Day 1174 - Poll Results & New Poll

Last week, I asked what to do about the kids smacking themselves on top of their heads when they get angry. Fifty-seven percent suggested we buy the kids a couple of hard hats and oven mitts which is a great idea since we can use their Christmas cash for these safety accessories. Twenty-eight percent took a more pragmatic approach and said there's no need to worry about this behavior, but we should explain to the kids why this is a bad thing to do.

Since I'm a selfish bastard and using Emma's and Andrew's Christmas cash towards a blu-ray microwave (1080p popcorn!), Lisa and I have decided to keep on emphasizing to the kids why it is a bad thing to hit yourself. I understand that this behavior stems from the inability to articulate your feelings since it is so complicated and layered to explain why you are so upset that your brother took your honey graham cracker. I don't know how much longer the kids will continue to display this behavior, but I hope it ends soon because they are soon becoming much more stronger than their Olive Oyl armed Daddy.

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I can hardly believe another year has passed. Not because it went so fast. I'm just a terrible gauge of time. Next month will be a big month for the kids because we enrolled them in full day preschool in anticipation of me going back to work in February. It's a nice little preschool that is conveniently located just a block away from our house. For the first month, we plan to have the kids there from 9a-3p. And then when I go back to work, they'll have to stay there from around 8:15a-3:30p.

It feels a little weird for me to have the kids go to preschool since I've been home with them for almost six months. The kids will be almost 3 1/2 at the end of February, so we think they are old enough for this transition to full-day preschool. But there's still a part of me that second guesses this.

What do you think? Is this a good thing for the kids? Is this a bad thing? Or is my paranoia stemming from my own neurotic inadequacies as a human being? Not that I have a self-esteem problem (Do you like me?)...