decision to drive to Children's Hospital. (I had never been to Children's Hospital, so I had to look up directions on the internet).

We got to Children's Hospital by mid-afternoon, and after a very short wait, we were able to see a doctor. Again, Jack checked out fine, (heart rate and reflexes were fine, no blood in the ears, pupils dilated properly, etc...). But since we were at the hospital, we all agreed to get a CT scan, just to get a look inside Jack's head.

It was when we arrived in the room that held the CT scan equipment that the most traumatic part of the day began. Jack is one of those rare kids that won't allow you to put a band-aid on him. So I knew that we'd have trouble getting him to sit motionless for a CT scan. Because Jack wouldn't lie still, he was strapped down with a blanket. This only made the situation worse because Jack was very scared at this point. Since we couldn't get a clear scan of Jack's head, and we wanted to avoid making the situation worse, we decided to skip the the scan altogether. (Our other option was to have Jack sedated for the scan, which we opted against).

After we left the hospital, Jack appeared to have no other negative affects from his fall. And thankfully, he has been acting normal ever since that day. This time, all is well.

Although the day was traumatic for all of us, valuable lessons were learned. For Jack; don't jump on the bed! And the lesson for me; as a parent, always be prepared for a medical emergency. This includes having access to emergency phone numbers, (pediatrician, hospital, and even poison control), and of course, knowing where the ER is located at Children's Hospital. Planning a course of action while you are calm and level-headed is always easier than waiting to react when an emergency arises.

Old World Wisconsin

Weekends are always treasured at our house because Saturdays and Sundays are the days that Jack, Jennifer and I get to spend the most quality time together as a family. (On a typical weekday, Jennifer is heading to work by 4:30 AM, and doesn't return until 6:30 or 7:00 PM.) So we try to keep weekends open to allow for impromptu field trips.

This past Sunday, we decided to make the short drive to Old World Wisconsin, which is located just outside the small town of Eagle. According to its website, Old World Wisconsin is the world's largest museum dedicated to rural life. Describing Old World Wisconsin as "large" is no understatement. There are more than 60 historic structures on the grounds to visit, all of which originated somewhere within the Badger state.

The structures are arranged in small ethnic- and period-specific "villages", with each village set apart by a short walk. This is what makes Old World Wisconsin a great destination for toddlers. Jack was able to burn lots of energy as we trekked from village to village. Finding smaller paths through the woods was a great adventure for Jack. He definitely wasn't afraid to explore.

Wood burning stoves are a common sight in the residential structures at Old World Wisconsin. Back in the day, I wonder how long it took for a toddler to learn to stay away from these "burn boxes". With small living quarters, and few safety precautions, I bet kids learned that play time was for outside only. But then again, kids of yesteryear had more responsibilities and chores to attend, so energy was spent in a more productive way.

This is not "instant" coffee.

One of the best attractions at Old World Wisconsin is the human factor. Dozens of volunteers add "life" to the period, and are there to share historical information with guests. Here's Jack playing an early rendition of "checkers" with a wonderfully delightful volunteer.


On many weekends throughout the year, there is a special theme to experience. On the day we visited, a World War I encampment was occurring. Other themes throughout the year include: Laura Ingalls Wilder days, Civil War Experience, Vintage Baseball, and many others.

Even though Jack is too young to fully understand the historical significance of a place like Old World Wisconsin, I believe that visits like this will help grow his mind. And with each visit in the future, Jack may gain an interest in history, an understanding of preservation, and an appreciation for those who volunteer to make it all come together.

Story Time? or Play Time?

For several months now, I have been wanting to take Jack to a "story time" at a nearby library. I felt this would offer an ideal setting for Jack to mingle with other toddlers, while at the same time, develop his ability to sit quietly while another adult read aloud. So today we attended "Storytime Read and Sing" at the Delafield Public Library.

When we first arrived at the library, I wasn't sure where the story time group was meeting. But I quickly came across a mom, Jenny, who was also attending story time with her young son, Andy. Jenny helped me find where we needed to gather, which turned out to be outside on the lawn. (The weather was fantastic, so it was nice to be sitting outside).

As story time began, Jenny offered Jack and me a seat on her blanket, (being a first-timer, I didn't bring my own blanket). I graciously accepted since there was still some dew on the grass. Other than the woman reading the stories, there were eight of us parents -- I was the only dad. The ages of the kids ranged from about 12 months, up to four years. All of the kids were well-behaved and attentive as story time began. But after we got about two pages into the first book, Jack decided he would rather be running around instead of listening to the story teller.

