The more I talked with folks about this, the more I came to realize just how common it was. Our oldest two sons never needed them, so it was new to me.

So, they went in, pierced his eardrums to allow the fluid to drain and, I guess the tubes are in there somewhere. I can’t see them. But, I’m told they’re in there.

The doctors said he had experienced some moderate hearing loss and this would help improve many things – among them his speech and perhaps his balance. And, of course, it would curtail the ear infections.

What a minute? Talk more?

Most people tell us that his vocabulary is strong for a kid 20 months old.

So, is it possible there’s more in there that he wants to say?

The doctor said he was hearing well enough to make out words, but the hearing was muffled.

So, everything probably seems loud to him now.

Most people – friends, doctors, nurses, etc., — said the procedure was harder on the parents that it was on the baby.

They’re probably right. After it was over, he just wanted breakfast.

• 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 hoping the “diapers part” will end someday soon.

Author Scott Steinberg says “video games can be a hugely positive part of kids’ and adults’ lives, offering pronounced health, learning and career benefits.”

Steinberg, author of “The Modern Parent’s Guide to Kids and Video Games,” goes on to say that “video games promote exercise and physical activity, encourage socialization and leadership, and foster dynamic problem-solving and decision-making skills.”

Well, isn’t that fantastic!

Here’s the problem: My kid (if he were to read this) would interpret this to mean that he should play video games 24 hours a day.

While I will admit there are some positive things (hand-eye coordination is one that comes to mind) about video games, I still think it should be done in moderation. Likewise, kids shouldn’t be staring at a TV screen or a computer monitor all day either.

So, the challenge – at least in my house – continues to be introducing our kids to the “outside world.”

Yes, I know, they don’t play hide-and-seek anymore. They don’t play freeze tag.

So, thank you Mr. Steinberg for letting us know that video games “promote exercise and physical activity.”

I’d prefer to have them go outside and “actually” exercise.

But, that’s my battle to fight, I guess.

• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth football dad and changes diapers. He had an Atari 2600 as a kid. Didn’t you?

But, I didn’t fly alone.

Our 20-month-old son came with me, which was great fun.

I found the response to this, by many, to be very interesting.

While I was there, many people asked: “Where’s his mother?”

When I said she was back in Washington, the follow-up statements were things like:

“You’re very brave for doing that.”

“I’m so proud of you.”

“My husband would never do that.”

“You came all the way here – just the two of you??”

While I took it in stride, I did tell one of my relatives that “just because I’m not a woman, that doesn’t mean I can’t travel on a plane with my son.”

When I shared these statements with my wife, she had a different take. She flew with Nathan last year when he was six months old.

She was never told she was brave.

I guess people expect the mom to do this and not the dad.

So, I guess being a dad has changed over the years – and that’s perfectly fine with me.

While we were gone, I changed diapers, I fed him spaghetti, of all things, I gave him his medicine twice a day. I woke up with him at 1 a.m. – and 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. – I held him, I laughed with him and I picked up his pacifier about a billion times. The best diaper change of the trip: in that little tiny bathroom on the airplane when we were soaring above the clouds.

And, while all of this might sound like work, it doesn’t make me brave or courageous. It just makes me “dad.”

• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth soccer dad and he changes diapers – yes, even THOSE diapers.

“Fancy Nancy and Other Story Books” will hit the stage twice on Tuesday, May 1, at 10 a.m. and noon.  The performance is intended for kids in preschool through 5th grade.   Theatre Works USA is bringing the production to town.

“Fancy Nancy” is part of Capitol Kids program. Tickets are $5 per person.  Call 509-853-8000 for tickets or info, or stop by The Capitol Theatre at 19 S. Third St. in Yakima. capitoltheatre.org

You know the ones I’m talking about – the little eggs you can buy at the store and hide during your annual Easter egg hunt.

I’m looking forward to doing exactly that on Easter with our boys.

