HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: kvt@willow.mitre.org
Subject: Re: Names - common but unusual
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 15:01:40 GMT

With all this talk about names, thought I would
add my two cents.

You can come up with something unusual that 
looks common as we did with our daughter Amanda Lynn.

Although we call her Mandy most of the time, when
we do use her full name some people ask us if we
intentionally named her after a muscial instrument.

We answer yes we did and that we wanted a name that
was common in everyday use but was unique enough
to be recognized if we (she when she gets older of course!
right now she's only two) wants it to.

Kathy T.
From: milt@sdd.hp.com (Milt Fisher)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Booster seats in aircraft
Date: 11 Sep 1992 16:24:32 -0700
Organization: Hewlett Packard, San Diego Division
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: hp-sdd.sdd.hp.com

In article <SHAFER.92Sep11092809@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov> shafer@rigel.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes:
>On Fri, 11 Sep 1992 13:39:01 GMT, van@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (valerie.thompson) said:
>
>Valerie> On my last Continental flight, I was told that I could
>Valerie> not put my under 2 daughter into a car seat - she was a 
>Valerie> "lap child", and I *had* to hold her.  (This was the 
>Valerie> first week of September.)
>
>Sounds like you didn't buy her her own seat.  "Laps" don't get to use
>seats--they're called "laps" because they sit on your lap rather than
>in their own seats.  For the parent, this presents a tradeoff between
>money and comfort.  I don't think the safety issue is really
>germane--most aircraft accidents are bad enough that a car seat won't
>save the child.
>
>Particularly when the aircraft is full, they don't like you to even
>take the car seat on board, since they don't want you staking a claim
>to a seat that belongs to someone else.  Some airline employees take
>the attitude that you can't even use an empty seat; that you didn't
>pay for it so you can't get the benefit.

After seeing this posting and the one about Continental not allowing a
child to use the bulkhead seats because it would disturb the first class
passengers (did that really happen?) it seems that Continental is not very
interested in non-business travel.  Perhaps parents should pick another
airline when flying with or without children.

We recently flew United from San Diego to Portland, Oregon with our 1 y.o.
We didn't purchase him a seat, but we did reserve two bulkhead seats
(right behind first class :-) ) and we did bring our car seat on board.
The middle seat was vacant, so we installed the car seat and our son had
his own seat for the flight.  There were no complaints from the flight
attendants, but they also didn't seem to be terribly accomodating.  I had
heard how nice flight attendants treat children (maybe a thing of the past),
but it seemed that we were just tolerated.  Jason (our son) did decide that
he wanted to take a walk through first class.  No one complained.  In fact,
I even changed his diaper on the floor at the flight attendant station just
behind the cockpit. (Where DO you change a baby's diaper on an air plane?)




Milt Fisher - Hewlett Packard, San Diego Division
milt@sdd.hp.com



-- 

Milt Fisher - Hewlett Packard, San Diego Division
milt@sdd.hp.com
Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: ginger@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Ginger Ogle)
Subject: Re: 2 kids + hand-me-down toys = trouble
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 00:01:20 GMT

In article <17063@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> darsie@eecs.ucdavis.edu (Richard Darsie) writes:
>Well, the subject says it. Some of our Brendan's (6) old toys have
>been handed down to Sean (2), and there is occasional squabbling
>over them. We try to follow a policy in our house of having each
>toy have a definitive owner who has "rights of possession" (i.e.,
>can ask for it back any time). But with the hand-me-down toys it's
>really hard for Brendan to understand a change of "ownership". [...]


This is a really great question that has come up at our house, too. We've
let our kids hang on to their own toys as long as they want. Even if they're
too "babyish" for the big kid, they remain his property till he voluntarily
gives them up (often at the suggestion of a parent)
Things like bicycles aren't a problem - the big kid gets a new one, the 
little kid gets the old one, and both are happy (so far). They are both
now into selling each other their old toys, or pooling their meager funds
to buy something big. They are 7 and 10, so they get an allowance.

Our problem was/is Legos.  We have a big crate of about 50 pounds of
Legos, and keeping Josef's 40 red bricks, etc., separate from Jake's 
just isn't feasible, so the the Legos are community property. Blocks, 
train sets, etc. are also treated this way.  But, every time one of them 
has a birthday, half the kids bring Legos for the present. (You can never
have too many Legos, right?) What if the birthday boy doesn't want to
share his new Legos with the other brother?  How long do the new Legos
remain the property of the birthday boy before they go into the big box?
Is it fair to hoard special pieces in your desk like the astronaut visors 
that you finally found at the bottom of the big box of Legos?
Anyone have any ideas?

