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IRVING + FLOWER MOUND + DENTON EDITION
M A R C H 2020
MEET MOM NEXT DOOR
SHELEENA DONEY
EVENTS TO ENJOY IN MARCH
PRO SPORTS JOBS FOR KIDS
WHEN YOUR KID IS SIDELINED BY INJURY
HEART BEAT
THE DANGER OF UNDIAGNOSED HEART CONDITIONS IN ATHLETES
HIT THE ROAD FOR AUSTIN
pages / M A R C H
2020
IRVING + FLOWER MOUND + DENTON EDITION
DEPARTMENTS NOTED 5 Time Out
When your child can’t play sports
REAL MOMS 9 Mom Next Door / Sheleena Doney
When it comes to motherhood, marriage and more, this mom of two has scored big
9 16
ABOVE // Sheleena Doney (with husband Pat and their children) says Hudson’s cerebral palsy diagnosis has made their family extremely close.
FEATURE Helmets and pads don’t prevent cardiac arrest—so what can we do to protect young athletes’ hearts? words Gina Calvert
ON THE COVER
MOM NEXT DOOR: NICK PRENDERGAST; HEART: ©ISTOCK; MAZZY: CINDY JAMES
Cover Kid: Mazzy, 7 Photography: Cindy James / Alyssa Pizer Management Hair & Makeup: Lisa Williams / Independent Artist Agency Art Direction/Styling: Heather Vance Devers
CREATIVE + CONTENT DIRECTOR Heather Vance Devers EDITORIAL Executive Editor Carrie Steingruber Managing Editor Alexis Patterson
Digital Editor Sydney Blalock Ritchie Calendar Editor Elizabeth Smith Editorial Intern Emily Yearwood ART Contributing Editorial Designer Lesley Busby Graphic Designers Susan Horn Ariana Leyva
Our Mom Next Door’s family favorites
14 Routines / Jackie Hoermann-Elliott
This TWU professor and “Nursing Mom at Work” stays busy with her kids and students
KID CULTURE 21 Work With the Pros
What it takes to become a ball boy or girl for one of DFW’s pro teams
24 Travel / The Capital With Kids
16 Sudden Heartache
PUBLISHER/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joylyn Niebes
12 Briefs / First-Round Picks
CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT LARGE Lauren Niebes ADVERTISING Account Executives Alison Davis, Becca Hobby, Nancy McDaniel, Diana Whitworth Nelson, Sandi Tijerina PR/MARKETING Audience Development Director Candace Emerson
Head down I-35 with an itinerary planned by YouTube stars
26 Celebrate / Be Our Guest
Throw a party straight out of a fairy tale
THE AGENDA 31 18 Events You Can’t Miss in March Dinosaurs, ladybugs and more fun
COLUMN 34 Confessions / Mom Truths
Potty training trouble and other memorable moments
Marketing/Advertising Strategist Tram-Anh Le ADMINISTRATION Business Manager Leah Wagner Accounting Jeanie Vance Office Manager/Bookkeeper Ann Mathai
DFWChild is published monthly by Lauren Publications, Inc. DFWChild is distributed free of charge, one copy per reader. Only DFWChild authorized distributors may deliver or pick up the magazines. Additional or back copies of DFWChild are available for $2 per copy at the offices of Lauren Publications, Inc. We reserve the right to edit, reject or comment editorially on all material contributed. We cannot be responsible for the return of any unsolicited material. DFWChild is ©2020 by Lauren Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without express written permission prohibited.
dfwchild.com / march 2020
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BROKEN LEG: ©ISTOCK; CAST: NOUN PROJECT
noted.
