June 2, 2002
Don't be a micromanager

Q. I am the at-home mother of four boys, ages 3, 5, 8 and 10. They are well behaved (other people tell me this), but lately I feel like all I ever do is discipline. I'm not talking about yelling, screaming or having a mommy-meltdown, yet I feel like I spend much more time doling out consequences than I do having fun with them.

Give in to your partner's wants

Eric and Candy, who have been together two years, are not getting along. Candy says she needs more emotional support and sensitivity. Eric wants a more willing and nurturing lover. Neither of them feels his or her needs are being met by the other. Both are refusing to give what the other person has asked for until their needs are attended to first.

Hotel, shmotel — I'll stay in the shtreet

So we went to New York City for some urban excitement, which began when we saw our hotel. To avoid hurt feelings, I will call it by a made-up name, "The Hotel Shpennsylvania." It's in midtown Shmanhattan, across the street from Shmadison Square Garden.

News of the weird

Two 23-year-old California filmmakers told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that, as of early May, they had sold about 10,000 copies of their "Bumfights" video ($19.95), which entertains viewers with real fistfights and dangerous stunts willingly engaged in by actual homeless people (many of them intoxicated) on Las Vegas's streets. Some participants say the video is a realistic portrayal of their violent, everyday existence, and the two filmmakers, Ray Laticia and Ty Beeson, professed sympathy for their subjects by subtitling the video "Cause for Concern."

Volunteer Connection

Visit the Volunteer Connection or our Web site to check out nearly 1500 volunteer opportunities. Register with us and search for opportunities at www.volunteerconnection.net or contact us at (303) 444-4904.

May 26, 2002
Family vacation a whale of a time

There is no fun like family fun, and there is no family fun like a family summer vacation — a chance to spend a big wad of time with your loved ones, as opposed to people you actually like.

News of the Weird

High school baseball pitcher Daniel Hannant, after being hit in the head by a line drive, filed a lawsuit in Chicago in April against the makers of Louisville Sluggers, claiming that the company's aluminum bats are "unreasonably dangerous" to pitchers because they are designed to hit baseballs very, very hard.

Volunteer Connection

Visit the Volunteer Connection or our Web site to check out nearly 1,500 volunteer opportunities. Register with us and search for opportunities at www.volunteerconnection.net or contact us at (303) 444-4904.

May 19, 2002
Boulder businesses hang up on rude cell phone users

You're waiting in line to get a latte, and the customer to your left is in the middle of a long, drawn-out conversation with an unseen listener. When his turn comes to order, and as the line behind him grows, he asks the clerk, 'can you hold on a second?'

May 12, 2002
Stamped napkins, stationary add personal touch to wedding

Stamped napkins, stationary add personal touch to wedding

Volunteer Connection

Visit the Volunteer Connection or our Web site to check out nearly 1500 volunteer opportunities. Register with us and search for opportunities at www.volunteerconnection.net or contact us at (303) 444-4904.

Adoptive mom salutes her child's birth mom

DEAR ABBY : Twenty years ago I decided to place my child for adoption. I was 19, unmarried, and did not have the means to support a baby.

Labeling children isn't helpful

Q. I thought my first-grade daughter was having a successful school year, but her teacher feels she is struggling and may have a learning disability. Apparently, she has difficulty comprehending directions on worksheets and retaining information if the teacher doesn't repeat it every so often. I hold a Ph.D. in education and feel that as a profession, we have analyzed these kids to death. What do you say?

Swingers' convention offers an eyeful

You don't think of swingers as being the type of people who hold conventions. By "swingers," I mean couples who swing with other couples. By "swing," I mean, "you know exactly what I mean."

Why men are the way they are

"John" is educated, affluent and successful. He is admired by his co-workers and has a stringent work ethic. He works well more than 40 hours a week and frequently works on weekends.

Local mothers see march as first step in advocacy

This afternoon, Juliana Forbes will put on a loud dress and strap a fake cherry pie atop her head. The Boulder mother of two is going to act up, she says, and she hopes to get noticed.

News of the weird

"Splosher" parties are growing in popularity in San Francisco, attended by quasi-sexual fetishists who joyously wallow on floors and furniture, semi-nude, in gobs of mud, cream, and a wide variety of foods such as soups, salads, syrups, ketchup, cakes and pies. According to a March report in SF Weekly, playfulness and lack of inhibition are more important to most participants than overt sexuality. In one couple's intimate scene, the man is a waiter who repeatedly spills food orders on the woman's lap and on her head, causing her to squeal with delight.

Volunteer profile

It is sometimes necessary for a volunteer to assume some, if not all, of the duties of motherhood for an infant, child, several children or orphaned animals. These volunteers are called foster mothers, child advocates, caregivers, mentors, counselors, room or den mothers, and wildlife rehabilitators. Their activities range from feeding, cradling, reading, listening, modeling good parenting skills to teenagers, teaching, always caring and in most cases, releasing when the time comes.

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