The Suburban Dad

Sunshine Radian Car Seats - They're a wonder!

2010-03-16T10:06:44-07:00

I wish we had found out about Sunshine Kids car seats. Our son is quickly growing out of his Britaxx Diplomat. Maybe in a few months, we need to get him a new seat.

It's a wonder! You can fit 3 seats across the back.

Great for families with smaller cars. Not everyone is a minivan family! ;)

My son's security item: His Soft Slippers?

2010-03-16T09:56:11-07:00

Last night, our son woke up in the middle of the night. He was upset and wanted to leave the room. In the upstairs hallway, he saw his soft slippers.

He wanted to grab them. I asked if he wanted them on his feet? He nodded yes. So for the rest of the night, he slept with his soft slippers on.

In the morning, he didn't want to put on his regular shoes but his soft slippers again.

Anyone else experience odd "security" items with their kid?

The Economics of Childcare

2010-03-10T13:39:16-08:00

My fellow dad-blogger Chad Skeleton (the Curious Dad, Vancouver Sun), posted a very interesting entry on the economics of childcare. Last year, we were in the dilemma of waiting for a spot to open at our facility of choice for son. Scrambling to find an interim solution was certainly one of the most challenging things we faced as a new parents. We were just calling left right and centre any home or licensed daycare facility that was available in our area to see if a spot was available.

Here's a short excerpt explaining why Child Care spaces don't follow the normal forces of supply and demand:

"The most likely reason for long waiting lists is that the highest quality preschools tend to be not-for-profit, and they face different incentives than for-profit firms. For example, they may use subsidized space (e.g. a church basement), and would find it very costly to expand capacity. There may also be pressure to keep fees relatively low rather than charging what the market will bear; for example if parents are on the board of directors, they may act as insiders for the benefit of current attendees. Also, subsidizers such as churchs, firms, and social agencies may require low fees. Non-profits pay higher wages than for-profits, so additional revenues may go toward increased pay, rather than capacity expansion.

***

...found that despite the difference in quality on average between non-profit and for-profit child care, it is feasible (i.e. there are examples) for for-profits to produce high quality care. Why don't they do it much? My evidence suggests lack of willingness to pay by parents, something you suggested. Well-educated parents generally have a strong willingness to pay for high quality care, but the average American household does not. The relatively few high quality for-profits tend to be in affluent areas."

For the full blog entry, visit The Curious Dad.

Just a normal Saturday, trip to the emergency room

2010-03-08T10:32:25-08:00

It's been awhile. Thank you for your patience.

The last month has been filled with Olympic mania here in Vancouver. Things are starting to settle down.

It's been a challenging couple weeks. Our son got bronchiolitis. He's been coughing and congested for the last two weeks. Never heard of bronchiolitis before so we can cross this one off our list of infections our child can possibly get.

His wheezing got better midweek last week but got worse again on the weekend. So on Saturday, we took him to the doctor for another checkup and gave him another nebulizer treatment. His breathing didn't improve and we got sent to the emergency room at our local hospital. So we survived our first trip to the emergency room and our son's first chest x-ray. The doctor and nurses at the pediatric ward of the emergency room were all fantastic. Chest x-rays for little people looks painful. They strapped my little boy into this shell that can be classified as a torture device if used maliciously. Our son was a good patient though.

We kept him home again today since he didn't sleep well last night. Hopefully this bug will soon go away.

The Good Night Sleep Trainer by 4moms

2010-02-16T13:57:47-08:00

Has anyone tried the Good Night Sleep Trainer by 4moms?

"Teach Every Child to Eat" - Jamie Oliver

2010-02-12T13:33:15-08:00

Amazing talk by Jamie Oliver at the TED Conference

BC Gov't Making BC Families a Priority?

2010-02-10T10:08:05-08:00

Our much adorned Premier of BC, Gordon Campbell, made his annual throne speech announcing that the gov't is making BC families a priority?

