Especially when it is the death of a mother who leaves young children behind.

Shock is the initial feeling I felt when I heard my friend Karen Baker had died Sunday. She and I had been co- assistant leaders for our daughters’ Girl Scout troop, and then co-leaders.

Our children had attended the same daycare and then the same schools. Her children were similar in age to two of my children.

Karen was always smiling, laughing … You always felt good around her.

How saddening was my second thought. Her children. Her husband. Why?

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, my first reaction was fear, but it was quickly followed by a deep, sinking feeling that I might not be around for my children, then ages 1 and almost 5.  

Karen’s children are middle school and high school ages, still very young. They still needed their mother.

My heart breaks for this family. And it also renews the worries.

Whether you’re a mother or father, you always want to be there for  your children. 

– Linda Lynn

LLYNN@OPUBCO.COM

For putting up with the craziness her trips usually entail, I’m entitled to some gift … usually of the purse variety, and of a brand I wouldn’t be able to afford for myself. 

So there I am last week, searching for my perfect new bag.  Alas, I find it but the store is down to two. 

Can they hold it for me? Of course – but only until the end of the day … a full week before my mom’s arrival. 

Can she charge it over the phone?  Of course!  So my mom ensures I have my dream bag and charges it over the phone for me.  Here’s how that went …

Saleslady: “Ma’am, would you like us to send the bag home with your daughter or would you like it held in customer service until your arrival?”
Me: Super excited to take home my bag.
My mom: “Leave it customer service.  She can wait.” 
Me (to the saleslady): “Is she serious?”
Saleslady (to my mom): “Ma,am, are you serious?” 
My mom: “Yes.  I’m absolutely serious.  Please box it up and we’ll pick it up Friday.”

After the disbelieving salesgirl shared this with her fellow salesgirls and they all expressed their sympathy for me, I called my mom back and asked “how could you??” 

The explanation is this: 
My mom wanted us to go pick it up together.  She knew how much I wanted it and she wanted to be there to see my excitement to pick it up.  She didn’t want it to be “old hat” by the time she arrived a week later.  Part of the fun in getting for me was seeing my reaction to having it in my possession.

Three years ago, I wouldn’ t have had an ounce of understanding about this, and thought it was just plain cruel.  But being a mom, one of the greatest joys I have is seeing my boy happy.  I treasure those moments – the ones of utter surprise, of excitement, of bliss.  And I probably will still treasure them when he’s my age. I guess some things never change.

-Erica Smith, Copy Editor
esmith@opubco.com

And, when “Breaking Dawn,” the fourth book, was due out in bookstores she could hardly wait.

Another friend bought her a T-shirt with a verse something like: “The forbidden fruit is always the sweetest.” … I made her exchange it for a different shirt. I couldn’t help think that the T-shirt was just a bit inappropriate for a young teen. And, when I walked into Hot Topic, the hip store with body piercing studs, tons of scary images on T-shirts and lots of black – It was like the anti-Claire’s of the mall – I couldn’t help feeling just a little conspicuous and a lot uncomfortable.  But I wanted her to at least get something toned down.

For her birthday, she received more Twilight stuff – a really cute zip-up hoodie, but, still, I teetered on the edge of whether this was a good thing.

Then comes the movie. My 28-year-old niece and her mother suggests we all go together. Me? me? Maybe I can get out of this. But it sounded fun just because I would be with my two sisters and their daughters and my daughter. OK. I’ll try it.

When the previews began, the movies were gruesome, scary films. Oh, no! What have I done?! I’ve just brought my teenaged daughter to a slasher, blood-sucking vampire movie! My older niece who is in college even covered her eyes.

Then, the movie started ….. And I loved it! I plan to read the books.

Now, I’ve seen it twice. Some friends have seen it three, four and five times! These are women my age!

Although my husband is tired of me raving about the movie, my friends aren’t. He made the comment that I was acting just like a “14-year-old.”

