The Articulate Ramblings of the Attorney-at-Mom

The Benefits of Tax Sales Realized

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:38:00 +0000

Mistakes that Paid Off

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:20:00 +0000

Stephen and I went to Calico Rock this weekend for a party. It is called “The Nines,” because all those in attendance get dressed to the . . . nines. Saturday afternoon, Stephen announced that he had forgotten our garment bag with his tuxedo and my dress. Off we went to Mountain Home to find suitable attire. $80 dollars later, and we were ready to go. Here is the dress:

Special thanks to my mother-in-law, who hemmed the dress for me and adjusted the straps. She. is. awesome.

I am so grateful that Stephen forgot the bag, for my MIL’s efforts, and for the evening with friends that we were able to enjoy, even if I did show my age by crashing out.

And a special “THANK YOU!” to Brother Lee, Sissy Chele, Carver, and Baby Zorah for hanging out with the Bitlet. This is what we found when we picked her up:

Lost and Found in Little Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:16:00 +0000

Stephen and I found this cat the other night. He’s young, very affectionate, and obviously trained. Great cat. Our daughter has named him Shadow, but we are willing to break her heard if the real owner is missing a beloved pet.

Email: caroline@obualumni.org

Long Overdue (Home Improvement)

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:41:00 +0000

I decided that I wasn’t really crazy about the colors in our house. It took Stephen nearly falling through the ceiling to help me do something about it.

After Stephen slipped off a beam in our attic while putting away our Christmas decorations, we were able to get a repairman to come fix our ceiling pretty quickly. Once he had placed the new panel, he applied the texture that might have an actual name, but I don’t know it.

Some residue got on the walls up by the ceiling.

We had no choice but to repaint it.

At the same time, I hated my multimedia shelving. It was good for holding the CDs, DVDs, and (*gasp*), VHS tapes in my collection. I even have cassette tapes that I have carried with me over the years.

So when Stephen finally gave me the green light on a home improvement project, I chose the hallway, and then broke the news to Stephen that I wanted to change the color of trim throughout house, because the colors that we had chosen just didn’t work.

They make the room look dark, and we have to paint anyway.

He agreed, and we are now in the process of going from this:

and this:

(The scratches on the door are courtesy of Dexter the Rat Terrier).

And we have started one wall resulting in this:

The difference is amazing. Love the colors, and the fact that my hallway just looks so much more inviting. Yet another thing we should have done much earlier.

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Sat, 14 May 2011 03:53:00 +0000

The Bitlet's first card to Mommy!

Ahead of the Trend

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline) — Sun, 01 May 2011 22:30:00 +0000

It took me most of the weekend, but I was finally able to sit down and watch the royal wedding in its entirety.

Now that I have done that, the two things on my mind are:

1. Kate Middleton and I have similar tastes when it comes to wedding gowns; and

2. My plan to have my daughter have a classic, yet not overused name, has been shot to hell by the royal wedding.

I had only just learned that Kate’s name is actually “Catherine,” but I didn’t know that her middle name was Elizabeth until the wedding began.

Now, I suspect that the Bitlet, whose name actually is Catherine Elizabeth, will have many, many contemporaries who share the same name.

Isn’t that the way these things go?

I can live with the proliferation of Catherine Elizabeths that are to come.

And I personally adored Kate’s wedding dress, since it made me think of my own dress, which I think was absolutely perfect.

My train was not nearly as long as hers though. Ah, well.

The Bitlet’s Birthday Approaches

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:25:00 +0000

Christmas Wish #2

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:06:00 +0000

My own domain name

So THIS is the middle of Nowhere

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:11:00 +0000

Tried to check in on my phone while we wait for a mechanic. Looked for nearby places and got this message:

Christmas Want #1

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:14:00 +0000

Yes. I start early.

And? Someone Please Tell Stephen.

Please.

What Would Make Me Boycott a Network?

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:39:00 +0000

To “boycott” means “to refuse to have dealings with (a person, organization, etc) or refuse to buy (a product) as a protest or means of coercion,” i.e., “to boycott foreign produce.”

