Kaleidoscope Play & Learn Group

KALEIDOSCOPE PLAY & LEARN GROUP. 8-9:30 a.m. Ready By Five’s Kaleidoscope Play & Learn groups emphasize thematic, structured and interactive play, and are open to everyone. Meets every Tuesday at 8-9:30 a.m., and every Friday from 1:30-3 p.m. Ready By Five, 414 N. Third St., Yakima. 454-2493. readybyfive.org.

Mom & Baby

MOM & BABY. 10 a.m.-noon. This group is for moms and their babies up to 12 months of age. No registration is needed and the group is free to attend. This group allows other moms to meet and receive helpful suggestions when it comes to raising a baby. Located at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital’s Education Center in Nob Hill Plaza, 2506 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima. 248-7322.

Inklings Bookshop Story Time

INKLINGS BOOKSHOP STORY TIME. 10 a.m. toddler story time each Tuesday. Chalet Place, 5629 Summitview Ave., Yakima; 509-965-5830.

Baby Lapsit (Yakima Library)

BABY LAPSIT. 10:30-11 a.m. Tuesdays. Literacy building activities. 102 North 3rd Street, Yakima; 509-452-8541.

Hello 2012: How about a waffle party?

I know this blog’s been quiet for a week or so while dad was taking some down time.

Rest assured, I’m back, and ready to take on 2012.

On New Year’s Eve, we watched some movies as a family and had a pretty low-key evening.

We did, however, have a waffle party, at the request of our 16 year-old.

Some friends of ours from a previous stop in Amarillo, Texas, tipped us off to the tradition.

It’s really simple. It’s like an ice cream sundae, using waffles as the base.

So, we popped our waffles in the toaster (of course, if you’re more adventurous you can make them from scratch) and added all the goodies. There was vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and honey. Matthew, our 16 year-old, even added in some frosting that was left over from decorating Christmas cookies.

Sure, it’s not the most healthy way to ring in the new year. But, it sure was fun.

Here’s to a healthy New Year to all and plenty of smiles to go around.

• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth basketball dad and changes diapers. He’s glad waffles are more versatile than your typical breakfast food.

Teen Tuesday (Selah Library)

TEEN TUESDAY. 3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Teens can hang out and enjoy fun activities. 106 South Second Street, Selah; 509-698-7345.

Kids’ Clay Studio

KIDS’ CLAY STUDIO. 3:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays. For ages 6 and up. Red Art Studio & Sunflower Studio, 2522 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima; 509-469-2766.

Mommy Connection

MOMMY CONNECTION. 9:30-11:30 a.m. First hour is Mommy & Me, second hour is just for moms; all ages welcome. Free. Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6015 Summitview Ave., Yakima. For childcare reservations and more information, e-mail Kate: katejoyt@hotmail.com

Kids Castle 2-For-1 Day

KIDS CASTLE 2-FOR-1 DAY. Open at 10 a.m.; call for closing. Two kids play for the price of one. Cost: $2.50 up to age 2; ages 3 and older are $5.25 for one hour or $8 unlimited; weekend rates are higher. Clean socks required. Located inside Gymnastics Plus, 2121 W. Lincoln Ave., Yakima; 509-453-8126.

Preschool storytime (Naches Library)

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Stories, rhymes, and activities for preschoolers. 303 Naches Ave. Naches; 509-653-2005.

Preschool storytime (Summitview Library)

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME. 11-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Songs, stories, and activities for preschoolers. 5709 Summitview, Yakima; 509-966-7070.

Raising teenagers requires a gameplan

Of the five kids in our family, four of us now have teenagers in our homes.

Raising teens is not for the weak.

It’s a time when they want to break away from the philosophies of their parents and begin to establish their own identity.

We’ve been lucky so far. Our 16-year-old is a great kid and, while he challenges us from time to time, he’s very helpful and has a big heart.

Like anything, teens are a mixed bag. There are those who are easy to raise, those who are extremely difficult and all points in between.

I came across an interesting article this week at webmd.com.