Some of the highlights:

New partnerships with the private sector and parents will enable the establishment of neighbourhood preschools for four-year-olds and three-year-olds within communities over the next five years. They will provide families new voluntary options for public and private preschool across B.C. close to where they live

New emphasis will be placed on parental involvement and in tailoring the education system to each child’s individual needs and passions.

New forms of schooling will be developed to provide greater choice and diversity, centered on students’ special interests and talents.

Voluntary, full-time kindergarten for five-year-olds will be implemented this September. It will be fully funded and in every school by September 2011.
A new Family with Children Property Tax Deferral Option will be provided to all B.C. families with children under the age of 18. Those families will be given the right to defer their property taxes under a new property tax deferral program similar to the one already available to seniors and those facing financial hardship.
Government will work with municipalities to dramatically reduce housing costs for young families and to provide increased opportunity for homes they can afford in existing neighbourhoods.

On a side note, the throne speech also mentions a re-commitment to public transportation:

The success of the new Canada Line has reinforced government’s commitment to invest record amounts in public transit, fix TransLink and get on with the Evergreen Line.

The thing about politics is announcements like this are easy to break. This announcement just so happens to be made around the Olympics when many are protesting about the lack of commitment from the gov't to eliminate child poverty in this province.

My Future Olympian!

2010-02-09T09:54:19-08:00

Unplanned, spontaneous family moments are the best! As Vancouver is being engulfed by anything Olympic, the torch relay passed by our neighborhood last night. Unfortunately, we didn't have a camera with us and this is the closest thing we have to capturing the moment.

Thanks to a major Olympic sponsor, celebratory flags were being given out and we grabbed a couple. While waiting for the motorcade for the torch bearer, we taught our son to wave the flag and say "Go CANADA".

Once he got the hang of it, he can't stop waving the souvenir flag. He also muttered "Go, Can-DA". Close enough.

Maybe he'll be our future Olympian.

The City's All Dressed Up for the Party

2010-02-08T08:52:09-08:00

Benj

Welcome to Vancouver - Host City of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games

2010-02-04T10:35:09-08:00

Back in 2003, I was really excited about the prospect of Vancouver hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. Now a week before the opening ceremonies, I am a bit torn by the whole Olympic movement. Don't get me wrong, I still think the ideals of the Olympics are noble - bringing peace and uniting nations together through sport. The athletes are amazing and deserve the spotlight for the hard work they've put in.

Now that it's in my backyard, I am excited yet divided about the whole thing. Yes, it'll be exciting for the city for the duration of the event. Yes, the world will be seeing what a great city we live in (albeit the lack of snow). Yes, there are intagible benefits that cannot be measured by any scale whatsoever. But, what are we really left afterwards as community in Vancouver and British Columbia? Other Olympic-host cities have seen tangible benefits while some have seen no benefit at all (only to be left with mountains of debt and dilapidated facilties). Sure, the world isn't responsible to what happens to a host city after the event. But the world expects the host city to pull out the stops for the two-week celebration. It's like a wedding that's gone way over-budget. The intentions are noble yet the means may not completely justify the costs.

Having only been aware of the Olympics since 1984, I am curious to look back on what the Olympic movement was like back in the 50's, 60's, and 70's before rampant commercialism and consumerism infiltrated our society. Was the Olympics more 'pure' in its intentions then? Is there a way for the world to celebrate and unite through sport without spending the GDP of 20 third-world countries combined.

I've come to the conlcusion that Olympic glory is more about individual dreams more than a collective goal of a community or country. Yes, winning medals will bring a country pride and joy. But ultimately, it will mean more to the individual who won the medal than the community-at-large.

Watching and reading all the media stories, if someone didn't know anything about Olympics, they'll probably think it's about drugs, road closures, security concerns, the homeless problem, ticket scalping, or a party Barack Obama can't attend. When the Olympics starts next week, I will be cheering on all the athletes as they are supposed to be what the Olympics are about (except for Lindsey Jacobellis - the showboating American snowboarder who lost her gold medal at the end of her race, but I digress) GO CANADA GO!