I have never boycotted anything in my life.

That may change.

I cannot for the life of me understand why my television, radio, and homepage that I go to for my news are being held hostage by Charlie Sheen, and I do not care.

What I do care about is the reports that are out that CBS reportedly wants Sheen back on “Two and a Half Men,” and they are essentially telling the creator and executive producer, Chuck Lorre, who has been essentially eviscerated by Sheen publically, to let them “handle Charlie.”

How do you handle someone who beats his wife, who has reportedly told her that he would kill her?

How do you handle someone who has been hospitalized following his recreational activities repeatedly, and whose hospitalizations have already shut down production on the show more than once?

And can someone please explain why Lindsay Lohan is facing jail time, Christina Aguilera is being detained “for her own safety,” and yet Charlie Sheen doesn’t even have drug charges pending?

Yeah, I have never boycotted anything. If CBS seriously caves into this guy’s insanity, I will. If I want a “role model” for my family, I’ll let my kid watch Lindsay Lohan, Christina Aguilera, and Miley Cyrus – while listening to Chris Brown.

Order in the Court, and other Parts of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:50:00 +0000

I have really missed writing and posting in my blog on a regular basis.

Having said that, the things that have taken me away from writing more often are truly exciting and so worth the time that I have lost to sit down with my own personal thoughts.

The Bitlet is doing well, for those who are wondering. She is going to be two on April 10, and watching her grow into a little girl has just been amazing. She can almost sing all the words to “Twinkle, twinkle little star.” Her command of the alphabet is pretty impressive. She is absolutely fearless when it comes to exploring the world around her. She also “gets” that you don’t tell mommy and daddy to “shut up.” And we don’t pick up sticks and say “pow pow pow.”

Poof, goon!

Stephen has been working hard, and his job is going well.

We did get hit with a pretty steep car repair bill this week. That sucked.

We are also going to the wedding of Stephen’s son this weekend. So exciting!

And for me, I have had some pretty amazing experiences recently, as well.

Last week, I did my first solo trial. I walked into a courtroom with no co-counsel and no paralegal to help me sift through exhibits and other documents for the trial. I was alone with my client, a passenger in a vehicle that had a collision with a much larger dually truck hauling a cattle trailer. The car lost.

And we received a verdict against two defendants represented by very experienced attorneys.

That was an incredible feeling.

There are things that I will take away from that experience knowing that I did a really good job, and there are things that I wish I had done differently.

I think, though, that what I wish the most is that the jury really had a complete picture of the parties, that they knew that the defendants had no attorney’s fees of their own. Those were paid by their insurance companies, as the judgment will be.

I am already looking forward to our next trial, and am already thinking of ways to truly establish for the jury that some aspects of a negligence case that might make a difference:

1. That reasonably foreseeable harm must be compensated, and that includes all reasonably foreseeable harm, not just medical bills.

2. That the fact that someone has sued another person for an unintentional act should not be taken as a sign of greed, if that is a juror’s inclination. Rather, it should be understood that the plaintiff has already suffered the consequences of the negligent act of another. Those consequences should not be borne alone and should be borne, in part, by those who causes those consequences in the first place.

3. That there are several types of damages that should be considered by a jury: (a) special damages, which include the “black and white” damages that we can quantify—the medical bills, the lost wages, and the property damage to our car and personal property inside the car; and (b) the general damages that are the foreseeable consequence of acts of negligence—pain and suffering that can be seen in those hours and days and weeks of pain that might not land one in the emergency room, but nonetheless represent suffering that one must endure through no fault of his or her own.

4. That the consequences of an accident may linger for an injured person for decades.

I wish that I could have been able to make the jury understand that the defendants, even though the accident was just that – an accident, should be held accountable for every consequence of that accident, and not just the medical bills that were represented by invoices. The injuries to her body that resulted in back and neck problems, debilitating headaches, and caused financial strain and damage to her personal relationships were all consequences of the accident that, in reality, are foreseeable to all who drive automobiles on our highways and other roadways.

