Take This Parenting Survey for a Chance to Win a Money Gift Card, from Clark University

Take This Parenting Survey for a Chance to Win a Gift Card, from Clark University

There are currently four $50 gift cards, one $100 gift card, and one $200 gift card up for grabs, as undergraduate Kayla Landis at Clark University is currently working on her senior thesis which focuses on how other people, namely parents and adults, perceive parents whose children behave disruptively in public.

The study also addresses some topics such as childhood mental illness and disability.

Kayla has asked me to utilize my reach as a blogger to help her find parents who would be willing to take this online survey, in exchange for a chance to win one of these previously mentioned gift cards.

Winners of the raffle will be drawn after data collection has been completed. The tentative date for this is October 21st.

Kayla had stumbled upon Family Friendly Daddy Blog when she was searching for parenting blogs, particularly blogs written by fathers, as this is a demographic that she needs more participants from.

She told me she was struck by some of the posts on the site, including the “Dear Jack” segments and the conversations about identifying as a particular race/knowing how to identify yourself. This just stuck out to Kayla and she thought that perhaps someone who blogged about interesting topics like these might be interested in promoting herstudy.

Kayla found that when blog sites promote the survey on social media, she tends to get a lot of participant responses.

So, if you’re interested, click on this link below. If you complete the survey, you stand a chance of winning a gift card; plus, you’re helping out an undergraduate.

https://clarku.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0kxsME5Va34ZLU1

This is a study being conducted by Kayla Landis, an undergraduate student who is doing research with her adviser, Dr. Nicole Overstreet, in the Psychology Department at Clark University. This study focuses on how parents perceive other parents whose children behave disruptively in public spaces; mental illness and childhood disability are also addressed. The study should take no more than 30 minutes to complete. All participant responses will remain anonymous; however, participants may choose to provide their email address at the end of the study if they wish to be entered in a raffle for one of several Visa gift cards.  All email addresses will remain confidential.

Play All Day with Elmo! DVD: What My Son Liked Most

Play All Day with Elmo! DVD: What My Son Liked Most

Last night, my son and I sat down and watched the Play All Day with Elmo! DVD. As you can see from this photo collage I made below, my son only sat down in the beginning…

That’s because for most of the video, my son was up dancing and jumping and running around!

Therefore, I would suspect that the Play All Day with Elmo! DVD is an ideal companion for either a rainy day or a cold winter day.

I knew this DVD would have Elmo encouraging the viewers to get up and play, but I didn’t actually expect my son to do so. After all, it was at the end of a long, tiring day.

But I was wrong.

Play All Day with Elmo! DVD: What My Son Liked Most

He loved the Freeze Dance segment the very most. He genuinely and actively participated in physical exercise, simply because Elmo asked him to, and because my son saw the other kids doing it too on the TV.

However, that’s not the only portion of the DVD that encourages the viewer to get up and be physical. There is also Elmo Says and Red Light Green Light, to name a couple more.

Play All Day with Elmo! focuses on listening skills, self-control, and physical movement; running over 2 hours long and featuring guest stars including Jack Black and Taye Diggs.

Play All Day with Elmo! DVD: What My Son Liked Most

When you kid has energy to burn (which I assume is most of the time), popping in this DVD could be a perfect solution.

It might as well me entitled Shut Up and Dance with Elmo! but considering that “shut up” is considered a very bad word in the world of preschoolers, that probably wouldn’t have been the best marketing choice.

Basics

Street Date: September 8, 2015

Order Due Date: August 4, 2015

Languages: English

Audio: Dolby Stereo

Color

Run Time: Approximately 124 Minutes

Rating:  NR

SESAME STREET: PLAY ALL DAY WITH ELMO

Price: $14.98

I’m Responsible for My Son’s “Good Old Days”

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One advantage of getting to review cars for this blog is that I get free access to XM radio. I’ve been flipping back and forth between XMU (rock music for college kids) and Alt Nation (modern alternative rock).

I recently was introduced to a perfectly nostalgic song called “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots. My favorite part of the song contains these lyrics:

“Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days
When our momma sang us to sleep but now were stressed out”

Somewhat surprisingly, until I heard that song a couple of weeks ago, I had never truly fathomed that those “good old days” I myself lived through in the 1980s, some of the warmest and fuzziest moments and memories in my life, occurred only because of my parents.