Great. I was the parent with the "wild kid". It's not that Jack was being loud and disruptive. After all, we were outside, and there was plenty of room for Jack to wander around without making too much noise. But I really felt that in this particular social situation, I had failed as a parent to teach Jack to sit quietly and pay attention.

Were the moms in the group looking at me as a "dad out of his element"? Or were they looking at me with empathy, knowing that it could just as easily be them chasing their kids on any given day. Early on, Jenny reassured me that there is usually at least one kid who decides to get up and wander for awhile. So that made me feel a little better. (Although I was still embarrassed when Jack stood in front and insisted on turning the pages of book number two).

Jack is a very mild-mannered kid, and his behavior in most public situations is better than average. I plan on taking Jack back to story time next week. He may decide that he wants to run wild again. Or he may decide to sit quietly and pay attention. I won't know until it happens.

One thing I'm sure of is that his attention span will improve as he's exposed to more story time gatherings. But I have come to realize that socialization skills are not a born trait. They are a learned skill. And it's never too early, nor too late, to teach them.

The Demise of Suzie

Most new parents will recognize this little green life saver as the pacifier that many hospitals send home with newborns. It's trademarked name is "Soothie". But around our house, the more personified name of "Suzie" evolved. For Jack, Suzie has been a close companion for 2 years, 9 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days. But on July 6, Suzie met her untimely demise.


I guess it is no surprise that this little rubber pacifier would ultimately wear out. After all, Jack has a full set of teeth, and what better way to exercise his muscles of mastication, than by testing the integrity of Suzie.

And just to set the record straight, the tip of Suzie did not break off in Jack's mouth. Jack had bitten through the tip just enough to reveal significant damage. For Jack's safety, my wife Jennifer removed the tip so that it wouldn't become a choking hazard. Unfortunately this moment occurred while we were in the car on our way to my parents' house, and Jack's other two Suzies were resting comfortably at home.

After the tip was removed, Jack had absolutely no interest in this particular Suzie. This presented a good news/bad news scenario. The good news was that perhaps this was a great opportunity to break Jack of the pacifier habit. The bad news was that if this was the wrong time to break him, then we were in for a long day.

As it turned out, Jack had kind of a rough day. He didn't eat much, he didn't get to nap at his usual time, and he fell on the concrete not once, not twice, but thrice. He's got the skinned knee to prove it.

By the time we left my parents' house, Jack was in a thoroughly sour mood. Suzie would have provided much needed comfort for the Little Guy, but since Suzie was out of commission, Jack had to suck it up like a big boy. And he did. Jack fell asleep in his car seat after only a few miles, and was out for the entire hour-long trip.

After we got home, we put Jack to bed for the rest of the night. He slept through dinner, and on an empty stomach. But with one of his two remaining intact Suzies to go to bed with, Jack will have pleasant dreams tonight.

Cushing Memorial Park

While browsing around MilwaukeeMoms.com on Monday, I came across a section listing various parks and playgrounds in the area. I live close to the city of Delafield, so Cushing Memorial Park caught my eye.


Cushing Memorial Park is a really nice park. While Jack and I spent most of our time at the playground area, I also saw a walking trail, a small beach, lots of shaded ground, a picnic area, and clean bathrooms.

The playground is built to resemble a large wooden fortress. This is by far the largest playground that Jack has ever played on. There were dozens of kids already playing by the time we arrived. But the playground is so large and expansive, that there is little fear of kids piling up on top of each other.

This playground includes just about everything imaginable; slides, swings, climbing ropes, multiple bridges, multiple sandbox areas, towers, tunnels, and balance beams. And the fortress is enclosed by a fence, so parents have an easier time keeping track of little ones. This equipment was built in 1999, and is in very good condition.

There were at least a dozen other parents that were at Cushing Park over the two-hour period that Jack and I were visiting. The only other parent that I really spoke to was Matt, who was with his 1-year old son. I was hoping that Matt might be another stay-at-home dad like me, but it turned out that Matt is a teacher on summer break. Nice guy who was also making his first visit to Cushing Park. Perhaps we'll meet here again over the course of the summer.

Cushing Park is a really beautiful place, and I'm sure Jack and I will be back.