But hiding Easter eggs (when plastic is not involved) has not always been great fun.

When I was a teenager, and even later as a young adult, my brother and I became pretty darn good at hiding Easter eggs. And these hunts were not for the weak, we really hid them.

The biggest problem is that we didn’t always find them all. Sometimes, even the hiders forgot where they were.

So, inevitably, six months later while pulling weeds or mowing the lawn, we’d find one. And, if it wasn’t plastic, that meant it was a real egg.

That also meant it smelled like a real egg that had been sitting outside for six months. You’ve probably experienced this yourself.

And, for kids, one great upside of the plastic egg is this: chocolate candy inside that plastic egg beats an actual egg every time.

So, with that cautionary tale, you may want to get some plastic eggs this year. Or you may want to chance it.

But don’t say I didn’t warn you when you find (and smell) that egg in late September.

• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth soccer dad and has a toddler who gets into everything.

Whew! You’ll sleep better tonight, I’m sure.

Well, the reason that I – a left-hander – do this is because of what I call a lack of left-handed technology.

When I got my first job at the age of 16, I scooped fries at KFC. Back in that time, they only had a handle on the right side of the official KFC fry scooper. That has since changed and there’s a handle on both sides.

I only say this to point out that it’s getting easier in this world to be left-hander because my youngest son might (there’s no official verdict yet) be left-handed.

He seems dominant with that hand, but there’s not enough evidence to make it an absolute yet.

I come from a family with more left-handers than most.

My dad was right-handed and my mom was left-handed. Of us five kids, two are left-handed. So, if you add it up, three of seven in our family are left-handed.

Fast forward to my life as a dad, we’ve been pretty quiet on the left-handed front. I’m left-handed. My wife and my oldest two sons, Matthew and Micah, are all right-handed.

So, maybe it’s time for another left-hander in the group. Heck, maybe he’ll be a pitcher. They make a lot of money, I’m told.

Back when I was a young kid, my dad used to tell me jokingly that I was wrong-handed. He explained that the opposite of right is wrong, so I must be wrong-handed.

I sure felt that way when there was a need for a Large Fry.

But, I’ve moved past that.

Among the traits of left-handers: We are high achievers and we use visual stimulus to process information, according to buzzle.com.

A number of U.S. Presidents have been left-handed. The list includes: James A. Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and current President Barack Obama.

So, whether Nathan becomes a baseball great or President of the United States, it will be a fun ride. And, thanks to great advances, he’ll be able to scoop fries left-handed if he needs to.

• An editor by day, Scott Mayes is also dad to Matthew, Micah and Nathan. He’s a high school parent, a youth soccer dad and changes diapers. In case you were wondering, he does, in fact, prefer kicking a soccer ball with his left foot.

Birthdays have been on my mind lately.

By the time the next issue publishes at the end of May, I’ll hit the “Big 3-0.” I’ve heard many people dread this transition from 20s to 30s. Surprisingly, I’m not too panicked by this number. It’s been on my mind, though, since my wife loves to remind me – frequently, and with some degree of glee – of my soon-to-be age.

I’ve also been thinking about my kids’ ages more and more.  My daughter just turned 5 – another milestone – and my son has until this June to get out of the “terrible two” stage. (I’m sure, once he turns 3, that all of his inclinations to pester his sister and mother will be completely dissolved. It’s all a numbers game, after all. …Anyone buying this?)

Even if we make more out of numbers than we ought to, each birthday is a transition that should be recognized and honored. Celebrated.

Which brings me to one of this issue’s themes: birthday party ideas. And do we have you covered!

You’ll find tons of birthday party resources: check out all the information compiled on 22 venues around the area, plus information on businesses that will help you get all the birthday “stuff” you’re looking for. We also have a number of birthday party themes to help get you started. Please share with us your birthday party details!