Flash forward from 1985, when I myself was 4 years old, to 2015; now my own son is 4 years old.

My son lives in a wonderland of stuffed animals as friends; a land where monster trucks are a legitimate means of transportation… and where he can typically get away with eating mac-and-cheese for most of his meals as long as he eats his veggie-fruit pouch.

He lives in this wonderland in 2015 because of his mommy and me.

And I lived in that wonderland in 1985 because of my own parents.

It takes a good parent to create that wonderland for their own kid; which I assume if you are reading this now, then you must be one as well. Granted, providing a loving home is ultimately all it really takes to make that wonderland.

A child’s imagination takes care of the rest; as long as that child feels loved and cared for and listened to and played with and encouraged.

No matter which toys make up that wonderland, no matter how big or small the house is, and no matter how many other kids are in the wonderland in that big or small house with a lot or little toys… all that matters is that there is obvious love in that household.

That’s what creates “the good old” days for the kids we bring into this world.

It’s that simple, yet that epic:

I am responsible for my son’s “good old days.” All I have to do is simply love my son, something I am completely wired to do anyway.

And yet I never think about the sacrifices I make in my life to love him. And I’m pretty sure my own parents never did either when they were raising me.

Sesame Street: Count on Elmo DVD Review

I couldn’t have planned it this way, but yesterday my 4 and a half year-old son came home from school in a counting mood. All during dinner, he was counting each bite of food. To my surprise, he successfully counted to 22; which is something I definitely couldn’t have done at his age.

Sesame Street: Count on Elmo DVD Review

The timing was perfect because last night was when I had already decided that we would sit down as a family and watch Sesame Street: Count on Elmo.

As soon as my son saw the video chapter for the one Cookie Monster counting cookies, he requested we start there.

My wife particularly commented that this is her most favorite Sesame Street DVD we’ve reviewed so far.

My son is proud to have Sesame Street: Count on Elmo DVD as part of his collection. I have a feeling he will be bringing it along on our next road trip!

Sesame Street: Count on Elmo is obviously educational all the way through, while of course using fun visuals and music the whole time.

SESAME STREET: COUNT ON ELMO

ON DVD AND DIGITAL JULY 7, 2015

 

Features Over Two Hours of Fun with Elmo and Bonus Elmo’s World Episode!

Celebrating its impressive 45th anniversary this season, Sesame Street is the longest-running program in children’s television programs. It has received more Emmy awards than any other show in television history, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award.

Dear Jack: Webisode 11 of Jack-Man, “Panic at the Playground!”

4 years, 7 months.

Dear Jack: Webisode 11 of Jack-Man,

Dear Jack,

Last week’s shooting of “Webisode 11: Panic at the Playground!” couldn’t have gone any better. You had so much fun seeing your friends Sophie and Madison again. They made such perfect superheroes. We spent all Saturday morning there at Pinkerton Park in the hot Tennessee sun.

I love the way the 3 of you interacted with me as I played the Playground Ninja, who was sent by the Green Meanie after Jack-Man refused to buy a boat or use a credit hard; instead, he plans to pay off his house early.

You all have some serious talent!

The number of views of Webisode 11 so far are showing that it is by default the best one yet: In just 4 days, it has received nearly 100 views; whereas it took a whole month for the 1st webisode to get that many views.

Based on the success of this one, I’ve decided I need to replicate that same formula as much as possible; which includes involving guest stars whenever possible, and always including an original song of mine to play during an action sequence.

That means I’ll typically be writing and recording at least one or two new songs each week, but that’s okay… I love doing it! I’m even trying to get Mommy to start singing with me on some upcoming songs…

This weekend we are scheduled to shoot at your school for some special episodes while it rains. I also am planning on having my friend Ben Wilder as a guest star villain.

Our family was very excited to learn this week that for an upcoming road trip, we’ll be able to review a Chevy Colorado truck! That is super cool!

By the way, you are now closer to age 5 than you are to 4. This week you turned 4 years, 7 months old.

Love,

Daddy

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