Ginger Ogle
-- 
/*   Ginger Ogle	       ginger@cory.berkeley.edu	
 *   EECSEECS
 *   University of California at Berkeley, California
 */
From: judyd@aspen.CNA.TEK.COM (Judy E. Drake)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Names
Date: 10 Sep 92 20:54:02 GMT
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Redmond,  OR.


Keith--if you like Geordie LeVar, name him that.  Geordie is a great
name, and who cares about middle names?  I would name a girl Geordie too.

Our criteria for names were 

1) We liked 'em a lot.

2) Had to be unisex (I don't want any future employer judging my kids 
by their sex as determined from a name on a resume.  OK, I admit this 
one is far fetched, but it was important to me).

3) Easy to spell.

4) Can't be shortened to a nickname.  I've never liked having a name
(Judith) that's never used except for on forms.
                
We picked Jordan for our son and Austin for our daughter.  I am very
pleased with these names.  They're cool.  I never have to spell them.  
They haven't been shortened once.  

Their middle names are O'Neill and Whitney, respectively.  These are
both surnames from my side of the family, since we gave them their
father's last name, Hill.  I like the idea of using family names as
middle names.  This way we pass these old names down to new generations,
since middle names are otherwise pretty useless.

Have fun with little Geordie!

Judy Drake
Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: van@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (valerie.thompson)
Subject: Re: Fun with Flying
Keywords: flying
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 20:26:40 GMT


When I have traveled with my 3 kids (6,4, & 1 1/2) and
without my husband, I've asked not to be put in the bulkhead seats.  It's true
that there is a little more room, but the trays come out of the arm rests
instead of the seat in front of you, which was awkward for us.  Also, did you 
know that you can ask for a kids' menu when you make your travel reservations?
That's a real bonus if you have any finicky eaters!
From: lari@hq.m4.Metaphor.COM (Mohammed Lari)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Quality Day Care Available
Date: 15 Sep 92 00:21:54 GMT
Reply-To: lari@hq.m4.Metaphor.COM (Mohammed Lari)
Distribution: ba
Organization: m4

Quality Day Care Available.

Loving Full-time or part-time Child care available in Sunnyvale.

Large outside play area.

Convenient location (Mathilda and El-Camino).



Call (408) 733-3634
From: dlin@weber.ucsd.edu (Diane Lin)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Video Games and Antisocial Behavior
Summary: anecdote and caution
Date: 16 Sep 92 03:46:19 GMT
Organization: Toddler Central
NNTP-Posting-Host: weber.ucsd.edu

We have friends who have two boys, currently aged 4-1/2 and
almost-7.  We have known them for a number of years (the younger boy
since his birth) and we have usually had a good time playing with
them.  Last week, when both our husbands were out of the country,
Sue and I got together with our boys.  I told Dylan about our
impending visit with Sue and the boys, and he was so excited.  We
arrived at their house before they did, and Dylan spent the entire
time stamping his feet and shouting "the boys!"  He was clearly 
psyched for the visit :-0.

When we got inside, Sue and I started to get dinner organized.  The
older boys sat in a big chair and played with their newly acquired
(2 week old) Nintendo GameBoy.  Luckily, Dylan didn't seem to mind
being left out, as he found a cache of toys to ransack.  After a
little while, Sue noticed that the guys were unusually quiet, and
saw that her boys were playing with the GameBoy.  She told them to
turn it off and put it away "while company is here."  Well, the
almost-7 year old pouted and sulked for roughly 15 minutes, until
his mother threatened to *permanently* get rid of the GameBoy.  The
younger boy was more easily distracted and was willing to play with
other toys.  Unfortunately, the older boy spent the entire time
we were there (less than 2 hours) dropping huge hints for us to leave!
And, he didn't want Dylan to touch any of his toys.  (In the past,
he would *offer* toys to Dylan.)  Shortly before we left, the older
boy started playing with the GameBoy.  When Sue noticed, he
sheepishly said "Oh, I forgot."  I think even Dylan knew he was
lying...