I’ll be thinking about these things for a long time to come, and I’ll be thinking about ways to give those to a jury for their deliberations. Will it make a difference? Maybe not. But I owe it to my clients to try, anyway.

I helped make her?

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 04:08:00 +0000

Just a candid shot from our adventure to the racetrack today. I snapped this picture in the car before we left, and I have been marveling at the beauty of my child. When I see shots like this, I can’t believe that I helped create her. She’s just too beautiful.

Pondering the 4th Amendment and Cell Phones: Thoughts?

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 04:54:00 +0000

Happy Pants!

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Stuff like this officially gives me the heebs. I don’t want people looking in the general vicinity of my daughter’s bits and smiling. Logos on a t-shirt? No problem. Bibs are fine, too. But I’m weird about logos on her butt. Don’t know why.

This isn’t as distasteful as the “Precious Booty” onesie I once saw.

But it’s close.

10 Things That Didn’t Suck in ‘10

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 05:59:00 +0000

So, here we are . . . .

Another year has come and gone, and the New Year is upon us, with all its promise and hope for a better year than the previous. I don’t do resolutions, and I never felt one whit better complaining about the parts of an ending year that I didn’t like.

I don’t know what the future will bring, but I await it with anticipation.

In the meantime, I have been thinking of 2010 – the good and bad – and I wanted to acknowledge 10 things about 2010 that did not suck for me:

1. Celebrating the Bitlet’s first birthday and a third anniversary with Stephen;

2. Not getting burglarized;

3. Celebrating three years;

4. Meeting three friends from Myspace in the real world – Anita, Bryce, and Kristie Lynn;

5. Not drowning after an unfortunate kayaking incident;

6. Losing weight;

7. Getting rid of some debt; and

8. Working at the Brad Hendricks Law Firm;

9. Reuniting a family; and

10. Getting more involved in my church.

Truly?

2010 was a good year for me professionally and personally. I am healthy. I have a beautiful family. I have a great career. I have a wonderful group of friends. I have continued to grow as a person and to improve as a wife and mother.

I am looking forward to 2011, but I can’t deny that I have been richly blessed in 2010—and that, officially, does not suck.

Happy New Year!!!

For 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 05:59:00 +0000

This New Year’s Eve, I wish all who might read this a blessed and happy New Year, with everything in your life as you wish it to be.

I wish you a contented family.

I wish you long evening talks with your significant other about life in general, and the lives about which you dream.

I wish you peaceful winter evenings safe from harm.

I wish you a productive career, whatever that may be, with every day full of all that you have to offer.

I wish you happy pets who comfort your life.

I wish you long, lengthy phone calls with family and friends who might live just around the corner, or half way around the world.

I wish you warm clothes, fully bellies, and toasty toes.

I wish you moments of quiet serenity that lets you know that everything in your world, at that precise moment, is as it should be according to some grander plan.

I wish you all a wonderful 2011, each and every day of it.

Better than Expected Brownie Mix Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:45:00 +0000

I decided to make Brownie Cookies this week. It was something that I had never attempted before, and I am not sure that I had ever actually tasted one, but for some reason, I simply craved them.

My effort was a different win, so I thought I would share the recipe I used.

I started with Kroger brand Triple Fudge Brownie Mix. You can use any brand, though, I think. The key is to make sure that it is a mix that has a fudge packet. I think that particular ingredient is essential.

On the back of the Kroger box, there was a recipe for “Quick Brownie Cookies,” that I used as my base. I followed the instructions to the letter, but I wasn’t happy with the resulting mixture. It was crumbly, and I didn’t think any attempted cookies would hold their shape, at all. So I went rogue and started improvising.

They were fantastic.

If you follow the recipe below, please let me know, including any deviations you might have made.

What You’ll Need

1. Triple Fudge Brownie Mix

2. 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour (give or take)

3. 3 TBSP of vegetable oil

4. 2 TBSP water (give or take)

5. 1 egg

6. Halved pecans.

7. Confectioner’s Sugar

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit).

