Fay, FWIW, I think that's an excellent reply. Maybe just go straight from "Sorry, I'm Rambling" to "Clearly, I am awesome." And I'm now envisaging Mr Ploppy instructing you in the necessary resonance for a deep, booming voice.

Coxsackie's going around NYC too - Dylan had it a few weeks ago. (And with modern air travel, it wouldn't surprise me to see it breaking out in more than one place around the country.)

It's usually not serious, but it is unbelievably contagious. We were instructed to give Tylenol for the fever and keep him out of daycare until the rash was gone.

Coxsackie's going around NYC too - Dylan had it a few weeks ago.

And a friend's toddler here had it last month. I think it's usually pretty lowkey, if uncomfortable, for kids but can, like chicken pox, be pretty serious for adults(RARELY, though).

Cheers, billy!

I think Raq got Cocksackie when Mal did, and said it sucked.

IOToddlerN, Dylan has prematurely reached the Terrible Twos. He thinks it's absolutely hilarious to touch things he knows are off-limits. Like the DVD player. And the STOVE. He doesn't even necessarily want to do anything with them, but he'll walk over to the stove, throw me a shit-eating grin, and plant his hand right on the oven door. It's both adorable and infuriating, the little punk. Any advice on making him realize that "No, Dylan, dangerous!" is not a game?

(And now, of course, I have the song from The Fantasticks in my head on a permanent loop.)

Jessica, I would probably pick him and up and move him away from whatever it is, but silently (aside from a firm "No"). What he's looking for is a reaction from you, and the more you give him, the longer he'll play the game.

It's like kids having tantrums. A lot of them want the attention, even if it's negative, so one way to stop it is to put them somewhere safe, like their room, and then just ignore them until they're done. (With appropriate, "I'm sorry you're so mad. Maybe we can talk when you're done" noises, for older kids.)

Also, I'm pretty sure the Terrible Twos actually refers to the second year of life, which Dylan is just beginning. I know that confused me when Jake was a toddler, because I thought it would be the year between two and three.

Jessica, I was told some disturbing news by a friend: the way your child acts as a two-year-old is a good indication of how they will be as teenagers.

What he's looking for is a reaction from you, and the more you give him, the longer he'll play the game.

Yeah, that's what I've been trying to do. Easier said than done, of course. (I mean, when it's something like the stove, by the time I remember to not react, I've probably already said something like "OMGDYLANGETAWAYFROMTHESTOVERIGHTNOW!" at which point not reacting any more is fairly pointless.)

Oh, totally easier said than done. Especially, like, in a grocery store when there's a tantrum brewing. He'll get over it after a while, though. This is the time-honored "testing the boundaries" phase, and soon he'll be on to something else!

Which, um, is probably not as comforting as I meant it to be.