Anyway, I was very disappointed in the older boy's behavior, which 
struck me as incredibly antisocial.  Now, before I had Dylan, I had
a Nintendo set and was quite addicted to video games.  I know how
compelling they can be, and how obsessed kids (and childish adults)
can become with them.  I guess what I'm trying to do is to alert
people to the potential pitfalls of video games and the like.  
While this is just one anecdote, I am now convinced, more than ever,
that video games encourage antisocial behavior.  

Comments, anyone?  Flames to /dev/null.
-- 
Diane C. Lin			"Live now; make *now* always the
dlin@weber.ucsd.edu	         most precious time.  Now will 
(Dylan's mom, 21 months)	 never come again." (ST:TNG)
Newsgroups: misc.kids,misc.rural
From: donb@crash.cts.com (Donald Bowen)
Subject: Re: How big is an acre, Really?
Distribution: usa
Date: 10 Sep 92 15:55:28 GMT

	Several people have posetd the corrent answer.  1 square mile is 640
acres.  The country is layed out in a grid system with adjustments for the
spherical world.  The system is in townships of 36 sections of 1 square mile.
Each square mile is 640 acres.  The homestead acts used the system to divide
the land.  A standard unit was the quarter section or 160 acres.  A quarter
section would be homesteaded with an addidional qurter section available 
if you agreed to plant trees.

	In the more populated and flat country, roads ran along section lines.
In the midwest you can still see the roads on a grid of 1 mile squares.  
The house was often placed in the center of the homestead so you had the
north 40, east 40, south 40, and west 40.  The one heard most often is 
"the south 40".

	DonB

Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: goldberg@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov (Patti Twigg)
Subject: Re: Names
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA - Goddard Space Flight Center
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 16:02:00 GMT

In article <1992Sep15.093322.2159@nevada.edu>, jtgorman@nevada.edu (Heathers Administrator) writes...
> 
>  And do the world a favor : no more Jennifers, please!
> 
I take exception to this. My lovely daughter is a Jennifer. I like
her, I like her name. I didn't tell you what to name your kids,
don't tell me what to name mine. Besides, with all the out of
the ordinary names around, the 'Jennifers' are not as common.
She is the only Jennifer in her second grade class. So, do 
the world a favor : no more blanket statements, please!
                            Patti Twigg
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 16:51:28 -0400 
From: Linda_Walmer@transarc.com
Subject: down syndrome



My sister just had a baby two weeks ago.  The baby's eyes look a little
different, and she had a bit of fatty tissue on the back of her neck.
They ran a test, and found that she has down syndrome.  My sister is
only 30.  She has contacted some support groups, and they gave her some
advice, as well as dropped off some books for her.  She will continue
to go to the support group, and hospitol.  Since no one in my family
is knowledgable about down syndrome, I would appreciate suggestions
on books to read, and any advice in helping everyone cope.  My sister
has a 9 and 3 year old that she will have to educate as well.

Thanks for any info!
Linda


Newsgroups: misc.kids,rec.arts.startrek.current
From: kgatling@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Keith E Gatling)
Subject: Names
Organization: Manlius Pebble Hill School; Dewitt, NY
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 23:02:50 EDT

Yes, I really am posting this to two different lists, but it really does
have to do with both of them.

My wife and I are expecting our first child in February.  If it's a girl,
we've decided to name her Devra Marie.  We haven't had many problems with
that one aside from the occasional "What an unusual name," or "But she won't
be able to get license plates off the rack in the store like other kids," or
"She'll spend her whole life correcting people when they call her
'Debbie'."  None of these bother me, since my sister's name is Jael, and
she's dealt with having to correct people for the past 34 years just fine.

It's the boy's name that a few, and I'll admit it really is only a few,
people have given us some grief over.  As a result, Cheryl wanted me to poll
you people...on BOTH newsgroups...to see what you think.

The name we've been considering is Geordie LeVar.

Now frankly, those who object don't even realize that it's a Star Trek name
and their main objection comes from the fact that they're "proper name"
types...you know, the ones who say that you have to give the kid a proper
name and not one that sounds like a nickname, otherwise he'll be ruined for
life.  Sure, you can call your daughter Peggy, but her real name has to be
Margaret (I don't subscribe to this line of thought.  I say if you want to
name your daughter Peggy, name her Peggy...or Beth...or Toni...or
whatever...they've long since become "real" names.).  These people think
that Geordie sounds too much like a nickname, and if the kid ever grows up
to be an investment banker, all the potential clients will want to deal with
Irving, who has the real grown up name, rather than Geordie.

