Timelies all!

Happy Birthday Sean!

There are all kinds of ways to comfort a child when he or she is sick or doesn't feel well. Ice, kisses, bandaids for owies, foods you get to eat only when you are sick, even a new coloring book to use when you have to stay in bed with a cold. A lot of these are things that help a child learn to self-comfort. I can't think of a case where a placebo pill would be a better way.

They do make a "monster spray" - use it to keep down the monsters under the bed and/or in the closet. I understand it's actually air freshener.

My brother does a thing where he "pays" the monster to go away.

What's the usual payment? if it's high enough, I'll come haunt her closet.

When my nephew spotted a monster I asked him if it was dancing.

Aha! The truth about Jenna Bush's wedding cake is revealed: on Ellen today, she said it went askew when they cut into it, which is why they are laughing in that one picture.

Also, maybe Jenna's not a Republican? Ellen said, "It's safe to say you'll both be voting for McCain?" And she said, "I don't know -- I'm not going to say on TV." Huh.

Terrified of falling down and scrapes.

I was too, at that age. What got me over it was a summer gymnastics class my Dad signed me up for. As part of learning tumbling they taught us how to fall and not get hurt, and it improved my confidence tremendously.

I credit that skill with saving me from major injury 20 years later when I was the ped in a ped/truck incident.

Obecalp sounds remarkably pointless to me when the age group likely to fall for that kind of thing will also be quite happily satisfied with a tic-tac or an M&M for *way* less money spent on the parents' part. There was recently a post on Parenthacks about using hand lotion when you didn't want to waste Neosporin on boo-boos that didn't really need it (bruises instead of cuts but the kid still wants a band-aid kind of thing).

The point being, you already have something just as effective as Obecalp in your purse or your kitchen. You don't need to buy anything extra.

They do make a "monster spray" - use it to keep down the monsters under the bed and/or in the closet. I understand it's actually air freshener.

Or along the sames lines as the above, plain water in a spray bottle. (With a few drops of essential oil or food coloring to make it "special" if you need to.)

The truth about Jenna Bush's wedding cake is revealed: on Ellen today, she said it went askew when they cut into it, which is why they are laughing in that one picture.

That makes SO much more sense! I kept wondering why it was so funny looking!!

I could totally see giving a placebo pill on those days where the kid is like "my tummy hurts!!" and you don't really believe them and don't want to let them stay home from school, but maybe think they're whining themselves into making their tummy actually hurt? So you give them a pill and tell them it'll make them feel better and make them go to school anyway? Depending on the kid and the tummy, obviously.

Of course, part of why I like my dissolve-on-tongue migraine meds (besides that I can't puke them up) is that they remind me of the children's chewable asprin that I loved.

What got me over it was a summer gymnastics class my Dad signed me up for. As part of learning tumbling they taught us how to fall and not get hurt, and it improved my confidence tremendously.

...whereas I was too scared to do one of those penny drops off the bars (where your legs are hoooked over the bar, and then you swing so you let go and end up standing?). And they suggested maybe I shouldn't come back to the next session, that gymnastics might not be my sport.