My daughter the dog

The panting. The barking. The licking.

It's enough to drive a sleep-deprived mother over the edge. I'm ready for the"puppy" to leave our home. But alas, my three-year-old isn't quite ready to put the puppy to bed. She loves acting like a puppy -- even driving her father crazy by licking his arm.

I wouldn't mind so much if there were some perks to this strange behavior. You know like a dog that knows to sit on command? It would be wonderful if when I tell her to stop running, she'd actually do it. Or like a dog -- if she would be content to take a long nap on a Sunday afternoon.

But the only thing we experience with this odd behavior is embarassment when she licks at a stranger or walks around on all fours barking. I can take comfort in the knowledge that my friends' children (who are about the same age) also act like puppies. In fact, when I did a little research for this post, I came across a site that listed many mothers comments about their children acting like puppies, dinosaurs and horses! Nearly all the mothers who posted thought the behavior was cute, not strange. No one seems to have an explanation for why children act like animals, though. I know their imaginations are growing and it's a normal part of their development, but geesh.

We ignore the behavior in hopes that she'll stop. When I've finally reached my limit, though, I bribe her, saying that "doggies aren't allowed in stores and so you can't go with me;" or "doggies don't know how to read and so we won't be able to have any bedtime stories tonight."

I can handle when she wants to do Kung Fu like Kung Fu Panda. I know that she's only acting out scenes from one of her favorite movies. But we don't own a dog and I'm not sure what this fascination is with the canines.

It seems mimicking this behavior is quite common and maybe normal, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with your child is "pawing" at your neighbor who has come over to borrow a cup of sugar.

Happy Birthday to Me!

No, it's not my birthday.

But there are several children in our community who I know have celebrated a birthday recently. A fellow working mother and friend's son celebrated his 5th birthday today.

I met a gentleman Tuesday night who told me his child recently celebrated a birthday with a Chuck E. Cheese party. We then discussed how we absolutely despise the hell for all parents -- Chuck E. Cheese -- and how our children absolutely love the place. Our conversation continued into the madness that surrounds birthday parties.

I know our daughters are spoiled on their birthdays because they have turned into a month-long celebration. First, we have a party with family here in the Kanawha Valley. Then we have a party at our house with neighbors and friends from playdates and/or preschool. Then we celebrate on a smaller scale (just cake and ice cream) with relatives in Morgantown. It's insane. It was so bad that our oldest daughter -- Belle -- woke every day thinking it was her birthday. She know thinks when someone else has a birthday that it's her birthday as well.

My friend whose son turned five today shared with me a similar tale. A party at the Clay Center with his friends. A party at the preschool with his classmates and then a party at the house with his family. At least I'm not alone on this insane party planning venture.

And apparently, once your child gets into school the birthday party extravaganza takes on a new twist: attending every one of your child's classmate's parties. That sounds costly and time-consuming! And from what I hear the parents aren't all that friendly at these parties. It makes me fearful of what's yet to come.

As if we working moms didn't live with enough guilt, but we hoist more upon ourselves by trying to one-up each other on who had the best theme and the best giveaways at the birthday party.

When does the madness end? When did celebrating a year of accomplishments, growth and wisdom turn into a three-ring circus? How do we as mothers (with so little time on our hands) turn this ship around from its wayward course and simplify birthdays. Are the days of a little cake and ice cream and a special present to commemorate the occasion gone?

Unthinkable act

In an age, when community leaders and activists are holding community forums to discuss how to address hate crimes in our community, it is unthinkable that right here in our backyard a family is teaching two toddlers how to fight.

A video was posted on YouTube of two toddlers being urged by family members to fight and use obscenities while they fight. The disturbing video was shot in front of Hometown Elementary School in Hometown, WV.

Details of the whole incident are sketchy and confusing, as there are different family connections involved. The Charleston Gazette article attempts to explain the distorted family tree, but I have to admit I got lost reading it. The parents are divorced. Aunts are involved. There seems to be multiple family members who were aware of this horrible incident and yet didn't feel the need to alert the authorities. No, it was a local TV station (WSAZ) that informed the sheriff's office about the video. The video doesn't appear to be on YouTube anymore. You can watch an interview with the family members on WSAZ.com

What's even more disturbing is the mother of one of the children had been arrested in December 2007 for leaving her child in the car while she shopped -- in 37-degree weather. Apparently, DHHR did not feel that the mother needed to have her child taken away from her and now 8 months later, this disturbing incident appears on YouTube. Like it's a laughing matter. Like the parents aren't responsible for reaching the children to live in a world with peace, dignity, justice and freedom.

Around my office and at our daughters' pre-school, we often refer to the saying, "hands are for helping not for hurting."

I certainly hope that the Putname County Sheriff's Office and DHHR take all measures to ensure the safety of these children. These children need to be loved and taught that fighting and violence are not acceptable ways to cope with issues -- and certainly isn't entertainment!