New Study: No Child Abuse in Lesbian Headed Households!

Check out the Onion's spoof on this -- particularly the comments.

Even for the Non-Economists. . .

Check out this incredibly funny YouTube video explaining the Federal Reserve's recent actions. This is a great one for even those non-economists out there.

The Economist's Son: Preschool Year Two

Big is in his second year of preschool.

It is amazing to watch him grow intellectually and emotionally. One day I showed up and he was jumping rope like a maniac.

And now these past few days he is learning how to snap his fingers, practicing incessantly.

I love when we are reading and he asks about something about which he has never heard: the other night was peanut brittle.

Last night, after the bedtime routine while I was tucking him in, he asked "What is a necessity?"

Maybe he has just become adept at extending the routine because this naturally lead into a discussion that not only defined necessity (a good that you NEED), but also it's opposite (luxury: a good that you WANT but don't NEED) as well as a discussion about another category that Big brought up that has yet to be defined explicitly by economists: the good that you NEED but don't WANT (vegetables).

Why Do People Care So Much What Other People Do???

NerdyAppleBottom has been all over the news lately about the post she wrote about her son's awesome Halloween costume.

I loved the post with its rather antagonistic (to some) title "My Son Is Gay". It was sure to get some attention. But whoa. Seriously, people are freaking out about this.

My main question, other than the obvious ones that in I'll get to, is why do people care so much what other people do?

It seems to me that we should only really care what other people do if what they do affects us in some way or another. Economists call this "externalities" or spillover effects. Even the Ninth Circuit, expecting that the Prop 8 supporters in California will appeal Judge Walker's reversal of the anti-gay marriage law that narrowly passed in 2008, requires that the appellants have "standing":

Standing is a legal doctrine with roots in the Constitution's Article III that requires a plaintiff to show harm or injury. "Essence of standing is that no person is entitled to assail the constitutionality of an ordinance or statute except as he himself is adversely affected by it," explains Black's Law Dictionary, an authoritative legal guide.

See also George Saunders' satirical essay "My Amendment."

So how is this kid, dressed as Daphne from Scooby Doo, for ONE DAY affecting YOU???

Firstly, the kid is probably not gay.

As it turns out, a precious few of us on this planet are gay.

Statistically speaking, that number is WAY less than Kinsey surmised (at 10%), probably reaching somewhere less than even four percent and differing for men and women.

Secondly, though the debate about whether being gay is caused by nature or nurture (biology or socialization) has not yet been definitively concluded, we know that you can't really MAKE someone gay.

And for that matter, you can't MAKE someone NOT gay.

So, regardless about this FIVE YEAR OLD's sexuality, what do you think would have been the psycho-social-emotional effect on him had his mom told him that it was inappropriate to be Daphne and that instead he should be Iron Man or some other gender-appropriate costume?

I suspect the effect would have been FAR more long-reaching and negative.

Thirdly, for those of you out there who worry that his costume is not "age appropriate" I suggest you focus your concern on all those third grade girls out there who wore sexy Santa suits.

Speaking of letting people do what they want, I also just heard about a couple in London seeking a civil union rather than marriage.

Can we just come to this agreement? I'll stay out of your business (including your religion and how you want to decorate your backyard) if you stay out of mine and just let me have my legal rights as a citizen of this fine country.

Championship Volleball Team

This fall has been a whirlwind, but this past weekend we slowed down. . . Inadvertently.

Ten is on her school's fifth grade volleyball team.

There are so many girls in her grade that are interested in the sport that they had to create two teams.

Anyway, her team has always been the Bad News Bears of the two.

So, this past Saturday they had a little tournament among the catholic schools in the area. There were three brackets and we had literally planned our day around Ten's team loosing in the first round (I was so unprepared, that the picture above was taken with my phone! I didn't even have a camera with me!?!)

When they won, we readjusted, and at an impromptu, unplanned lunch near the tournament (we had one half unexpected hour until the second game) we discouraged Ten from even considering winning the second match and heading to the finals!

And then they won the second match and were heading to the finals!

BioMom was so excited --she had never participated in any sports tournament in her life (either as participant or spectator) and, with one of her own in it, she realized how incredible it was.

We were on the edge of our seat as the last match started. Could they possibly win???

It turned out to be the easiest of the three -- they won in two games!

So that was our day: three exciting volleyball games culminating in a trophy!