April is Autism Awareness month, so we’ve included two features about local families who are living with the condition. And, since this is the spring issue, we’ve got plenty of details on events that will get you moving outside and enjoying the turning weather.

As usual, visit this website for updated calendar events and the latest installment from our resident blogger and dad of three, Scott Mayes. (Scott has included a little birthday advice in this edition,  too.)

We’d love to hear from you, so if you have questions or ideas, please email me at sklepach@yakimaherald.com.  Be sure to friend us on Facebook, too.

Happy Springtime!

Scott Klepach

Kids seem to go through fascination phases – at least in my house. In the past 17 years, we’ve been through Bear in the Big Blue House, The Wiggles, Bob the Builder, Spider-Man, Batman, Fantastic Four, Star Wars, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings.

That’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start.

Anyhow, when your kids are in these stages, birthday parties are easy, right? You head off to the store and everything is a piece of cake – right down from the cake itself, to the gifts to the decorations.

I remember when my now 11-year-old was turning three. It was all Spider-Man all the time. If you’ve had a phase like that in your house, you even know the “spin a web” pose. In case you don’t, it’s palm up, index finger and pinky finger stretched out and the middle two fingers curled up in your palm. That’s what Spidey does when it’s time to spin that web.

The year was 2003 and we were ready. We had our gifts, our cake, our everything decked out in the Spidey theme. We even went to the next step with the Spider-Man piñata. Out went the invitations, the pizzas were ordered and we were ready to go.

Eight years into parenthood and two kids later, we had it licked. We were proud. We nailed the birthday party.

Not so fast.

As parents, sometimes you get humbled. (Maybe you’ve had this experience.) In our case, we failed to think about one little detail. And, it was in the piñata.

After pizza was eaten and three year olds (and some older kids) were running around hyped up on punch, it was time for the piñata. We got the youngest kid outside first with a baseball bat. A few swings of that bat and Micah’s face turned very quickly from a Spidey smile to a frown followed by real tears.

“Stop hitting Spider-Man,” he yelled as he cried and ran full speed to save his favorite Superhero. It didn’t crush the party, but it did give it a few moments of sadness – nothing that a few hugs and some cake couldn’t solve.

But I did learn a valuable lesson: Don’t have any activity at your party that involves physically destroying your kid’s favorite character. You can probably get away with it on the cake since there’s sugar involved. But, having figurines atop the cake that won’t be eaten is probably a good compromise.

Here are a few other tips than should get you on the right track for a great party:

• Save cake and presents for the end. Those two events can involve chaos. Saving them for the end will help keep order.

• Keep your party size manageable. Too many kids = crazy.

• Get an accurate head count. Use the tried and true RSVP method (and Evite works too), so you know how many to expect – and more importantly, how much food you’ll need.

• Plan ahead. Make sure you have enough adults on hand to manage the party. It’s also a good idea to charge the camera batteries and make sure the birthday boy or girl gets a good nap before the guests arrive.

• Set a budget. If you can’t afford the world’s greatest birthday party, don’t put that pressure on yourself. Live within your means. It will still be fantastic.

Yakima Farmers’ Market is located in front of the Millennium Plaza on South Third Street in downtown Yakima, between Yakima and Chestnut avenues. 509-457-5765. yakimafarmersmarket.org

First, the Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish opens for the season May 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Visitors will be treated to a century-old railroad depot, which contains artifacts, a rail yard and gift shop.

The cost for adults is $5, and children 17 and younger $3.

Contact Roger O’Dell at 509-865-1911 for more information. Northern Pacific Railway Museum, 10 Asotin Ave., Toppenish. nprymuseum.org

Next up, trolleys! Yakima Valley Trolleys will open for the season May 26, with rides on weekends and holidays until Labor Day. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cost: Adults $4; seniors and children 12 and younger $3, children on lap no charge.

Yakima Valley Trolleys, S. Third Ave. and Pine Street, Yakima. 509-249-5962. yakimavalleytrolleys.org