TIME OUT what happens
when your child can’t play sports? WORDS
A L E X I S
PATTERSON
W
E’VE ALL HEARD ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES of youth sports. Kids learn teamwork. Get exercise. Spend time away from their devices. Develop a skill that could translate to college scholarships. (Ka-ching!) The benefits are very real. So too are the reasons you may be concerned about sports. Perhaps your child has a previous injury they can’t aggravate. Or you just want to protect them from injury in the first place. When you have a child who longs to be on the field (or the beam or the court) but just can’t, how do you manage their inevitable disappointment? Then there’s another factor—helping your child fill the fitness and social gaps. It’s a lot to work through, we know. Here’s your parental playbook. dfwchild.com / march 2020
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noted / T I M E
OUT
TOUGH BREAK just going to do it at recess or on the street Sloan Bellissimo can’t participate in her sport with their friends,” notes Hendawi, a father of of choice, competitive cheerleading, for several two who practices with TMI Sports Medicine more months. While cheering with Plano’s and Orthopedic Surgery and is on staff at Cheer Athletics in fall 2018, Sloan broke her Medical City Arlington. “And they’re probably arm. In January 2019, she returned to the more at risk than playing an organized sport, mat. The same day, she re-broke her arm. It because they don’t know the right techniques wouldn’t be the last time, either. and their muscles aren’t as developed.” “The third break happened last August,” Hendawi adds that in high-impact contact sighs Sloan’s mom, Janeen Bellissimo. “She was sports, there’s significant research going into stunting with her team, and they dropped her.” how protective gear is designed, and rules take During surgery, Sloan’s doctor discovered safety into higher consideration. the bone had turned and never set correctly. And if you are worried about injury, one The 13-year-old now has a plate and screws in answer may be more sports, not fewer. “The her arm. “They said she would be out of cheermain thing we try to do—especially in patients leading for a full year,” remembers Janeen. who have not reached skeletal maturity or Sloan did not take the news well. “She puberty—is recommend playing multiple was very upset,” Janeen says. “This had been sports,” says Hendawi. “One of the biggest her life. She’s given up birthday parties and issues now is overuse from playing the same sleepovers and school activities for cheer. To sport, playing on multiple teams [for that not have that—it was hard.” sport] during the year.” Erica Force is a sport psychologist, direcBesides allowing the body to develop fully, tor of sport psychology at Georgetown diversifying athletic interests can help University and adjunct faculty when a child has already suffered an member with the University of injury. After cheer, Sloan took up North Texas. She says that cross-country. “It’s not the same, level of disappointment is not but it gave Sloan something to uncommon among athletes do,” says Janeen. “I think that who can’t play due to injury. was the most important thing I In a vicious circle, these emocould do—[encourage her to] fill tions can even impede recovery. that void.” “When it’s a longer rehab process, Force says Janeen has just the kids will lose motivaright idea. “You have tion,” Force explains. to help your child “As a result, their know what’s out there progress in recovery beyond the sport they will slow down. They know,” she advises. from Dr. Tariq Hendawi get depressed.” As a sport psyWhile Sloan’s chologist, Force works Take three months off annually from your depression, anger and with injured athletes child’s main sport and introduce other sports. other emotions were to improve their rehab Allow adequate rest between periods of hard for Janeen to outcomes and chances strenuous exertion. Playing fatigued increases watch, she knows she of returning to play. the risk of injury. can’t budge on the “It’s important not Keep it fun! Talk about interests other than decision to take her to get too down,” she sports, and keep in mind that some of the best daughter out of cheersays. “We want to athletes don’t choose their primary sport until leading for now. “As a sustain their motivahigh school. mom, I’m holding my tion, set goals and ground,” she says. “I help them learn skills can’t chance it again.” like mindfulness and relaxation. They need MORE SPORTS, NOT FEWER to find helpful thoughts.” My young son is small for his age. In any Janeen says for Sloan, “talking—well, sport, he would play against children who are really listening” to her coaches (some of whom significantly bigger. Brand me an overprotechad also suffered injuries) was instrumental tive mother, but the idea worries me. I had a in finding her new normal. “And give them serious sports-related injury as a child, and something they can control,” Janeen suggests. I don’t want my son in harm’s way. It hasn’t “Support them in finding something else they been a real issue yet, but I think it’s coming. can do, but it has to be their decision.” Will I just have to get over my fears? Sloan will be back to tumbling and stuntDr. Tariq Hendawi—an orthopedic ing as soon as she is cleared. Bottom line, surgeon and team physician with the Texas says Hendawi: You can’t keep your kid in a Rangers—points out that one way or another, bubble. Injuries happen. But he emphasizes kids are going to play. that doesn’t mean sports should be banned “If you tell them they can’t do football or from your child’s life. “I will never tell a child soccer, they’re still going to play sports; they’re he shouldn’t be active.” 6
march 2020 / dfwchild.com
HENDAWI: MEDICAL CITY ARLINGTON
Tips for Sports Parents
Host an International High School Exchange Student
Apply now through August 31 214-366-4678
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Second Sunday Funday March 8 | 1–4PM | Free Playing with Patterns
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dfwchild.com / march 2020
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real moms.
