…and it’s all about going OUTside with your kids. We’ve got features on family biking (did you know that Portland is the No. 1 “most bike-friendly city” in the country?) and backpacking with kids, details on the region’s wonderful summer fairs and festivals and information on eco-friendly family vacations. Plus a family calendar that is chock-full of outdoor fun ideas. And more.
Why this emphasis on the outdoors? Well it is summer, after all. But we also wanted to remind parents about the pitfalls of “nature deficit disorder” More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 30, 2009 // Leave a Comment

We’ve got tons of cool ideas for your family this weekend – from festivals and nature park openings to train rides, music and art. For more possibilities, check our online calendar.

Saturday, June 27
SeaFest 2009. Ocean games, behind-the-scenes tours, entertainment, hands-on science exhibits, kids’ zone and much more. All ages. 10 am to 4 pm. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 26, 2009 // Leave a Comment

If you didn’t have a chance to participate in the first Sunday Parkway of the season, held in North Portland on June 21st, you still have two more opportunities this summer. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 25, 2009 // Leave a Comment

The kids are out of school – and under foot. Did you forget to sign them up for camp?
Not to worry. We’ve got dozens (hundreds?) of possibilities in our annual Summer Camps & Learning Guide. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 23, 2009 // Leave a Comment

The following first appeared as an Editor’s Note in the June 2005 issue of Metro Parent. My sweet father got a big kick out of it.
Dad passed away on May 17, 2008, leaving a permanent hole in our family – and in our hearts. I’m posting this today to honor him, and all of the loving, funny fathers out there.

My dad’s a funny guy – and I mean funny as in “ha ha” not funny as in odd. All of his life he’s enjoyed laughter, his own and that of others, whether it was over one of life’s countless spontaneous moments of mirth or a good solid joke.
Here’s an example: Dad and three friends (all fathers) went fishing one weekend when he was in his 30s. The fish weren’t exactly biting so he and his buddies decided to stop at a roadside stand and buy several large salmon.
One of the group – my dad can’t remember whom – came up with the idea of telling the wives that they caught the fish. This group of jokers then went further and had a local photographer take several shots of them with their “catch.” One of the proud wives brought a photo over to the local newspaper (you can see where this is going …). They published it in the next edition with the headline “Local Men Get Lucky.”
Dad’s still laughing about that one, nearly fifty years later.
Not all of dad’s jokes are so elaborate or staged. In fact, for the most part his humor is the seamless sort that blends into his life and relationships, an underlying premise – an assumption, really – that’s always there. It’s made the lives of his five kids so much richer and, during rough times, simply more bearable. Dad’s always looked at life through that lens of humor – and I feel strongly that it’s due to his comic nature (whether genetic or acquired) that all of us kids have funny bones. I really can’t think of a greater gift that he’s given his children – except, of course, his love.
To be sure not all funny fathers are loving – and not all loving fathers are particularly funny. But it’s a blessing – like an emotional brand of comfort food – when they’re both.
I came across another funny father recently. The book The Poo Bomb: True Tales of Parental Terror by Jeff Vogel (Andrews McMeel, 2005) landed on my desk. The prologue promised that the book contained “everything funny that happened in our daughter Cordelia’s first year of life.” I skimmed through it, expecting hackneyed dirty diaper jokes and projectile vomiting anecdotes. What I found instead was genuinely funny stuff – irreverent, sometimes bordering on obscene, but funny nonetheless. Even the diaper jokes and vomiting scenarios were hilarious. In Vogel’s version of FAQs, he writes: “Q: Why did you use so many dirty words when writing this? A: I do not feel that it is possible to write honestly about parenting without using a lot of obscenities.” See? Funny stuff.
Lest you conclude that Vogel is a lousy father – and this would be a fair assumption after reading some of his passages – it’s clear that he isn’t. He’s just another funny, loving dad. Consider this passage about his infant daughter: “I don’t have what my wife refers to as ‘foo foo’ feelings. No warm fuzzies. But I strongly suspect, if necessary, I’d get hit by a car for her.”
I have no doubt that my dad feels the same way.
My father is almost 90 years old now. And he’s still making us laugh.
But, more importantly, he still makes us feel loved.
By Marie Sherlock, editor of Metro Parent, in loving memory of Gerald Sherlock (1915-2008)