2. Pour some confectioner’s sugar in a dish and set aside. This is for the coating, so don’t use much. You can add more to your dish if necessary. I like to avoid waste.

3. Mix your 1/2 cup of flour with the powdered brownie mix.

4. Add the oil, water, and egg. You can use a hand mixer to blend everything together (on low).

WARNING: After I mixed everything, it was crumbly, but I pressed on.

5. Add the fudge packet to the mixture and blend on low for maybe 30 seconds.

6. If it is still crumbly, add 1 TBSP of water, blending after adding each one, until it reaches the consistency you want. I got mine moist enough that I couldn’t roll them into balls or anything, but they were thick enough to coat with the powdered sugar (not runny).

7. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and drop it into the dish with the powdered sugar.

8. Using the spoon, roll the mixture until it is completely covered.

9. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet, approximately 3 inches apart. I used Pam or something like it. It was probably a generic can, too. I’m cheap.

10. Take a half pecan and place it on the top of the mixture, pressing down gently a little to anchor it a little and to avoid having them come off when you are eating the cookies.

11. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes (that’s what the box said, but I compromised by leaving them in for 9 minutes). I have a gas stove, so results may vary in an electric stove. Check the cookies at 8 minutes.

12. Pull from the oven and let cool (I was VERY impressed that, after letting the cookies cool, they were very easy to remove from the cookie sheet without sticking.

13. Enjoy.

14. Come back and let me know what you thought.

Yield: 3 Dozen brownie mix cookies

I craved brownie cookies and just had to make them. I didn’t get three dozen cookies, like the box said I would. I’m not sure there were even 2 dozen. I like bigger cookies, though. If you want smaller cookies, try using a teaspoon instead.

My Review

To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for a recipe that came from the back of the box, but with just one deviation (the addition of more water), these were definitely cookies that were better than I expected. They are still chewy and very, very tasty, if I must say so myself.

Dear Chirping Alarm

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 04:22:00 +0000

Dear whatever kind of chirping alarm that I have not been able to locate despite the fact that you chirp constantly:

You suck.

I hate you.

If I ever do find you, you are so toast.

Dear Bitlet – All You Got for Christmas 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:51:00 +0000

December 27, 2010

Dear Bitlet,

You are not going to remember these days of your life. Ever.

At 20 months of age, the most you can possibly hope to take with you into adulthood is the rare flash from early childhood. I think I read somewhere that most people only take such moments with them when coupled with some sense of trauma.

I think I can agree with that. I remember being in a hospital when I was quite young and very, very sick. I remember waving to my two older sisters from the window of the hospital as they waved back from the parking lot. Both of them were too young to come up to the patients’ area to see me, but I still remember that they did, in fact, come to see me. I believe I had pneumonia. I know I was younger than two years of age.

I might have been 18 months old, which is younger than you are now.

I hope you have suffered no trauma. That is my greatest wish, actually.

And if I am right, and your life is relatively unscarred at this point, then you probably won’t remember what you received for Christmas.

I’ve always thought that was such a shame—that the moments that should give us such joy as we get older, such as a Christmas morning spent with family and friends, gets lost in our subconscious never to be recovered.

So I thought I would memorialize some things that truly stood out in my mind this Christmas, including some things that you received from your family and from friends of the family. The thoughtfulness of those in your life, dear Bitlet, is heartwarming, and I don’t want you to think of this as an inventory, per se. It’s intended to be memories that you might not remember, that is all.

1. Jack in the Box.

2. Mr. Potato Head

3. Shape Ball with fun colors and shapes for you to figure out

4. Barney videos (and Mommy never thought she would say this, but dear Santa, thank you so much for BARNEY videos!!)

5. Clothes (a set of BUNNY pajamas, a Christmas outfit for opening gift (so important!), a HAT, no TWO hats, one with MITTENS!! and overalls, and a dress from Grandma and Grandpa)

6. Doll House

7. Play Kitchen with Dishes

8. Books (so important to have BOOKS!)

9. Gummi Life Savers

10. A Violet puppy that knows your NAME, and your favorite COLOR, ANIMAL, and food (RAISINS!!)

11. A puzzle!!

12. And, of course, PEPPERMINT canes (which you actually like, much to my surprise).

I know there are things that I will add to this list, dear Bitlet, but these are just some things that came to mind. And just to let you know, you got your Daddy a picture of Ted Williams with the quote, “God gets you to the plate. Once you’re there, you’re on your own.” He loved it.

