Have you all read about this recently?  A mother allowed her 12 yr old daughter and her daughter’s friend, who was also 12, to bring an 8,7, and 3 yr old children to the mall.  The 3 yr old was strapped into a stroller.   When the two 12 yr olds went into a dressing room to try some clothing on, mall security was called and the children detained until the police arrived and the mother.  The mother was promptly arrested.

Most of the comments and news reports have been in favor of the mother and not the prosecutor.

I know personally I was babysitting at 12 years old. I don’t think that it seems young. 

The website Free Range Kids has a great post on this topic. 

What do you think?  Is 12 too young to babysit?

Man, I am old because I clearly remember when the Happy Meal was introduced. 

The Happy Meal is such a simple concept, hamburger, fries and drink all contained in a little box that had games on the outside.  But the real excitement, the thing that made the Happy Meal stand out and caused every other chain to follow suit, was the toy.  It wasthe first fast food restaurant that realized catering to kids would draw in the adults.

The earliest toys were simple.  Now the toys are all tied into movies and are highly commercialized, which loses something for me.  Yes, I am old and crotchety.  Now get off of my lawn.

The most popular series of toys was the Teenie Beanie Babies, which were initially released in 1997.  I remember how crazy people went for these, lining up at the drive-thru window trying to get every single one in the series.  Our personal family favorite was the Inspector Gadget.  It was the first toy that I remember that was multi-pieced so that you had to keep going back to  McDonald’s in order to complete the toy.  That part, was not my favorite since we rarely ate there.  There might still be pieces of that toy in the bottom of our toybox.

The newer Happy Meal has more options and less calories.  Most kids opt for the chicken nuggets over the hamburger.  Were chicken nuggets even invented yet in 1979?  I wonder.  I certainly do not remember eating them and my childhood was filled with all the processed foods one could possibly have eaten.  In fact, it would not be an understatement to say that in the 70’s my family embraced the processed foods as a food group.

Happy Birthday to the Happy Meal, for better or worse it is an American Icon.

Did you know that Handipoints has a Facebook page?

Yes, it does.  Click here to become a fan.  It will give you another place to spend time on the Internet, because Heavens know there are not enough places, right? 

I finally realized that when people were emailing and telling me that they left a comment they meant they had left a comment over THERE.    It is a great place to get some of the questions about the Handipoints system answered from other parents.  To share ideas or frustrations about chores in general.   To give a little brag about your children and the awesome job that they are doing.  We all LOVE to do that, right? 

Have I mentioned that my 8 and 10 yr old son’s have started a lawn care business?  They are so earnest and adorable that I want to squeeze them and kiss them while they are weed whacking the sidewalks.  But I restrain myself.

Personally, I know that hearing what other families are doing with regards to chores and motivation helps to motivate and inspire me.

So go on over and join.  If you don’t have a Facebook account sign up for one.  How will you ever know what the cousin of your former 3rd grade teacher’s best friend’s son’s girlfriend is doing these days?