A huge permanent tooth … nestled right behind two baby on my 4-year-old’s bottom row.  I started calling him “shark tooth” because it reminded me of the multiple rows of teeth sharks have, and because he thought the name was cool.

Then the wiggles started. Those two precious baby teeth … the first ones to sprout when he was just a baby … started to wiggle.  I called his dentist and in he went to get it checked.

“Ms. Smith, the dentist will need to extract the two bottom front baby teeth.”  Extract??  At 4 years old?  Even the dental assistant remarked at how early this was for baby teeth to come out.  And I suddenly found myself unprepared.  I had no tooth pillow, no little treasure box, no cash! And my son didn’t even know who the Tooth Fairy was.  Not to mention the emotional unpreparedness.  I wasn’t ready for anything “baby” to go … and it does go … way too fast. 

In the end, it all worked out. My boy was a trooper – not one tear shed and he was all smiles, even with the huge gauze pad stuck in his mouth. The dentist put his teeth inside a  little glittery tooth-shaped box for the Tooth Fairy to snap up.  And I made that trip to the ATM.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

Workshops include:

Enhancing Language and Literacy Skills in Young Children
(for parents, caregivers of children from birth to age 5)
All three workshops are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 16 – Midwest City Library
Nov. 23 – Village Library
Nov. 30 – Choctaw Library

Temper, Temper! Handling Tantrums
Both workshops are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 9 – Midwest City Library
Nov. 16 – Village Library

Mealtime Hassles
Both workshops are 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Nov. 9 – Warr Acres Library
Nov. 17 – Edmond Library

Lullaby & Goodnight
10:30 a.m. to noon on Dec. 3 – Warr Acres Library
3 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 15 – Edmond Library

Boosting Your Child’s Brain Power
3:30 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 21 – Ralph Ellison Library

Child Guidance Services also offers screenings in speech, language, development and health.  Call 425-4412 to schedule a screening.  For more information go to www.occhd.org.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

I have many friends who have strong opinions about flu shots. They either swear by them or swear against them.  I, having had the flu two winters ago, now swear by them. But some, who have never had the flu, say “why fix something that isn’t broken?”

So will you be getting your kids and/or yourself the flu vaccine this year?  Answer below.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of these “Shrek Forever After 3D” glasses after cadmium was found in the designs printed on them.

For the full recall report, click here.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

For all workshops, pre-register by calling 425-4412.

Unless otherwise noted, all sessions are for parents and caregivers of young children.

Here’s what’s in store for this summer:

Terrific Two’s: Learn about your 2-year-old. Focus is on their developmental milestones.  All are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
June 1, Choctaw Library
June 16, Midwest City Library
June 22, Southern Oaks Library
June 19, The Village Library

Sibling Struggles: Learn methods to prepare children for the arrival of a new sibling and how to deal with sibling squabbles. Find out about sibling rivalry and what normal behavior is.  Both are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
June 2, Midwest City
June 30, The Village

Just for Fun: Games People Play(for children ages 8-12): Includes active games, quiet games and brain teasers. Kids will play games from the past and games from other cultures. Both are 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
June 14, Southern Oaks
June 21, The Village

Toileting Triumph: Toileting doesn’t have to be a major challenge. Focus is on signs of readiness, why it can be frustrating and much more. All are from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
June 16, Edmond Library
June 29, Warr Acres Library
July 20, Ralph Ellison Library

Making Your Morning Manageable: Time to eliminate chaos and come up with a routine. Focus is what parents can do to make this part of the day more calm and enjoyable.
June 25, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Warr Acres

Lullaby & Goodnight: Find a routine that includes reading to your child, to ease bedtime and naptime challenges.  Sleep challenges will also be discussed. Both are 3:30 to 5 p.m.
June 30, Edmond
August 17, Ralph Ellison

Look Out, I’m Three!: Learn more about your 3-year-old. Focus is on developmental milestones. All are from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
July 7, Southern Oaks
July 8, Midwest City
July 13, The Village
July 20, Choctaw

Toddlers at the Table: Turn common concerns about toddler’s eating habits into opportunities to teach healthy habits. Both are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
July 12, Midwest City
July 21, The Village

Those Playful Preschoolers:Focus is behavioral characteristics and developmental milestones of 3- and 4-year-olds.  Activity ideas will be shared to keep little ones busy. Learn it’s OK for your preschooler to be “out of bounds.” Both are 3:30 to 5 p.m.
July 27, Warr Acres
Aug. 25, Edmond

Baby Basics: Main focus is typical concerns of parents. Colic/crying, separation anxiety, sleeping through the night and other issues will be discussed.
July 28, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Edmond