Category: Uncategorized // Posted on June 21, 2009 // Leave a Comment

It’s the official start of summer – but rain is in the forecast. No matter. We’ve got options that will work in all kinds of weather – music, plays, carnivals, nature walks, train rides – and more. Click here for many more possibilities.

All Weekend
Day Out with Thomas. All aboard! Ride the “real” Thomas the Tank Engine, meet Sir Topham Hatt, enjoy entertainment and more. 30 minutes. All ages. Hourly departures 9 am to 6 pm, June 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27 and 28. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 19, 2009 // Leave a Comment

As a rule, I’m not real crazy about corporate-sponsored contests. Call me a cynic, but my gut reaction is typically to ask: what’s in it for them?
But the press release about “Clifford’s Be Big™ In Your Community” contest made me smile. I’m wondering if it might do the same for you.
From the press release:
The contest calls upon kids, parents, teachers, and community leaders to submit their BIG ideas for creating positive change in their communities by demonstrating Clifford’s Big Ideas; Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be A Good Friend, Help Others, Be Truthful, Be Kind and Believe In Yourself.
Who can argue with that? More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 18, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Sunday, June 21 is National ASK (Asking Saves Kids) Day, a day to focus on the lifesaving message of the ASK campaign. In America, nearly 1.7 million children live in a home with a loaded, unlocked gun, and a staggering 40 percent of homes with children have a gun, making it more likely that a child is playing in a house with a gun than one with a family dog.
The consequences? Eight children are killed by guns each day in the U.S.; almost 3,000 kids each year. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 17, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Jacki Kane (The Comedienne Formerly Known As Jacki Sturkie) was pretty certain that motherhood is the proverbial mother lode for stand-up comedy material – and she also realized that moms need to laugh. So she created TIME OUT: The Mother of All Comedies which plays monthly at Airplay Café. Kane does stand-up and MCs the show which also includes other talented moms and has themes like “Honey, I Shrunk My Libido” and “What Not to Wear: The Toddler Edition.”
Now Kane is bringing the show to moms who can’t make the evening time slots. TIME OUT: Mommy Matinee debuts this Wednesday (June 17) from 1 to 2 pm at Airplay Café, 701 E Burnside. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 15, 2009 // Leave a Comment

Did you know that Saturday (June 13) is National Get Outdoors Day? The stated goal of this annual event is “to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun.” Who can argue with that?
Learn more about NGOD by clicking here. Then consider the following ideas for outdoor (and indoor) fun; browse our online calendar for more.

Saturday, June 13
Legacy Healthy Kids’ Fair. Enjoy activities highlighting health and safety, operate on a stuffed duck, buy $5 bike helmets. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 12, 2009 // Leave a Comment

This is the second part of a blog about the documentary “Consuming Kids” which was recently screened in Portland. Click here to read Part One.

The crowd was subdued after watching “Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood”. The facilitator didn’t make an attempt to get a conversation going, so my friend and I left and did our own critique of the movie.
Devastating. Frightening. Horrifying. These are the descriptors that came out of our mouths. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 10, 2009 // Leave a Comment

If your kids are teenagers, you may have seen first-hand how competitive the college application process has become. It can get, well, downright surreal.
But obsessing over which college your child will attend is one thing. Worrying about whether your 3-year-old will get into the “right” preschool is quite another.
The latter is the subject matter of a documentary that area parents can see this coming Wednesday (June 10) at Living Room Theaters (341 SW Tenth Ave.). Nursery University is set in New York City and follows five families attempting to secure placement in preschools with limited space and high price tags. More…

Category: Metro Parent // Posted on June 8, 2009 // Leave a Comment