Things Good Parents Do: Reader Favorites of 2008 (part 1)

(The Kochenburger fam relaxing at home in 2008...)

Things Good Parents Do, is a tongue-in-cheek (sometimes downright cheeky!) blog that added a little rascally wit and "wisdom" (HA!) into the parenting scene. I have enjoyed writing Things Good Parents Do, and our readership has grown--wildly of late! Though there are MANY outstanding parenting, dad, and mommy blogs out there, parents (and MANY non-parents) seem to have made a place in their hearts for Things Good Parents Do, which has been a surprise and a lot of fun for me!

To you, my readers, I say THANK YOU! You energize me to keep doing this--well until the money and fame start rolling in...(oops, did I write that out loud?) Seriously, THANK YOU for liking it and for letting me know. That's the reward for me.

Here we go:

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(1)--Gag-Proof Your Parenting Attitude! (Get the Funk Out Your Home!)
Finally, the Smithsonian cleaning crew showed up, sprinkled the pixie dust on the puke ocean (and pond) and the Smithsonian was saved from the vomit threat. And we, we who endured the horror together became very close, like a family. A family of vomit funk survivors. Believe it or not, there is a tie in here with parenting--besides the importance of having a strong gag reflex. (Somebody holla' poopy diaper!!!) And I wanted a RIVETING attention-getter to make this point unforgettable. It's all about attitude ma and/or pa. Read more!

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(2)--#1 Secret of the Parenting Universe Revealed (Hint: Media, Teen Sex, THE Talk)
"A strong association between sexual content on television and teen pregnancy is not surprising, said Dr. Yolanda Wimberly, an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Morehouse School of Medicine and the medical director for the Center for Excellence in Sexual Health." Well, I'm the medical director for Common Sense and I am sayin'--Ya think???Read more!

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(3)--Ugly Son? It's Dad's Fault, Study Shows...
In America, one of our most important tasks, as good parents, is to produce beautiful children. The reason for this is two-fold, 1) it makes our friends jealous, and, 2) it allows us the ability to put a spotlight on our own attractive features by pointing them out in our children.
It works like this:
Jessica's Mom to friend:: "Jessica's eyes are so pretty in this portrait."
Desired response delivered from same friend: "She's beautiful, she has your eyes."
Jessica's Mom to friend: "Oh, you're so sweet for saying that." (Thinks: Yes, she is beautiful. Yes, she gets it from me.)Read more!

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(4)--Top 10 Things Parents Should Let Their Children Do at Restaurants!
I am begging all parents to PLEASE let your child do the following things at restaurants:

#10) Encourage children to whirl and dance in youthful glee around the tables. Note the look of enjoyment and smiles of appreciation on all the people around you...Read more!

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(5)--Good Parents Raise Only Gifted Children! (The Story of Little "Drunk")
Good parents must have gifted children. As everyone knows, children of good parents are to be little "mini-me's" of their brilliant, multi-talented, wildly successful mom and dad. Nothing validates good parents like a gifted child...Read more!

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(6)--Good Parents Insure a Germ-Free Home and WORLD for Their Children...or Die Trying! (Part 1)
Good parents ensure a germ-free home (and WORLD). They are "germaphobes" and proud of it. For the good parent, a child with a cold, runny nose or fever means just one thing, failure. Well, failure and shame!

You'll recognize these good parents easily--throwing themselves between the sneezer and their child (the sneezee)...Read more!

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(7)--Ain't Nothin' But a Twin Thang! (Sibling Rivalry x10...and what to do about it)
I have an identical twin. His name is Phil. Mine is James ("Jimmy" way back when, Jim now). So there was no cutesy name stuff happening, thank God. No Jimmy and Timmy, Billy Bobby and Bobby Robby, or Skeeter and Peter. One small grace in an otherwise graceless situation.

Many people would say to us "being a twin must be awesome!" We would just look at the person in amazement, and say (probably in unison), "Now you are just talking like a crazy person!"...Read more!

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(8)--Parents: The Ticking Crocodile Chases Each of Us
I loved it...a dad and daughter, sharing a lunch out together. I am a sucker for that stuff--seeing dad's "into" their kids. So I paid attention. I thought I just might have a warm observation/ entry for this blog.

Sadly, I was wrong. Though this dad had the right idea about being "there" with his daughter--sadly, he never showed up. Predictably, he was wearing his bluetooth earpiece. Since he hadn't arrived in a helicopter, and there was no briefcase handcuffed to his wrist, my guess was, he didn't have his finger on the nuclear button--so no real need to keep that earpiece in...Read more!

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(9)--Good Parents Insure a Germ-Free Home and WORLD for Their Children...or Die Trying! (Part 2)
Want to mess with a germaphobe "good parent's" mind? Here are a few ideas:

1) Remind them the kitchen--not the bathroom--is the nastiest room in the home. Mention that video you saw one time where they used a bacteria-detecting lamp to show all the bacteria in some ladies kitchen. She SEEMED to keep a clean kitchen--she was wrong. The lamp showed bacteria all over her counters, the fridge, the sink and...all over her son! (Better yet, tell them this at your house so they will clean your kitchen for you. They must do this--they are too good not to!)...Read more!

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(10)--Good Parents Make Their Kids "Face The Fear"!
Peyton Pinkerton, 37, has been known to run out of malls, fairgrounds, and other places "on repeated occasions," to flee the object of his personal phobia: clowns (Coulrophobia). Why, you ask?
"I was yelled at by a birthday party clown when I was about 4 years old and have been absolutely terrified of them ever since. If I'm surprised by seeing a clown, it's like snakes or rats. My fight-or-flight response kicks in," Pinkerton says. (Source: CNN article below.)...Read more!

See Jim's book: 101 Movie Clips That Get Families Talking



See these other Parentconsensus blogs:
A blog of parenting at its worst (cautionary tales): Families in the News
A blog on parenting and families at their best: Families That Inspire
A blog celebrating the joy of Christmas all year round: Christmastime Memories