The Oasis - A spot for FORT parents

[hepcat]

Okay, I have to share this. I was with a playgroup at a puppet show this afternoon. A big crowd of kids were sitting on the floor, and a little boy I didn't know was sitting behind my daughter. He was a cute blond kid, probably 3. You know how squirmy these things get; pretty soon my daughter sat back on his feet, he pushed her back, etc. His mom and I were both whispering at our kids from the sidelines to sit down.

Eventually the boy gave my daughter a real push, and his mom barked out "Bart! Keep your hands to yourself!"

That cracked me up but I didn't want to laugh in front of the mom, so I turned my head and saw all my friends trying hard not to bust up, too. I've never met a Bart anywhere young enough to have a parent who has seen The Simpsons, yet here was this little blond kid with a crew cut.

[FinallyHere]

Veejer - try using the herbicide Roundup. You can find it in the lawncare section of WalMart or similar stores. In the amount of time it takes to clip the buds you can just spray the thistle and within a week they'll be all crispy and dead. Just make sure none of it gets on any plants you don't want to kill.

[Duxxy]

.. my husband decided to take care of the dandilions on the side lawn with Roundup......... can you say really ugly, crispy, brown spots all over the lawn? Bad idea

[FinallyHere]

Yeah Duxxy. Roundup's not for spot killing weeds in the lawn

[AJane]

A word of warning if you're going to use Roundup or any other type of chemical weed killer - do not, EVER, use them if you're pregnant or anywhere near someone who is. A girlfriend of mine had her lawn chemically treated while pregnant and her baby was born with a serious birth defect. And yes, they have definitely traced it to an ingredient that was used in the lawn chemicals.

[FinallyHere]

Also a good Idea to make sure there are no kids or pets around. Also wear gloves and long pants and sleeves.

[Stargazer]

Ok, FORT parents, I need some advice. My two-year-old's kitty died yesterday. It was an outdoor cat, so she only saw it a few minutes to an hour a day, but it was definitely her little buddy (and mine ). Should I tell her the cat died? Went to live someplace else? Tell her I don't know where he went? I have NO idea what to do.

She has the memory of an elephant, so she's likely to keep asking about him for awhile. However, she's also *profoundly* sensitive. If she even sees someone on TV crying, she gets incredibly upset and worried. She worries about the outdoor cats all the time, anyway. She's always asking if they have their "blankets" and "lunch".

If I do tell her the cat died, how much should I say? And how should I say it? I'm really freaking out about this.

[Unklescott]

My suggestion is to tell her. She will be very worried about the cat and be constantly asking where he/she is. This will only make you feel worse hearing it daily. Sure it's going to hurt her but use this as a way to explain death to her. Didn't you just lose an an uncle lately? Did she know him? Can you use this to help explain? I know it won't be easy Star. Good luck.

ETA Here's a link to an article "How To Explain Death to Children."
http://www.parthemore.com/children.htm

[hepcat]

Star, I'm not really qualified to advise you on this one because we haven't had to face it yet, so take this with a grain of salt. My thoughts are this: she's only 2, and if your instincts are telling you to gloss over it then you should. Listen to what your gut tells you she can handle.

I'm sincerely sorry to hear about your daughter's kitty.

[Stargazer]

Thanks for the link, Unk. She had only met my uncle a few times, so this is really her first experience with death. I'm waffling between your advice and heps.

If she wasn't SO sensitive, I'd feel better about telling her. I'm just worried she'll worry about "death" for months. She cut her knee open over a month ago (and its long healed) and she's always afraid people are going to "scratch" themselves now. She's just a little worrywort. Comes by it honestly, though. Mom said I was always very sensitive too.