You really can’t blame O for what happened. The past few weeks I’ve been letting him play on my husband’s laptop, where he discovered the joys of the Teletubbies site. You see, he would watch his big sister N as she expertly lead Stephanie to defeat Robbie Rotten in the Lazytown (Nick Jr) site, or dressed Ken in the funkiest outfits at Barbie’s online home.

He would sit next to her quietly on our large office swivel chair, seemingly more interested than he was with his usual Elmo or Blues Clues morning shows. So I thought, why not let him try it himself?

Well, between the Thomas and Friends, Teletubbies and Sesame Street sites, he was hooked, toddling each morning after breakfast to the laptop, saying: “Mommy, games!”

Not so good for my home work schedule, but I thought it was harmless in itself until last night. I was answering emails, and he was on my bed, watching Barney Goes To School as his sister was in the bath. N shouted out for me, so I quickly went to her, leaving O alone, with the laptop open on the desk.

When I got back to the room, two minutes later, I saw, to my horror, that more than half of the laptop keys were GONE. Plucked off. And there was O looking quite pleased with himself, with the missing keys piled neatly on the desk.

Just recently we had spent an obscene amount of money getting a new LCD screen for this Mac laptop, so you can imagine my reaction when I saw what he’d done. Not a proud I’m-a-Mom-in-control moment, but more like a hysterical i’m-a-horrible-mom thing. So there were obviously a lot of tears (no violence though, I assure you), of which I felt terribly guilty about later.

Luckily, the kind man at our local computer shop was able to put all but one key back on, but I can confirm that for now, at least, O’s online exploits are on hold. At least until the terrible twos are over.

Ok, it isnt such a far-fetched idea really, but given the day and age we live in, when it comes to video games and kids, its just a matter of time (unless you live in Outer Mongolia - but then again, even there they’ve probably got some bootleg gameboy from the mainland).

Not that I’ve decided to give in and allow N to have one just yet- I think its better to get all the facts and get oneself ready to make the best out of a situation.

So here are some tips I found:

1. Find the “good” games and stay away from the “bad”

Find games that people can play together (team building and sportsmanship) like sports and action games. Make it more social, as opposed to a “mind-numbing” activity. Steer clear of violent titles, do your research and check out online reviews first.

2. Get “Active” Games

If like me, you’re concerned about the health aspect, then get some games which will get the kids (and maybe even yourself) out of the sofa and moving! These usually come with a dance pad, which younger kids will enjoy. Karaoke games are fun too, like Singstar, which can get the whole family spending some fun quality time together.

3. Be Involved

As with most things in your child’s life, take an active involvement. Try and spend some time together playing and discover why your child loves it. In my case though, it will be my husband playing the sports and action things - I’ll just stick to the karaoke.

The same pro-video game parent who inspired these tips had this to say (he does have a point).

Don’t believe all the popular media about violence in video games. While there have been a great deal of sensationalist news claims over the years, little legitimate supporting research has been presented that makes a strong link between games and violence. In 2001, the Surgeon General of the United States released a report that concluded, “[t]aken together, findings suggest that media violence has a relatively small impact on violence.” Besides, the debate becomes mute if you pay attention to the content of the games your child is playing.

It’s easy to want to say no when your kid asks for a video game system for Christmas or for a birthday; after all, we’ve all seen various news reports about the dangers of video games. But next time your child makes such a request, don’t be so quick with that knee-jerk reaction. Two thirds of parents with children under the age of 18 say that they feel video games are a positive element of their child’s life. You don’t have to feel guilty next time someone asks you, “You let your kids play video games?” Just look surprised and say, “We play video games together. Why? Don’t you?”

You might be surprised at how nice a ring that line has.

This morning, when I got back home from dropping N at kindergarten, I came home to find Jennyfer, our nanny, suddenly scream out and start weeping.

We rushed to her, only to find that she had received word from her sister, that her baby neice had died today. Tragic and sad, but whats worse is that the same sister had a four-year old who also passed away a few years ago, and the most likely reason for both deaths was poverty.

When I spoke to Jennyfer and asked her what had brought this tragedy about, she simply said that her sister and family simply did not have enough money to see a doctor, to buy medicine, and in recent weeks did not even have enough for rice.