Here’s the abridged version with 10 tips for raising teens:

• Give kids some leeway.

• Choose your battles wisely.

• Invite their friends for dinner.

• Decide rules and discipline in advance.

• Discuss ‘checking in.’

• Talk to teens about risks.

• Give teens a game plan.

• Keep the door open.

• Let kids feel guilty.

• Be a role model.

To read more detail on these 10 tips, here’s the complete article.

My biggest personal tip as someone with four years of parenting teens under his belt is this: Be a parent. It’s easy to get caught up in being too much of a friend. It’s easier to be a friend than a parent sometimes, but that doesn’t make it the right thing to do. You can be both. You just can’t be a friend at the expense of being a parent.

So, as I remember how “old” I am and how “out of touch” I am – because I get told these things and you will too – I also remember that the job is an important one. They may not like everything you do now, but someday they’ll understand the methods behind your madness. They might even say thanks.

• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth basketball dad and changes diapers. He’s certain he was an “easy” teenager for his parents to raise.

Preschool storytime (Selah Library)

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME. 10:00-10:45 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays, and 1:30-2:15 Wednesdays. Songs, stories, and activities for preschoolers. 106 South Second Street, Selah; 509-698-7345.

Itty Bitty Art

ITTY BITTY ART. 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For ages 0-5; drop-in classes.

Red Art Studio & Sunflower Studio, 2522 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima; 509-469-2766.

Kids’ Open Art Studio

KIDS’ OPEN ART STUDIO. 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. All ages drop-in classes.

Red Art Studio & Sunflower Studio, 2522 W. Nob Hill Blvd., Yakima; 509-469-2766.

Preschool storytime (Terrace Heights Library)

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME. 10:30-11:15 a.m. Thursdays. 4011 Commonwealth, Yakima; 509-457-5319.

Preschool storytime (Yakima Library)

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME. 10:30-11 a.m. Thursdays. Songs, stories, and activities for preschoolers. 102 North 3rd Street, Yakima; 509-452-8541.

Connell-Highland basketball video has this dad’s attention

As a parent of a son in the Highland basketball program, I watched the video this morning from a recent Highland-Connell boys varsity basketball game.

Sure, my son is 11 and has many years to go before he plays at the high school level, but the video is appalling.

It’s getting lots of play on the web and is one of the lead stories on yahoo.com this morning.

This video show six different fouls that are being portrayed as dirty fouls. There are two of those fouls that I can see happening in the heat of the battle. The other four are simply over the top.

And while most of them are from one player, there is a second player that appears in the video as well. This makes me wonder what their coach has to say about this.

Yes, I agree, that some of the calls by the officials were overly-lenient, but my bigger concern is with the coaching staff.

No, I’m not a high school basketball coach, but I have coached AAU basketball. There is no way on any team of mine that the kid in question would have stayed in the game that long.

One of those “over-the-top” fouls would have landed him a seat on the bench for a while. The second one would have finished his night – whether the refs kicked him out or not.

And, I can’t imagine how I’d react if that were my kid being slammed to the court.

I guess I’m still in the court of teaching kids along the way. Teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, determination. They are all part of what I want my kid to learn as he’s playing sports.

And, sportsmanship aside, if the video is any indication, there is and should be a real concern for player safety.

Yes, it’s more fun when you’re winning. But, when you allow kids to make plays that don’t even involve pretending to go for the ball, the message you send – whether you’re the referee or the coach – is the wrong one.

• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth basketball dad and changes diapers. He’s seen many things as a youth sports dad and thinks the “clothesline” move has no place on the basketball court.

Kids’ Zone (Naches Library)

KIDS’ ZONE. 4-5 p.m. Crafts for school-age kids through middle school. 303 Naches Ave., Naches; 509-653-2005.

MOPS – First Presbyterian

MOPS – First Presbyterian. 9-11:15 a.m. Meets the first and third Fridays each month. Meeting dues: $5. Child care, food, fellowship, speakers. First Presbyterian Church, 9 S. 8^th Ave., Yakima; 509-248-7940.

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