And I got a diamond necklace that belonged to your Great Grandma Helen Tew. One day, Bitlet, when you are ready, it will be yours. In the meantime, I will wear it for you, with love – like when I go see the musical “The Color Purple.” Your daddy, knowing that I coveted tickets, got me exactly the right thing. He’s good like that.

So many things, dear Bitlet, but one thing I really wish you could remember is the time we spent at the Bells on Christmas Eve, and the evening we spent with Warren Steel. His wife, Anne, couldn’t be there, but she was there with us in spirit, dear Bitlet, even if she did have to go see her own family.

I wish you could remember the joy that shone on your grandparents’ faces each moment they spent with you, and the way you really did just seem to declare to the whole world that you are, through and through, your “Paw Paw’s Girl.”

I wish you could remember the magic of spending this special time with your family who loves and adores you. And yet, at the same time, Bitlet, I have no fear that you will see these things again, and again, and that you will grow and remember the beauty of Christmas the way it should be.

We’ll help.

Love you, dear Bitlet.

Mommy

15 in 15 (Films)

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 16:15:00 +0000

Or, as I like to think of it “Is my Blog still working?”

Got tagged this morning, and if there is one thing I enjoy, it is any discussion about my favorite films, or something along those lines.

Here are the Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen films you've seen that will always stick with you. List the first 15 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag at least 15 friends - including me because I am interested in seeing what my friends choose. (If you want to do this on Facebook, go to your notes tab on your profile page, paste rules in a new note -- cast your 15 picks & tag people in the note in the tag line. You can also do 25 in 25, tagging 25 if you so choose).

1. The Color Purple

2. Schindler’s List

3. Shawshank Redemption

4. Slumdog Millionaire

5. Saving Private Ryan

6. Gone with the Wind

7. The Lost Boys

8. Listen to Me (shut it).

9. A Beautiful Mind

10. The English Patient

11. Lord of the Rings Trilogy

12. Bridget Jones’s Diary

13. Braveheart

14. The Pianist

15. Jaws (will probably NEVER go in the ocean because of this film)

So, there are mine. What are yours?

Happy Holidays from the Lewises

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 04:22:00 +0000

Frosted Frame Christmas Card

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Dear Bitlet – The New Has Worn Off You

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 03:26:00 +0000

October 3, 2010

Dearest Bitlet,

I remember the first time I saw you fall. You were all of four months old, and unbeknownst to me, you had learned to pitch yourself forward.

You decided to let me in on the secret of your new skills at your Auntie N’s house when I propped you up on the cushions on her couch, wedging you in as securely as I thought you needed at the time.

I remember stepping back and looking at you admiringly, only to have my pride replaced by utter horror as you pitched forward perfectly and face-planted onto N’s hardwood floor.

You shrieked for a moment, and I felt like shrieking for hours, guilty with the knowledge that I had simply stood there and watched you fall, powerless to do anything.

Now, you are nearly 18 months old, 14 months older than you were that first agonizing time you fell.

I was looking at you today, you know. As I prepared you for church, I could still see the scrapes on your knees from where you have fallen over and over again in your quest to run a mile a minute. You even have a scrape of your big toe, the origin of which your father and I have debated for the past week.

Is it from falling over your own feet?

Or are your shoes too small?

You have a greenish purple bruise on your forehead from where you tripped and fell into a toy bin at work, catching yourself with grace and skill by your head. If you are anything like your parents and your brother, and your grandmother, it won’t affect your cognitive development at all.

