Thursday I went to pick up the CSA with the boys

[conuly]

And on the way I sat in the same car as one of my sister's friends, which was fun. She texted Jenn that there was a woman there who looked just like me, and Jenn texted me that she was 95% sure I was sitting opposite Melissa. And so I was! So I showed off J's awesome backpack, because it has a hood and a cape and is just the coolest backpack ever.

And then I picked up my CSA and headed home, and by the time I reached the boat I realized... I had actually managed to not eat anything all day. It was really hot! I wasn't hungry! But that won't do, and I was starting to get cranky, so I took my remaining $4, borrowed $3 from the boys' mom, and bought myself some food from Wendy's.

This is where the older boy spoke up: I like Wendy's food. They're my second favorite, after Burger King. I don't like McDonald's at all.
Me: Why not?
Kid: Because it'll make you fat!
Me: Hm. *munchmunchmunch* Are you perhaps operating under the impression that Wendy's or Burger King are somehow healthier than McDonald's?
Kid: ...aren't they?

It's interesting how kids get these ideas, isn't it? (Of course, I took pains to point out that skinny != healthy, and that fast food in moderation can be part of a healthy diet so long as you mostly eat healthy and get a reasonable amount of exercise, and that at his age he shouldn't be thinking about his weight at all.)

I should really start referring to him with a letter, like I do with most kids. Trouble is, his usual name is his initials already! So I can't just use those. He likes the Flash, maybe I'll call him Flash. Can't just keep calling him "the older boy", it's ridiculous.

*************************************

Canceled $30K wedding becomes dinner for Indiana homeless

Actor and rapper Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, commissioned Sam Spratt to do the art for his 2012 mixtape “Royalty.” However, the project took on a life of its own and Spratt created ten limited edition prints inspired by Norman Rockwell.

Jane Austen, Home Brewer

The Story of the ‘Portofess,’ the Prank Confessional Booth at the 1992 Democratic Convention

New boy muppet in Afghanistan promotes gender equality

How transgender-friendliness may help in battling female-unfriendly toilet culture (In their analysis, they forgot two factors as to why women wait longer on line to pee. First, cisgender women have smaller bladders even we aren't pregnant, and sometimes we have to handle periods, two things which make us visit the bathroom more often. Even a small increase in potty usage can lead to lines. Secondly, children, regardless of sex and gender, are more likely to use the ladies' room than the men's room, because they're more likely to be with a female caregiver. Add that to the factors they did mention and - yikes!)

Sword belonging to commander of black Civil War unit found

If Disney Princesses Were Engineers…

Filipino church feeds expansion by buying ghost town in US

Generous people live happier lives

Baby squirrels are more likely to survive if they’re born early (The article just restates that in a wordier way. Ignore the words, look at the pics. SQUEE!)

How Goofing Off Helps Kids Learn

The Insolent Chauffeurs of America’s Early Automobile Era

‘400 years is long enough’: Virginia’s ‘first contact’ Indian tribes demand federal recognition

Females with autism show greater difficulty with day-to-day tasks than male counterparts

A Victorian Wife's Best Friend: The Role of Cats & Dogs in Cases of Spousal Abuse (This is not, of course, limited to the past.)

The Librarian Who Took On Al-Qaeda

A small, vocal group of Conservative rabbis is pushing the movement to accept marriages between Jews and non-Jews. The fight is really about the future of the religion.

After a Harrowing Flight From U.S., Refugees Find Refuge in Canada

A mission to the Pacific plastic patch

She’s His Rock. His Parole Officer Won’t Let Him See Her.

America Keeps Criminalizing Autistic Children

Police killings: the price of being disabled and black in America

The Reckoning Over Young Prisoners Serving Life Without Parole

Should NYPD lawyers step in to prosecute? Protesters say no

Mass Arrests of Protesters: Outrageous in Russia, Barely Worth Mentioning in US

Pakistan’s secret atheists

Rohingya villagers tell media of abuses during army crackdown

Comments

[stormsong]

Regarding the autism study:

"When parents were asked to rate a child's day-to-day functioning, it turns out that girls were struggling more with these independence skills."

How can we be sure that the girls are really struggling more with independence with the boys, as opposed to being expected to display more independence because they're girls? It seems like that's a common expectation to me. People have this idea that girls grow up faster, and mothers especially seem to expect more of daughters than sons, at least in my experience.

[conuly]

That was also my question. I also notice that they asked parents of autistic children, and not the (older) children themselves nor autistic adults.

[kitcatwoman]

Wendy's and Burger King are just as unhealthy, but for some reason McDonalds seems to get all the bad press. So it's not hard to see how he might have come by that assumption.

[smile_n_cuddle]

Kids are funny :) I didn't realize fast food made one fatter (possibly) until I worked at a job across the street from Burger King. I ate there almost every day and gained seven pounds within a few months! Everyday != healthy! LOL

All of these protester arrests are disheartening. Did you ever read The Handmaid's Tale?

[conuly]

Yes, many years ago. I've been reluctant to watch the new series though - sounds scary!

[smile_n_cuddle]

I don't watch any series, I only read books. The new series does look scary :(

I'm happy they're going to explore more of that world though... and maybe give her a happy ending! The book was excellent.

[bibliofile]

re: referring to kids online

I dunno, maybe let the kid pick their own signifier? OR how about using a number (say, Pi, or Planck's constant)? Or a small animal?

This reminds me of when kids get to pick their own badge names at SF conventions. I think my fave recent kidname was "Jetpack".