Well, my daughter might disagree. But there’s worth in finding an interest in something your daughter likes. She doesn’t seem to want to talk about it with me. She’d rather talk about it with her friends and cousins.

So, I’ll just talk about it with the rest of my “14-year-old-going-on-45″ friends.

– Linda Lynn

As a mom, I know this to be true.

A story in today’s New York Times just bears this out.

Moms, it seems, are putting off their own needs to make sure their kids get their Christmas wish lists fulfilled, according to the story “To Buy Children’s Gifts, Mothers Do Without.”

Moms, does this resonate with you?

Do you put off buying things for yourself or doing things for yourself to ensure that your children are taken care of and have what they need?

Do you put off exercise and doing other things for yourself because of your children’s schedule or routine?

Let me know. Send an e-mail with your comments to chinton@opubco.com.  Be sure to include your name, hometown and a phone number where you can be reached. Your views may be used for a future story.

Carla Hinton

Sounds fun, right?  Well, not so much.

Last weekend, I had the great pleasure of moving … with a 2-year-old.  We didn’t move far, just a few miles closer to work, and to a much bigger place and much quieter community.  However, that doesn’t ease the strain and hassle of moving.

Since it’s just us two, I had to figure out a way to get everything packed in the few days prior to the move, with a toddler underfoot in every room of the house. As I would fill up boxes, he would take things out of them. If he saw a toy he hadn’t played with in months being boxed up, all of sudden it was his favorite and must be taken out and played with immediately.

When two of my friends came to move everything, all he wanted to be was part of the action.  I couldn’t help all that much moving things because I had to constantly watch him.

And for days to follow, I couldn’t for the life of me, find the right cup or plate or toy in the 40 plus boxes I had in the new place. I couldn’t find his favorite bedtime books or the caboose for his train set. And I heard about it – every day.

But we’re slowly getting settled.  He only refers to it as ‘the new house.’ If I say ‘we’re going home’ he gets upset because the last time he saw ‘home’ as he knew it, it was an empty spot where things used to be.  But going to ‘the new house’ makes him happy and excited, which makes it home to me.

Soon enough, it will be home to him, too.

Any horror stories about moving with kids?  Share them here or e-mail me at the address below.

~Erica Smith

esmith@opubco.com

Bonnie Harris, author of the new book “Confident Parents, Remarkable Kids: 8 Principles for Raising Kids You’ll Love to Live With (Adams Media, September 2008),” has plenty of tips for parents seeking solutions for morning time struggles between children and parents.

Several are listed in today’s Life section of The Oklahoman. Here are more of Harris’ tips to transform stressful mornings: 

1. Decide what the best morning routine is for everyone. Make a chart. If you have a white board, write each agenda item with a box next to it for your child to check off when done.

2. Pick out clothes the night before.

3. Make lunches the night before.

4. Go over the next day’s schedule the night before.

5. Remind children to get backpacks ready before the bedtime routine starts — don’t expect this to be done without reminders unless you have an especially organized child.

6. Establish a rule that anything you have to do concerning homework is done the night before or it doesn’t get done.

7. Get up earlier and get your personal routine done before waking the children.

8. Ease your child awake with a smile and a back rub — unless she uses an alarm clock.

9. If you’re creative, prepare a “fancy” breakfast menu to present to your children when they get up. This can be a once in awhile option.

10. If things are not going smoothly, even silently acknowledge everyone’s agendas.

11. If your child is cranky, validate how hard some mornings are to get going and that you often have the same problem. Each day is different.

12. If there is a particular problem your child is dealing with, acknowledge the problem, and offer help and support without trying to fix it.

Sharon Rodine, director of youth initiatives at the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, said the more conversations about the issue of teen pregnancy, the better.

If it’s a TV show that has parents and teens talking on the subject, so be it. 

“Hopefully the talk will lead to some positive discussions for some young people because we have been ignoring them for too long,” Rodine said.

Some critics have jabbed at the new ABC Family show “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” saying that it focuses on sex too much and that it plays a lot like a soap opera parody, but others, like Rodine and leaders with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, say it has folks talking and that’s worth a lot.