RÉSUMÉ
AGE 35 LIVES IN North Richland
Hills HAILS FROM Virginia Beach, Virginia SIGNIFICANT OTHER Husband Pat, NBC 5 sports anchor OFFSPRING Daughter Barlow, 7, and son Hudson, 4 ALMA MATER Liberty University, where she earned a degree in business PROFESSION Bookkeeper for a CPA (primarily from home except during tax season), Stitch Fix stylist DREAM JOB AS A KID Firefighter (“I have no idea where that came from, and I definitely would not be cut out for that job now!”) HOBBIES Reading and running
Husband Pat says Sheleena Doney is “the reason why” their family functions so beautifully.
ALL STAR: NOUN PROJECT
mom next door /
SHELEENA DONEY all-star mom WORDS
ALEXIS PATTERSON
PHOTOGRAPHER
NICK PRENDERGAST
I
T’S LIKE A SCENE OUT OF A ROMANTIC COMEDY: Boy spots girl at a party and falls for her instantly. She’s with a mutual friend, someone he caught up with a few minutes prior. He pretends he just spotted the friend and launches into the same conversation they’d already had—he couldn’t think of a better way to introduce himself to the blonde who had captivated him. It works. She ditches her summertime boyfriend, and they live happily ever after. In this story, she is Sheleena Doney. He is NBC 5 sports anchor Pat Doney. Their meetcute took place during their days at Liberty University; they married shortly after graduation. Daughter Barlow, now 7, was born while Pat was anchoring sports at a station in Louisville, Kentucky. Son Hudson, 4 ½, arrived after Pat’s career took the Doneys to Dallas-Fort Worth. Visiting with Sheleena at their home in North Richland Hills, it’s easy to see why Pat adored her right away. dfwchild.com / march 2020
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real moms / M O M
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For further information or to schedule a visit, email info@heroesdfw.org
heroesdfw.org 972-663-5853 Like us on Facebook: HEROESCamp
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march 2020 / dfwchild.com
NEXT DOOR
Tell me about your first date with Pat. He called me the day after we met. He was like, “I want to take you out, whatever night. But can you pick me up?” I had a car at school, and he didn’t. So he thought, She’s going to pick me up and then I’ll drive. Well, I pick him up, and I had a stick shift, and he didn’t know how to drive it. So we spent the whole sophomore year with me driving everywhere. I give him a hard time about it now. How has parenthood changed your relationship? I always tell people when they get married, “Wait [to have children] if you can, a few years, because your life totally changes.” In a good way, but it definitely changes. Before, Pat and I used to watch a lot of TV together, and now we choose our time differently. In what way? Last night, he was home, and we just talked because we have such limited time. I feel like we kind of pass each other a lot because we’re tagteaming with the kids. If we’re going to get a babysitter, I want to go out to dinner or go do something; I don’t want to sit in front of a TV. Things like that have definitely changed, but parenthood has also changed my love for him. Watching him with the kids—I mean, he’s the best. He’s so hands-on. You’re a bookkeeper and a Stitch Fix stylist now, but you took a few years off work after becoming a mom. What was that stay-at-home experience like? We moved here in April 2013, and I joined a moms group that wasn’t going to start until September. The summer was rough, with a 4-month-old; Pat was working, and we had one car at the time. So when he went to work, I was just hanging out at home with the baby. I was desperate for friends. I was like, “I have to get out of the house. All we do is walk to the park and nap.” The moms group was the biggest blessing. All the people I met, they are still my best friends here. Hudson is adopted. Is adoption something that always interested you? I’ve wanted to adopt since I was probably in middle school. There was a family at our church who adopted, and it kind of just always stuck with me.