Reading Readiness: Workshop will explore the necessary reading readiness building blocks and parents’ roles in helping children become readers. Both are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 4, Midwest City
Aug. 9, The Village

Fun to be Four: Learn about your fascinating 4-year-old. Workshop focuses on developmental milestones.  All are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 3, Southern Oaks
Aug. 4, Midwest City
Aug. 10, The Village
Aug. 12, Choctaw

School Readiness: Facilitators will talk about support, encouragement and opportunity all children need for school success.
Aug. 10, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Warr Acres

Tripping Through Toddlerhood: Topics include, tantrums, biting, sharing and other common toddler challenges. Parents will learn how to minimize frustrations.
Aug. 11, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Edmond

Teaching Children to be More Cooperative: Focus is on when to discipline or ignore unwanted behaviors. Learn guidance techniques used by experts.
Aug. 27, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Warr Acres

To see the Oklahoma City-County Health Departments newsletters, including schedules for upcoming play groups, workshops, and health  and child guidance screenings, click here .

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

This Saturday, May 22,  from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be tons of safety fun in the parking lot at 3800 N. MacArthur.  Kids can meet members of the Warr Acres Police and Fire departments, the Bethany Fire Department, EMSA, Medi-Flight, OG&E, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department and much more.

Activities will include a moon bounce, face-painting, a dunk tank, safety demonstrations (including a really cool smoke trailer demo), car seat checks, health checks, emergency vehicle walk-through and more.

So bring the kids to Warr Acres Saturday for some great safety fun!

For more information, go to cityofwarracres.com.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

So for the safety of your children, and for peace of mind, take a few minutes and clean out your medicine cabinet.  Go to the website links below to get all the information you need on what to do with these medicines.  The FDA is recommending the use of generic brands for now.

For a full list of products recalled, click here.

For frequently asked questions about this massive recall, click here.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

Keep your kids of out danger on busy streets:
http://newsok.com/little-ones-face-big-dangers-in-oklahoma-traffic/article/3458443?custom_click=headlines_widget

An outdoorsy opportunity for young people this summer:
http://blog.newsok.com/outthere/2010/04/27/cool-job-openings-for-outdoorsy-young-people-at-the-chickasaw-national-recreation-area/

An interesting column about the interaction between smokers and babies:
http://newsok.com/smoker-contact-can-be-awkward/article/3451726

A story about summer meals for children on school lunch programs:
http://newsok.com/article/3458266?custom_click=columnist

A look at the Edmond Fire Department’s Safety Village, built just for children:
http://www.newsok.com/article/3458154?searched=safety%20village&custom_click=search

A story about charter schools as a “smart alternative”:
http://www.newsok.com/article/3455196?searched=safety%20village&custom_click=search

And a review of the family movie “Furry Vengeance” :
http://newsok.com/actor-brendan-fraser-takes-a-beating-in-new-family-comedy-furry-vengeance/article/3457719?custom_click=pod_headline_movies

Happy reading!

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

I was consoling him (he was crying pretty hard) when all of a sudden his eyes glazed over and his body went completely limp and lifeless in my arms.  I tried shaking him to snap him out of it, but he was completely passed out.  His teacher called 911 and he woke up about a minute later, disoriented and crying.

When the EMT/firefighters arrived, they checked him thoroughly.  They put him at ease by talking to him about things he could relate to so he wouldn’t be so frightened.  In the end, they think he just hyperventilated from crying so hard.  His doctor wants to run more tests, but hopefully,  that’s all it was.

After about 45 minutes, when all seemed back to normal, the firefighters invited my son and his friend to go outside and see their fire truck.  You can only imagine the excitement on the boys’ faces.

They gave them stickers, blew up rubber gloves, showed them the super-humongous ax and let them sit inside so they could show them all the bells and whistles.

Then came the best part.

“We’re taking them with us.”  

I thought the firemen were joking. 

Then the doors to the truck closed, and off they all went for a ride through the parking lot, flashing lights and all.  Their first ride ever in a real fire truck.  I think that made my son’s life complete.  I don’t remember ever getting to ride in a fire truck.  But these two boys would surely be the envy of all their classmates the next day.

So to the Oklahoma City Fire Department:  You guys have the biggest hearts. Thank you so much for taking the time to turn a scary situation into something my son will always remember.   Thank you for putting this smile on my boy’s face.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

According to their Web site, if you have ideas about what our community needs to be a better place for families or want to learn more about why the early years matter and what you can do to help, then this just might be perfect for you.

It meets for 5 evenings, from April 1 to May 13.  Free child care is provided as well as dinner.

For more information, call Smart Start Central Oklahoma at 523-3519 or click here.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com