Rodine said it’s often hard to get people in Oklahoma to see how much teen pregnancy has become a concern. 

“Between 2005 and 2006, and that’s the latest data we have, the births to teens in

“It’s an alarm bell going off because, in so many ways, we’ve become complacent.”

Rodine said it’s sometimes hard for people to relate to numbers so she found another way to describe the problem.

“How do we help the public understand what this means? To help put this in perspective I tell people that the number of teens giving birth in

“We need to say ‘diplomas before diapers’.”

With that said, here are some national statistics from the National Campaign to ponder:

– The teen pregnancy and birth rate has declined dramatically since the early 1990s (down 38 percent and 32 percent respectively), driven by decreased sexual activity and increases in contraceptive use. Even so, recent data shows that the declines in teen sex and improvements in contraceptive use have leveled off. And the teen birth rate is on the rise for the first time in 15 years.

– At present, 3 in 10 girls in the

– There are more than 729,000 teen pregnancies annually and in 2006, there were 435,000 births to teens.

– At present, half of all pregnancies in the

– Carla

Is this something that is possible?  Without me losing my hair or sanity?

I have tickets to OU’s season-opener this Saturday.  First, I am a bit suprised that you have to buy a full-price ticket for a 2-year-old but according to the athletic office “any human being going into the stadium needs a ticket.  Even infants.” 

Yeah, I guess infants would fall into the “human being” category, although I couldn’t imagine bringing one to a game.  But a toddler, well, that may or may not be worse.

I hope I’m not crazy to try this, but maybe he’ll have a blast and we’ll have an extra activity to add to our fall calendar.  Has anyone tried it?  If so, give me the lowdown and some good tips if you have them. 

~Erica Smith

esmith@oklahoman.com

Be mindful where you park. In the rush of parents walking their children into school this morning, my car was blocked by another vehicle. Thanks to the kind dad that helped me maneuver out of the tight spot!

Lesson No. 2: No photos please! My daughter was not at all interested in having her picture taken. How will I scrapbook this momentous day? I’ll try again tomorrow.

Lesson No. 3: Don’t forget the ice pack in the sack lunch. I did and then had to remove an item that needed to be kept cool. Luckily that still left a cookie and a peanut butter sandwich (crusts removed.)

Lesson No. 4: Take a deep breath. Smile big when you wave goodbye. Don’t cry until you get to the car. You’ll be stuck there for a while anyway.

Susan Simpson, Mom of a KINDERGARTENER! (Can you believe it?)

My son is in a class at the zoo.  It meets once a month, and it is specific to his age.  All the children in the class are 2 years old.  The class is terrific and I highly recommend it to anyone.  They have different age groups so any child can sign up.  The cost is $10-$12 per class.  In his class, they do learning activities, look at exhibits, do crafts and read stories. 

On Saturday, we were in the craft portion of the class.  All the kids sit at tables and the parents are right there with them.  My son takes a spot next to a little blond girl.  I didn’t notice at first, but she apparently suffers from a skin disorder, maybe psoriasis or something along those lines.  Her skin was red and blotchy and looked to be peeling. But I didn’t think twice about it and so we started working on the craft. 

About 5 minutes into it, my son looks over at her, points to her arm and lets out a huge “EWWWWW!!!” complete with scrunched-up nose and big grin.  I think my heart stopped.  I could feel her parents’ eyes on me and I immediately turned red. I was mortified. I didn’t know what to do.  I went on instinct and tried to cover as best as I could by saying “yes, Hunter, ewww,  you got glue on your hands!”

What do we do in a situation like that?  I couldn’t punish him – after all, he is only two.  If I tried to talk to him about it afterward, he would have long forgotten about what I was even referring to. 

Please, fellow parents, tell me how you would handle that and if you have had a similar situation happen to you.  I really need some advice on this because I have a sneaky suspicion this won’t be the last time!

~Erica Smith

esmith@oklahoman.com