Comments on Girl's Gone Child: don't tell mom, the babysitter's dad

Hope you had a great trip and didn't worry too...

2009-12-07T14:57:48.599-08:00

Hope you had a great trip and didn't worry too much about the kids. We seem to worry about the dad's taking care of them. Things aren't always done the way we want them, but the kids are loved and cared for none the less.

ok, wierd @jessica...my name is jessica and I have...

2009-12-07T12:09:06.573-08:00

ok, wierd @jessica...my name is jessica and I have been using that line (and explaining it)since the movie came out. Thats funny. Twinsies.

@anonymous re: bottle--step off bitch.

I get that you are laying out outfits etc because it makes *you* feel better about going.
I'm that way too.
And I'm going to Long Island to help my g/f clean out her dad's house this week as a Floridian! I went to a thrift store and bought a vintage trench cause hello? no money. $17 baby, yeah haha.

Congrats on Dooce's book plug I hope you get lots of christmas sales.

single parent here. longtime lurker, first time co...

2009-12-07T11:08:34.942-08:00

single parent here. longtime lurker, first time commenter. i think the co-parenting vs. single parenting thing can't be generalized because my first reaction was, "single parenting is not less, but the same amount of work as co-parenting is!", which tells you who i was married to...i think it all ultimately depends on the partner you choose and only speaking for myself, how much control you are willing to relinquish while still maintaining your sanity and perspective.
chicagoan here. pack a sweater! ugh...
(thanks for your blog)

My son drank a bottle before bed until after his s...

2009-12-07T09:38:06.048-08:00

My son drank a bottle before bed until after his second birthday. And now he's almost three and a freaking genius baby who knows the lyrics to every song he's ever heard and can say the alphabet and the Pledge of Allegiance and just last weekend he discovered a cure for the common cold and bad hair days.

Okay, so maybe the last part isn't true. But give him a few months.

Who the hell cares if Fable's on a bottle?

Dad's are more fun because they can play witho...

2009-12-06T22:04:11.850-08:00

Dad's are more fun because they can play without a worry about the dishes in the sink or the piles of laundry. But boy do they have fun. And so should we. If only I could let go of all the parenty stuff and just have fun. Ahh, to be a man.

First off, if Fable wants a damn bottle, who are y...

2009-12-06T21:15:16.133-08:00

First off, if Fable wants a damn bottle, who are you to care, anonymous!? I hate it when people critique other's parenting. Ugh. Second, I have to constantly remind myself that my husband is not a babysitter, he's a parent, just like me. He does things quite a bit different, and sometimes they make me nervous, but in the end he loves Atticus just as much as me and would never do anything but what he thinks is best! And he has just as much right to do things his way-- he's my equal partner and we created this little guy together.

better than the story is the title!! and speaking ...

2009-12-05T19:32:22.404-08:00

better than the story is the title!! and speaking of that movie there is a line that i quote often and then get looked at like a moron- "i'm right on top of that rose!" hahaha!people are always like what? who is rose?

Fable needs to be off the bottle at her age. Mayb...

2009-12-05T18:51:56.176-08:00

Fable needs to be off the bottle at her age. Maybe Hal can bottle-break her while you're away.

Sprog and husband were both at home the day the Sp...

2009-12-05T18:32:58.864-08:00

Sprog and husband were both at home the day the Sprog was scheduled for her shots. Mr Moi and I decided to make a family thing of it and get our H1N1 shot at the same time. So Mr moi picked me up from work, and in the back seat was a baby naked for all but her nappy. His reasoning was that it's hot in Darwin, and babies don't need clothes. I yelled at him.

Two weeks later, we go to the doctor because Mr Moi and the Sprog are both sick. He picks me up from work once again, and once again the Sprog is clothed in naught but a nappy.

Dads hold their parenting skill to a totally different standard, methinks.

I laughed harder at the bananacado story than any ...

2009-12-05T15:32:50.958-08:00

I laughed harder at the bananacado story than any other blog ever. Tears running down my face and gasping for breath.

I feel bad that I am hoping for a followup!

I was a nervous wreck the first time I left my hus...

2009-12-05T13:11:58.055-08:00

I was a nervous wreck the first time I left my husband with our kids and they had a blast! He took them to the park to ride bikes and wade in the river. They went out to eat and played and played and played. I thought they would miss me and they didn't! Hal will do a great job. Enjoy your time away and go home refreshed!

You probably already know this, but Dooce recommen...

2009-12-05T04:42:51.865-08:00

You probably already know this, but Dooce recommended your book on her blog yesterday! Which can only mean one thing: a very Merry Christmas for you and yours, considering she's like the Oprah of the Internet. Congratulations :)

This is great for all of you. Dad gets to do thing...