So when things were getting serious with Pat, I was like, “I just really want to adopt, and I don’t know if that’s something you’ve ever thought about.” It was not on his radar at all. But being the reporter that he is, he did his research on adoption and he was all on board. What was it like to see Hudson for the first time? We got a phone call on a Saturday morning, and they were like, “We had a baby born last night. Can you come to the hospital?” No notice. So we packed up and went to the hospital. We saw him about 20 hours after he was born. It’s hard to explain; you walk in the nursery and there’s a baby there who a minute ago wasn’t yours, and then he’s yours. It was very emotional. You’re like, “Wait, I didn’t even know about you three hours ago, and now I’m holding you and you are my son.” When did you realize Hudson was different than Barlow in terms of his development? I remember going to his well visit when he was 6 months old and saying, “I think he’s a little behind.” When you’re a mom, you hold your kid on your side and they hold their head up. Other babies the same age could do it, but Hudson wasn’t holding his head up. I was like, “Why?” The pediatrician thought he should start physical therapy, and the physical therapist said that you do the therapy, and if it doesn’t work, then you go see a neurologist. I’m like, “No, I want to go see a neurologist now.” I don’t do well with lingering waiting. So we went to a neurologist to present our concerns and ask her to order an MRI. She looked at Hudson a bit and said, “I can tell you right now he has cerebral palsy.” The technical term for his brain malformation is schizencephaly. It is like the second most rare brain disorder there is. That caused his cerebral palsy. How did you react to his diagnosis? Pat and I got in the car and looked at each other and started crying. It was just so sudden. Then, about a week later, we did the MRI and got the actual results. It was shocking. I mean, seeing the pictures and seeing what’s missing.
“WE GOT A PHONE CALL ON A SATURDAY MORNING, AND THEY WERE LIKE, ‘WE HAD A BABY BORN LAST NIGHT. CAN YOU COME TO THE HOSPITAL?’”
He is probably missing about 30% of his brain. How did you learn to meet his needs while also meeting the needs of Barlow? It definitely took a while, because there was a really big grieving part where I was probably not the best mom to Barlow and him—but honestly, thank God for Barlow. She is the best with him. She already is like, “Can I put his medicine in?” She wants to help. Every night she prays for him: “God, please be with my brother. His arms and legs don’t work very well.” She has a good heart. That’s made it easier. We also do one-on-one things. I try to be very present. I’m room mom at her school. I want her to see me doing those things, knowing she is important. What does your family do for fun? I started running last year, and I enjoy that. I started pushing Hudson in 5Ks. He’s on a racing team, Team Hoyt. That’s been fun, and it’s a stress reliever. Barlow plays tennis; Pat plays a little, and they’ll ride their bikes to the park and play on the tennis courts. Barlow enjoys that, and she does gymnastics. Is it important, as a mother, to take time for yourself? Yes. I just feel like it makes you a better mom. If I’m constantly working and doing for everyone else, it kind of drains me. So on a Saturday morning, I’ll say, “I’m going to Target.” Pat will say, “Oh, you want to take Barlow?” I’m like, “No, I want to go to Target by myself. I need to get some groceries, but I also want to walk around and do nothing.” It’s just nice to even just veg on the couch for an hour. Tell me what you see for your family’s future. I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow, so thinking about the future is like, aagh! But I want to travel and enjoy things with them. I obviously see us staying here. I always tell my daughter she’s never allowed to move out of Texas. She’s already saying, “I’m going to get married and leave you.” I’m like, “Stop. I don’t want to talk about this.” I think Hudson’s diagnosis has made us super close. We call ourselves the four musketeers. It’s just different. That’s the only way I can really say it. I don’t ever want them to leave, but no, I do. I want Barlow to grow up, get married and have babies, but live close to me.