Pictures of Halloween to come. The kids had a blast, and then posted 102 degree fevers for the next three days!

My Hermiones

The Snoop

So upon Cousin's suggestion, I went ahead and purchased some gifts from Santa last Friday because I happened to be out-and-about and because they were available.

A few years ago Santa brought Ten (she literally may have been five or six at the time) a Hogwarts Lego set. We had a blast putting it together between Christmas and New Years.

This year, Lego is releasing more Harry Potter sets to coincide with the first half of the seventh movie and BioMom and I thought it'd be a perfect Santa present for the kids.

They are LOVING Harry Potter right now.

Ten is in the middle of writing her version of the eighth book in which the children of Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione and Malfoy are growing up themselves and off to Hogwarts.

And Big and I have been moving our way through Harry Potter Lego Wii. He will have experienced the whole Harry Potter series exactly opposite of the way that Ten and I experienced it, beginning with Wii, then to the movies and (hopefully) to the books themselves.

And, the pièces de résistance? They are BOTH planning to be Hermione for Halloween.

Anyway, so I had splurged a bit, to avoid a second trip and the holiday rush, and stowed it away in the back recesses of my closet.

In literally no less than 24 hours, Big comes rushing in the kitchen to tell me that there is a HUGE HARRY POTTER LEGO SET IN MY CLOSET AND DID I WANT TO COME AND SEE IT???

In ten years we have nearly had birthday and Christmas presents in PLAIN SIGHT with Ten around, not aware of it.

And now this.

I guess we'll have to get smarter.

Again.

Compartmentalization and It Gets Better

I've been so busy lately that I've completely compartmentalized all of the gay teen suicides (we've had a couple in Wisconsin lately), violence, and don't-ask-don't tell first nonsense then victory.

Until the other day when I suddenly remembered my first girlfriend.

A few of my readers are high-school friends who also knew Janet.

We were each other's first kiss in the summer (was it before?) of our sophomore year. I have no idea if she would have, ultimately, lived as a lesbian.*

Sophomore year was a hard one for us (isn't it for everyone?). Kids suspected, teased, wrote graffiti on our lockers. I suppose we'd call that bullying now, but we didn't think much of it then. Not enough to really even go to an authority about it.

We had falling outs.

We competed for the same slot in the winning 3200 meter relay.

She committed suicide.

If we had had statistics back then, I'm sure she would never have even been counted as a gay-teen suicide.

Again, I'm not even sure she was, really, gay.

I wish I could talk to her now and show her that, one way or another, it gets better.

*According to the Williams Institute, something like 9 percent of adults either identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, or report having had same-sex sexual experiences.

Okcupid on Gays and the Numbers

Check out this excellent post from the OKcupid blog. They are a dating site and have information on literally millions of users.

These are statisticians for the good!

Big and I Made the Walker Art Center's Annual Report!

If it's available....

So, Big just finished up his first official fall soccer season.

He played games on Wednesdays and Fridays and, had Cousin et al. not moved, he would have played ON Cousin's girl's team.

Yes. Cry for me.

Anyway, Wednesdays were difficult for us. We were busy with work, and soccer put his bedtime at after 8, which is never good for our kids. So, I would often sort of run by the possibility of skipping soccer on any particular Wednesday, to Big.

Two weeks ago, he told me, emphatically, that "if it is available [meaning soccer], I want to go!"

And the following week he said (not as snarky as this sounds) "do you remember what I said last week?"

The BMX Trip that Went Bad

So the other day we took the kids and Four-of-Four to a BMX track to mess around a little. Here's another video. I thought it would be a little more accessible than a mountain bike route for our four year old.

Little did I know how difficult it would be!

After a few attempts, we all overcame some fears and got over hills we never expected to get over.

It all went bad, however, when, rushing home, we saw out of the rearview that instead of having three bikes attached, there were only two.

A poem, no less.

The Anti-Gay DVD

So we got the DVD's in the mail the other day.

It sort of spooks me out that the archbishop considers me enough of a catholic to even bother to send me anything in the mail.

Ironically, however, we got TWO copies, one addressed to both of our names, separately, the other addressed to, get this: Lisa and Sheila BioMom'sLastName. See photos attached.




One option, for those of you wondering what to do with your dvds, assuming you aren't using them for entertainment or educational purposes, there is a group of concerned Catholics are collecting copies of the DVD to return to the Bishops and will make a financial donation to an organization that works to serve the poor in our area for every DVD collected. We are also asking other caring Catholics to consider making a donation of their own to help the poor in Minnesota.