2009-12-04T20:03:03.796-08:00

This is great for all of you. Dad gets to do things his way, the kids get some intense dad time and you GET AWAY ;)

My kids are older (17 and twins 12) and twice in the past 3 years I have left them with Dad and gone with my sis to visit my other sis in Europe for 12 days at a time. Fabulous adventure. And oh how I was appreciated when I got back!

Get Hal used to being in charge solo, someday you too will appreciate being able to have solo adventures and not worry about the kidlets :)

"We'll all sleep in the big bed and we...

2009-12-04T16:45:41.295-08:00

"We'll all sleep in the big bed and we'll cuddle and watch movies and go to the park and we'll draw pictures and we'll paint paintings and we'll go to the Zoo and the farmer's market and we'll save the world and cure AIDS and build a hovercraft and bond."

^^I love this! Especially the "hovercraft" part. Reminds me of my father. ;o) It's cute how excited Hal is. I hope you have fun on your trip to Michigan. And have a safe flight!

Take, care.

P.S. I love the title of this post. I liked that movie (Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead).

Nice article. Thought-provoking, it really is. I ...

2009-12-04T15:00:28.996-08:00

Nice article. Thought-provoking, it really is.

I have to voice out that both moms and dads should share that necessary burden of making it fun and regulated for the kid.

single parenting is WAY, WAY, WAY easier than co-p...

2009-12-04T14:02:00.374-08:00

single parenting is WAY, WAY, WAY easier than co-parenting. No matter what they all say.

I just left my 3 year-old with her daddy for two w...

2009-12-04T12:10:26.563-08:00

I just left my 3 year-old with her daddy for two weeks while I dealt with a family emergency in another state. Somehow, he managed. When I came back, she was...FINE. FINE! AS IF IT WAS TOTALLY OKAY THAT I WAS GONE!!

Oh, yeah! that the guy I chose to spawn with...he's awesome. Your kids will be fine.

(I expect this all to come up in therapy, someday. For one of us.)

As the mother of 3, the oldest a teenager, I had t...

2009-12-04T09:19:57.800-08:00

As the mother of 3, the oldest a teenager, I had to learn to let go of doing it all for him. I've learned the point of your post...he'll do it his way, and it won't be the same, but they will survive. And my kids appreciate the order in our life day to day a lot more for it.

Have fun! I hope there is something REALLLLYYYY good for you in Michigan.

He's an awesome dad. The end.

2009-12-04T08:55:13.617-08:00

He's an awesome dad.

The end.

Random question - what kind of unprocessed foods d...

2009-12-03T21:40:42.083-08:00

Random question - what kind of unprocessed foods do you feed them? Just curious because we eat a LOT of processed foods and I feel kind of guilty for feeding that to my little one but I don't really know much about all the 'healthy' eating. What's a typical dinner or lunch?

I think I must be a mean wife or something, b/c I ...

2009-12-03T18:19:31.166-08:00

I think I must be a mean wife or something, b/c I just couldn't bring myself to do all of the clothes laying out and food preparing stuff for my husband if I went away and left him with the kids for a few days. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he wouldn't do things exactly as I would - the house might be messier, the kids less stylish, etc., but at base I have to remind myself that he is, after all, an adult. He somehow managed to feed himself before I was in the picture!

Hope this isn't coming off the wrong way - I'm not trying to be rude. And I think you are being nice to Hal to look out for him (and the kids) in this way. I guess I just saw my mom do this kind of thing for my dad for DECADES, and it's one of those things that I therefore can't bear to repeat (for no particular reason, I suppose).

Great post...great point. Dad's don't get...

2009-12-03T18:06:48.161-08:00

Great post...great point. Dad's don't get the job done in the same way, but they still get the job done. If you come home and your children are alive and smiling? He got the job done.

Enjoy your trip!

You've got it right. Everybody will be alive a...

2009-12-03T16:55:39.280-08:00

You've got it right. Everybody will be alive and the children will be happy; the rest is details. (Hal may need a few hours in a quiet room, though.)

Comment was eaten! I will echo what Megan D said....

2009-12-03T15:07:41.652-08:00

Comment was eaten! I will echo what Megan D said. The weather here in MI is unpredictable. But it's been 40 the last few days. Warm for December here. Don't listen to the weather when you're here. The weatherman says 80 and sunny? There might be a blizzard. This won't help your packing, but pack anything and everything. Bikinis, parkas, etc. You never know what you're going to get. I feel special that you're coming to my state! And my daughter was conceived in L.A. nine years ago, so those two things pretty much make us BFF's. Welcome to Michigan!

This post reminds me of the very first post I ever...

2009-12-03T14:01:11.674-08:00

This post reminds me of the very first post I ever read of yours, the very first post that has had me hooked ever since.

It was the one when Hal fed Fable Bananacado as per your instructions to give her Banana and Avocado... a day in the life of parenting.

Have fun on your trip!