I gazed at the egg-sized knot on your head, asked the appropriate questions about whether you had exhibited any dizziness or sleepiness, and once I was convinced that all was well, I found myself telling the daycare provider not to apologize. You terrify me by running with your sippy cup. Falls happen. I have come to realize that all too well with you.

And then, while we were at church today, you fell yet again, and as you wailed and the girl watching you apologized, I found myself once again telling an apologizing woman that it was okay.

How far we have come since that first fall, dear Bitlet. Now, when you crash at my feet, I find myself watching for your reaction before releasing my own breath. Most of the time, I breathe quickly, because you are so fearless and resilient. It’s almost as though you know that falls will happen throughout your life, and while there will be times when crying is inevitable, in most cases, the only thing to do is to get up, brush yourself off, and move on to the next adventure.

With all the scapes, bruises, and cuts, dear Bitlet, I have to say that the new has definitely worn off of you, and you have become a fearless little girl before my very eyes. You make me so proud with your courage and absolute absence of fear at a time in your life when everything else is new and unknown to your little eyes. You tackle it all, and seem to relish each bump and scrape along the way.

You aren’t the perfect little baby you were, but watching you stumble your way through toddlerhood is simply an amazing experience for me, and I have to say that I am so grateful to have been permitted to watch it.

Love you, dear Bitlet.

Love,

Hot Dog Hazards

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:30:00 +0000

So far, my husband and I have not fed our daughter hot dogs, franks, wienies—whatever you want to call them. This is primarily due to the influence of my mother-in-law, whose every attempt to inform me of the contents of hot dogs is met with my most mature mother’s response.

It’s not that I am jonesing to feed my child a hotdog with mustard, or anything, so on this one, not giving the Bitlet a hotdog is not a chore.

Actually, I take it all back . . . we may have fed our child hot dog meat, but we have never given her a hot dog. There is a difference between this:

And this:

If we have given her hotdog meat, it has been cut up into bites that she can handle, possibly mixed with chili. I have just thought that the Bitlet wasn’t ready for a hot dog yet. Maybe when she’s older, I thought. Like two or something.

As with other things, however, I have read a story that has scared me away from regular hot dogs for the Bitlet forever. Last week, Anna Hendley, while in the care of her babysitter, was served a hot dog. According to the story I read, she choked after taking two bites.

Anna was three years old.

If a three-year-old girl can choke on a hotdog, I have no doubt in my mind that the Bitlet, who is just shy of 16 months, could. According to another blog I read after learning about Anna, one child dies roughly every five days from choking, with hot dogs being the number one cause of this senseless tragedy. In fact, according to Pediatrics, 17% of food-related asphyxiations among children under the age of 10 are caused by hot dogs.

I literally don’t know if I could survive if I gave the Bitlet something that caused her death. I am serious.

I haven’t ever just handed the Bitlet a hot dog. I have cut the pieces up into small pieces that the Bitlet could pick up with her finger and eat herself. I slice her bananas up, too. And new potatoes. But I didn’t realize that the danger extends beyond that period when I first introduce a new food to my daughter. Certainly, I didn’t realize that hot dogs would be a danger to a three-year-old!

Any person can choke to death on food, whether the person is a young child or an adult. But with children, the risk is higher and more easily recognized.

So don’t feed your young child hot dogs, please. Not without taking a few steps to help them eat it. Really, my mother-in-law is right . . . we probably shouldn’t feed our kids such garbage, at all!

But I do, and so will most parents, probably. I liked the solution offered by Hedy Palliardi, a grandmother from Connecticut, who has designed a flat hot dog designed to reduce the risk of choking. Right now, you can only get Palliardi’s Hot Dogs in Connecticut, but that could change. For some, even a flat hot dog would not be served to their children, but for others, flat hot dogs could prevent deaths like Anna Hendley’s. In the meantime, though, so could a parent, babysitter, daycare provider, or other adults who could minimize the risk by simply cutting the food into bite-sized portions. It’s not that hard to do. Promise.

Doctor’s Role in Gun Control???

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Lewis) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:18:00 +0000

And no, this blog isn’t really about gun control, just gun education.

I liked the title.