Go to www.ReturnTheDVD.org to find more information on where to send your DVD, and how to make donations yourself to organizations doing the real work of Christ.

Out from Under the Carpet to Protest

So its been a while since I've had the time or energy to post here.

My apologies, dear readers. Our late-August/September takes a bit of getting used to. There's no long click-click-clicking of the rollercoaster heading to the top of the hill before its first plunge.

No, we just get the plunge.

Goodbye summer!

It was especially true this year because we all skipped that first, short week of classes and meetings just before Labor Day in favor of a last-summer's week together as a family at Camp Du Nord.

I could not pass up, however, the opportunity to comment on the Minnesota Archdocese's attempt to get into the politics of Minnesota by sending out an anti-gay marriage dvd (donated by someone named Anonymous) to 800,000 Catholics across the state.

Again, I find myself astonished that I have even allowed myself to be in a situation where people-anonymous people at that-can comment on or even consider judging my life and my choices.

Why are we going to this school and why am I in a situation where, again, we are in a position to "educate" people?

Nine

So I met BioMom nine years ago tonight.

We were at a party of a mutual friend and toward the end of the night it became clear that the very next day was BioMom's birthday.

I asked her how old she was.

She answered the literal truth, rather than how old she would be in a mere two hours.

I should have known what I was getting into.

Happy Nine Sweetie!

I'll leave the other relevant number here in its ambiguity, just like you did.

The High Dive, A Summer's Metaphor

It has been such a great summer.

One of those strange ones where time seems to be moving slowly enough to really dig in and enjoy it.

Other people I talk to are astonished at how quickly the time has flown -- It's AUGUST already? -- whereas I am slowly getting ready to go back to school.

It has been a good, long summer.

We belong to a local "big" pool. This is to say that we regularly go to a pool in which the kids can actually swim. There are these great wading pools literally every mile or so in Minneapolis that we also visit regularly, but this year both kids wanted a bit more.

So, a couple of weeks ago, we were at the big pool and Big all of a sudden noticed the diving boards.

And, of course, immediately wanted to jump off of them.

Both of them: the low AND the high.

He's a fairly decent swimmer, so I was not opposed.

After a few low-dive jumps, he decided that he'd try the high jump. He got all the way up there, walked to the end, and, seeing that it was a bit higher from that perspective, decided to wait until later. The life guard had to bail him out.

That entire night he went on and on about how he was going to go off the high dive the next day.

The next day, the pool was closed to his great disappointment.

The day after that we were all good to go and he did it! I had to capture it on a video this year because he looks so little on that big board.

Enjoy!

Overturned..... Unconstitutional!!!

Judge Vaughn's ruling of California's Proposition 8!

The Wide World Comforts Her

I just love the book When Sophie Gets Angry.

The art is fabulous and the story is a great way to introduce to kids the idea of being really super angry. How to be in and sort out angry feelings.

In the book, the girl gets mad at her sister and runs away to her safe spot, her familiar tree, and, clearly, her home-away-from home.

I love that she is free to run and that no one is chasing after her. No one is worried that she'll be abducted or hit by a car.

I kind of want to live where she lives and climb that old beech tree.

Here's my rendition of a climactic point in the book on our sidewalk.

Summer is. . .

Going off the high dive for the first time AND learning how to do the monkey bars.

Big's Questions

So Big is a Question Guy.

He's that typical four-year-old with the running inquisition that usually turns tautological if you attempt to answer him literally.

Tonight we had a terrible storm that blew the lights.

We were in the middle of our last bedtime story of the evening, and Big was pretty dissapointed to have it halted prematurely.

He just couldn't understand how some external source governed the electricity of our home and those around us. And who was going to fix it? And how? And would they wear protective suits so they wouldn't get electrocuted? And when would this all happen? Would it happen in five minutes? In fifteen minutes? What if it didn't happen until tomorrow? What if our electricity was still not on tomorrow night? And do things with batteries still work? What things in the house have batteries? Let's see! Would his DS work? Shouldn't we GET the DS to help us get through the current crisis? Etc. Etc.

Oh, and he was hot, of course.

The most profound question of the night, however, happened earlier over pizza with Cousin and her kids.

He turned to Cousin and asked: Are you sad to be leaving us?