Now the funny thing is that to us Geordie *is* a grown up name...it's the
name of a chief engineer.  I figure, sure, it'll raise a few eyebrows at
first, but who knows...just as my eyebrows were raised at first when I met
my first Devra, maybe after meeting *our* Geordie someone else will decide
to use the name...someone who doesn't even watch Star Trek.

And we checked in the names books...Geordie is a "real" name, it wasn't made
up for Star Trek...it's a variation on George.  But (and apologies to any
Georges out there) George just doesn't make it for us.  Geordie does.

Okay...opinions?

--
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* Keith E Gatling                                  kgatling@mailbox.syr.edu *
*          Opinions?  I've got plenty of them.  Just ask my wife!           *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
From: wiebe@ut-emx.uucp (Anne Hill Wiebe)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Names - nicknames
Date: 15 Sep 92 16:26:49 GMT
Organization: U. Texas Center for Space Research

Laura Floom wrote about her friend Vicki thinking her name was
Victoria, then getting her birth certificate and finding that
her REAL name was Vicki.  My mother went through life with only
her baptismal certificate, since the courthouse had burned with
her birth certificate.  Her parents were German and the
baptismal certificate was for "Leone Martha" -- she went by
Leona Martha.  Come Social Security time, she finally had to dig
up some place that had a copy of her ORIGINAL birth certificate
--  her birth name was, not Leone Martha but Martha Molly!!!

And her parents, long dead, were not available for explanation
... my brother-in-law teased her for awhile, Martha Molly, Martha
Molly!  No Leone anywhere.  Probably a pet name that arose after
the birth certificate...

Anne
From: kati@glnserv.UUCP (Lady Dragon)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Idle amusements...
Date: Sun, 06 Sep 92 09:29:32 CDT
Organization: Vermi-net, Houston, Tx. 77098

I have a 9 YO daughter and a 2 YO son. Every now and then the daughter
will drag out a box of jewelry and other items to play with. Since the
little brother must always be into her stuff and playing with her, he
regularly gets decorated too. Often they will both be draped with Mardi
Gras beads, headbands and such. For added clothes they wear small blankets
as capes. So far, I draw the line at perfume and makeup for him, but they
both enjoy dressing up immensely.

* * email address: nuchat!xcluud!glnserv!kati * Houston, Texas, USA, Earth * *




Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: tama@anasazi.com (Tama McBride)
Subject: Re: Late night bottles
Organization: Anasazi Inc, Phoenix AZ USA
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 01:29:53 GMT

Since Ian has a surgery in the hospital every three to four months (four
more to go), and he's been doing this since he was eleven months old and is
now two years old, I've resigned my self that he'll get off the bottle when
he's good and ready.

I can hardly take something away from him that:

1.  Is the only way he can drink for 1-2 days in the hospital.
2.  Gives him immense satisfaction and comfort
3.  He can see at daycare and really want

I'm still working on the regular tooth brushing.  The only bottle at
nighttime is water however.  I've not seen any adults get married still
drinking from a baby bottle -- so I do have hope!  :-)
-- 
Tama McBride  (beeper 602/498-1367, office 602/861-7679, e-mail tama@qip.UUCP)
From: ltaylor@eec.East.Sun.COM (Laura Taylor - Network Operations East)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Names
Date: 15 Sep 1992 16:31:45 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Distribution: world
Reply-To: ltaylor@eec.East.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: eec.east.sun.com

Just for the record, I am 7 weeks pregnant, and we have
been considering the name Jordan for a girl as well. We
have been getting the same response you spoke of...people
either love it or hate it. I think it's a fine name for
a girl.

/laura

Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: esprit@netcom.com (Alan F. Perry)
Subject: Re: Names
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 92 01:46:30 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 


Whatever name you want to give your child is your right as a parent.
Besides, I like the name Geordie LaVar, although I got a mental image
of LaVar Burton the first time I saw it. (as himself and not in character).

Kids will find anything to tease about - they are ruthless. However,
if your child has a good self image and is self confident - if he
gets teased it should roll off his back.

I was named after my aunt and have always HATED my given name,
Alice Sunderland. First of all - I knew a lot of Alices, but they
were all over the age of 60. I thought my name was OLD! Also,
the maid on the Brady Bunch didn't help . Second,  when I
made it to school the kids instantly picked up on Alice in Wonderland.