Where was I?

Ahem.

We don’t have guns in our home. We never have, and we probably never will. Yes, we know that it is our constitutional right to own weapons that may be used in defense in ourselves. We choose not to exercise that right.

You selectively apply your rights, and my family will selectively apply its rights, deal?

Although we don’t want guns in our home, I don’t have a problem with others having guns in their homes (even with young children, although I do believe that children should be well educated about the dangers of firearms before they ever enter the home).

Whose job, though, is it to educate children about firearm safety?

The parents? Absolutely. That goes without saying.

Instructors retained at ranges or available on site at gun shows? Perhaps.

Pediatricians?

Yeah, that says pediatricians. Yesterday, I was reading the news when I came across a headline that drew my interest.

Mom: Doctor turned kids away over gun question

What does a doctor have to do with guns? I wondered, as I clicked over.

Apparently, Amber Ullman and her daughters recently learned that some physicians believe they have a role to play in the education of children regarding firearms. They were going through a series of random questions with Dr. Chris Okonkwo of Children’s Health of Ocala, Florida, when he asked if the family had any firearms in their home. When Ms. Ullman paused, uncomfortable about his questions, he issued her discharge papers giving her 30 days to find another pediatrician.

Did Dr. Okonkwo overstep the line?

If he did, perhaps it came only when he released the family from his future care, not when he asked them about firearms in the first place.

After all, Dr. Okonkwo was apparently following the advice of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which encourages physicians to ask questions about guns as part of their history intake process, and to advise parents of the dangers of firearms. The AAP goes one step furthers and suggests that pediatricians recommend that parents remove firearms from the home.

Personally?

I’m tired of reading about very young children who kill themselves accidentally, or others, with guns. I think the responsibility to teach children about firearm safety lies first and foremost with the family; however, I have no objection to the lesson being reinforced by others, including pediatricians. Perhaps the lesson that goes unheard when taught by parents (whose words are so often disregarded by children) will be heard when offered by a respected pediatrician.

The Ullmans are outraged, stating that they should have been permitted to keep that information personal and private.

One comment that stood out in the article for me was the one where the father said that his children are being forced to suffer because of his desire to keep information about his ownership of firearms private. All I could think was, “Let’s hope not.”

It’s a medical history – is anything personal and private during that process?

It does seem harsh for a pediatrician to simply “fire” a family for refusing to answer questions regarding gun ownership. That doesn’t really fall into a family’s medical history, does it?

Probably not . . . until a child is seriously injured or killed by a firearm in the home.

I think I am going to side with the doctor on this one. Pediatricians have asked me a lot of questions since the Bitlet was born. Some of them I understand; some of them I don’t understand. During each visit we have had, the pediatrician has given me a tutorial on what to expect in the next developmental phase of the Bitlet’s life. Some of them I have observed; some of them I have not.

My sympathies are with those who have colicky babies, but I wouldn’t know what colic looked like if it bit me. The Bitlet never taught me that, and although the doctor warned me about it, I never experienced the need to go and look something up to determine whether or not my child was colicky.

At some point, I am sure that the pediatrician will start talking to me about HPV vaccines and sex education for my child. Obviously, I plan on having those discussions with the Bitlet, too.

The point is this, my pediatrician’s job is to let me, and my child, know of things in her environment that could be harmful to her. My job is to make sure that he or she has the most accurate information possible about that environment. That would include alcohol, drugs, and sexual activity (all of which are certainly private and confidential, but when a doctor asks, it is in your best interest to be truthful). Like it or not, private or not, that environment may include firearms that, if in the wrong hands by someone ignorant of its dangers, could kill someone.

Her life is worth more than my “right to privacy.”

The Ullman family is outraged, and I am sure they are shocked that someone would turn away their money. But that doctor was following guidelines issued by one of the most respected pediatrician groups in the world. If a parent has reservations that won’t permit a pediatrician to do his job, it is better for the pediatrician to advise the family to go elsewhere than it would be for that doctor to establish a long term relationship based on inaccurate or incomplete information.