I was mortified, asking her why didn’t she ask us for help? That of course we would help her family if only she has told us. In between sobs she just looked shyly at me, obviously grief-stricken and even a little ashamed.

Jennyfer’s family, you see, live in the province of Leyte in the Philippines, and she supports her 9 siblings and parents, being the only one with a job at 22 years of age. Jobs and affordable or free medical help are rare in the area, and sadly, many children and infants die an early death.

On the upside, infant mortality rates in the Philippines have declined a little, by around 2% since 2003 - with 22.81 deaths for every 1,000 births. Nevertheless, it was with a heavy heart that I gave her some money to send back to her sister this morning, money for the funeral and some rice, wishing that we could have somehow helped save this child’s life.

Much as I enjoy my blogging, I have to admit that sometimes it gets tiresome to see my own thoughts on this blog every single day. Which is the reason why I like to spare myself (and whoever else reads this) of me-itis ramblings by posting little bits and bobs, such as the previous post, and this one below.

It wasnt written by me, but its so utterly familiar in my life as a parent, that I feel I could have written it too. Well, some of it at least.

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you’ve had a baby … somebody doesn’t know that once you’re a mother, “normal” is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct, somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring … somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver’s permit.

Somebody said if you’re a “good” mother, your child will “turn out good”… somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said “good” mothers never raise their voices …somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the
neighbor’s kitchen window.

Somebody said you don’t need an education to be a mother…. somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can’t love the second child as much as you love the first … somebody doesn’t have two children.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books….somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery….somebody never watched her “baby” get on the bus for the first day of
kindergarten or on a plane headed for military “boot camp.”

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back….somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies
to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married….somebody doesn’t know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother’s heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother’s job is done when her last child leaves home….somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don’t need to tell her…. somebody isn’t a mother.

Heres another tear-jerker I had to share. It was sent to me by another Mother, but I think that anyone, whether they have children or not, will be touched by this simple story of a Mother’s love.

After 21 years of marriage, My wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, “I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.”

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who had been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had
made it impossible to visit her regularly, only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

“What’s wrong, are you well?,” she asked?

My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

“I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,” I responded. “Just the two of us.”

She thought about it for a moment, and then said, “I would like that very much.”

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date.

She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel’s.

“I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed,” she said, as she got into the car.

“They can’t wait to hear about our dinner.”

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entreés, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there
staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.

“It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,” she said.

“Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the favor,” I responded.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation, nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.

” How was your dinner date?” asked my wife when I got home.

“Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,” I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her.

Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.

An attached note said: “I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: “I LOVE YOU” and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is
more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till “some other time”.

After the crocs scare, I got loads of emails from Moms all over the world, with similar stories of escalator dangers and tragedies - like a boy who lost part of his arm when his jacket got caught.

I also realized that apart from the little picture warnings some escalators (not all) have printed on them, many of us parents dont know the basics on escalator safety.

Heres what we all should know about escalator safety, which applies to moving walks as well:

The Way To Go

* Face forward on the center of the step with feet slightly apart and without touching the stationary sides.

* Hold the handrail.

* Watch your step when entering or leaving the escalator, and step off (don’t slide off) quickly.

* If your hands are full with packages or luggage, choose a nearby elevator instead. Balancing packages on the steps or on the handrail may cause injury to yourself or other passengers.

* Never ride an escalator barefoot.

* Keep hands, feet and clothing clear of moving parts.

* Be particularly careful with loose clothing such as scarves, coats and their belts, long skirts, wide pants, untied shoelaces, and when wearing soft rubber shoes or boots, open-toed shoes, sneakers or high heels.

* Passengers using bifocals should pay particular attention as they enter or exit the escalator.

* Recognize your limitations. If you feel uncomfortable riding, or experience difficulty boarding or exiting an escalator, use the elevator instead.

Rules of the Ride

* Don’t strike side panels with hands, feet or objects.
* Don’t place items on the handrails or steps.
* Don’t use an escalator for freight.
* Don’t walk up the “down” escalator or down the “up” escalator.
* Don’t use an inoperative escalator as a stairway.
* Don’t run up or down the steps.

If you’re using a stroller, wheelchair, crutches or any kind of car or wheeled vehicle, follow the signs to the nearest elevator. Escalators were never intended to accommodate these vehicles safely.