I go by the name Ali and feel that it fits my personality a lot better.
It's sexually ambiguous on paper, although people reading it want
to pronounce it Ali as in Mohamed and not as in Alley like the street or
Ali McGraw. The mispronouning doesn't bother me. However, to my 
family I am still Alice, and it feels strange to be called that now.
Some habits are hard to break, I guess.

Good luck with the pregnancy and go with your heart!

Ali Perry, mum to Emily, 1 month old tomorrow!

Newsgroups: misc.kids
From: anne@dolores.Stanford.EDU (Anne Paulson)
Subject: Re: Math: Estimating vs Real Thing
Organization: Stanford University
Distribution: usa
Date: 4 Sep 92 20:47:01

In article <1992Sep4.231812.18596@usho93.hou281.chevron.com> jsco@usmi02.midland.chevron.com (J. S. Comeaux) writes:


   My 5th grader is learning ESTIMATING , and I am p.o.'d because I think 
   the school should teach accurate mathematics  rigorously 
   until it is second nature.  Instead, just when she has mult and 
   division down, she spends several weeks on Estimating.

First of all, multiplication and division isn't mathematics, it's 
arithmetic.  It's fairly dull, but you have to learn it. 

In my opinion, estimation is far more useful.  For one thing, if
you're just doing arithmetic, you use a calculator anyway.  But
estimation comes up constantly in the real world.  How much fabric do
I need for the shirt and pants I'm making for my son?  How many
tomatoes make up the nine pounds required for the recipe I'm making?
How much wood for the picnic table?  And then, how much would I have
to pay for these things, and would it be cheaper to buy them than make
them?  This kind of question doesn't require (often doesn't even have)
an exact answer.

Or:  how many people were rendered homeless by hurricane Andrew
(about 250,000, say news reports)?  How
much food is needed to feed them?  How many portable toilets?  How
many tents for the ones who aren't staying with relatives?  How much
will this cost?  If the cost of Andrew is really a billion dollars,
and three quarters of a million people were affected, how much is this
per person?  

Estimation is a skill sorely lacking in our society.  My husband, the
number-aware, says that he routinely finds statistics in the papers
that are off by three orders of magnitude.  Editors should catch this
kind of error, but they don't, because they are numerically illiterate.

-- Anne
From: cathe@xanadu.ucsb.edu (Cathe Gordon)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Climbing 13 month old
Date: 14 Sep 92 20:23:48 GMT

Now that my post about "differences between boys and girls"
e-mail has slowed to a trickle ;-), let me try another one.
My 13-month old boy over the weekend showed my husband and
myself that he can now climb onto a kitchen chair and then 
onto the kitchen table.  This is a child who can't be 
bothered with walking ... not exciting enough apparently.

He also is very coordinated in every other physical way,
never falls, very cautious, very resourceful.  Can stack
blocks (big ones on bottom) 2 feet high, moves toys and
furniture to use to climb higher.

My question is this...is this normal???????  Yeah, I know,
what's normal?  This is a first child and our second is
due in 2 months.  I am quite frankly worried about having
a little one in the house with our little "kneivel" around.
He's not hyperactive or anything, and in every other way
is almost too good to be true.  Is it possible that at this
young age, we could be not offering enough stimulation for
him?  We do have a lawn mower that could use some fixing...
should we give him the set of tools and let him go at it? ;-)

Cathe "this can't be happening yet!" Gordon
cathe@ece.ucsb.edu
From: kati@glnserv.UUCP (Lady Dragon)
Newsgroups: misc.kids
Subject: Re: Pregnant and wedding rings too tight
Keywords: what did you do?
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 92 07:26:17 CDT
Organization: Vermi-net, Houston, Tx. 77098

cma@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (christine.m.dakes) writes:

> OK, here's a question for you moms and moms-to-be:
> Rings.  Especially wedding/engagment/bridal sets.  I am 20
> weeks pregnant and much to my dismay, just had to take off my
> bridal set......it was getting tighter and tighter, then I
> was having trouble getting if off, then it was *really* stuck,
> but managed to get it off, and it won't be going on again.
> What I want to know, just out of curiousity, how many had this problem
> and what you did (just took them off, wore a replacement, or got them
> made bigger).
>
> Thanks.....
>
> Christine
> mom-2-b in Jan. '93

I put mine on a chain and wore it around my neck.

* * email address: nuchat!xcluud!glnserv!kati * Houston, Texas, USA, Earth * *




Newsgroups: misc.kids