Ads with © are © of Lauren Publications, Inc. 2020.
ABOVE // Sheleena Doney says Hudson’s diagnosis made their family extremely close. “It’s put a lot of life into perspective ... It’s made us not care about the silly little things.”
dfwchild.com / march 2020
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real moms / B R I E F S
FIRST-ROUND PICKS what Sheleena Doney can’t live without
FO R LI V E N I N G H E R I N S TA FE E D
2
FO R G E T TI N G AWAY
gAnnual Family Trip “We love taking our kids to my grandparents’ lake house in Tennessee every Fourth of July. I have been going since I was a child, and I just love watching my kids enjoy everything I did when I was their age. We love to take the kids tubing and jet skiing and make s’mores at night by the fire.” gDream Destination “I have always wanted to go to Greece!”
FO R B I N G E WATCH I N G
I ENJOY THE POSTS FROM THE WANDERPRENEURS. THEY ARE A FAMILY OF FOUR TRAVELING THE UNITED STATES IN THEIR RV. IN MY FANTASY WORLD I THINK THAT WOULD BE SO FUN TO DO FOR A FEW MONTHS.
THE WANDERPRENEURS // @the.wanderpreneurs
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march 2020 / dfwchild.com
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“Most anything on Netflix. I recently watched Cheer and couldn’t stop!” NETFLIX // netflix.com
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FO R I N - C A R LI S TE N I N G “In the mornings, it’s definitely the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show! I have been listening to them since high school and just love them.” THE KIDD KRADDICK MORNING SHOW // kiddnation.com
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FO R E NJ OY I N G S P O RT S TO G E TH E R
‘‘
WHILE FOOTBALL IS NO. 1 (GO COWBOYS!), WE DON’T GET TO ENJOY IT AS A FAMILY WITH PAT WORKING ON SUNDAYS. SO I WOULD SAY HOCKEY. WE HAVE BEEN TO SEVERAL DALLAS STARS GAMES TOGETHER, AND IT REALLY IS SUCH A BLAST. THE KIDS LOVE IT!
DALLAS COWBOYS // dallascowboys.com DALLAS STARS // nhl.com/stars
SHELEENA: NICK PRENDERGAST; DONEY FAMILY: SHELEENA DONEY; CHEER: NETFLIX; RADIO HOSTS: KIDD KRADDICK MORNING SHOW
1
ALEXIS PATTERSON
‘‘
INTERVIEW
CHILD CARE & PRESCHOOL GUIDE //
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dfwchild.com / march 2020
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a tuesday in the life of
JACKIE HOERMANNELLIOTT Denton mom Jackie Hoermann-Elliott, Ph.D., is the interim director of first-year composition at Texas Woman’s University, where she teaches a range of writing classes. When HoermannElliott’s not behind the lectern, you might find her pumping in her office while managing emails and research. She has two sons, Barrett, 2, and Beau, 4 months, and a 9-year-old stepdaughter, Elisabeth. HoermannElliott’s husband, Buck, is a tennis coach and history teacher at Denton’s Ryan High School.
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:02AM “Dada! Watch Daniel Tigerrrrrrrrrrr, Daaadaaa!” wails Barrett from his crib. Buck has already left for his CrossFit class, so I quickly get ready in hopes of preventing my toddler from waking my infant. Am I fast enough? Never. 6:35AM Both boys are dressed. Beau is nursing. Barrett is usurping the majority of my chocolate overnight oats. He likes to pretend he’s a puppy dog and pants to be fed. I don’t encourage this weird behavior, but it makes me laugh every day. 7:10AM Buck returns from CrossFit to help with final school day preparations. I run out the door—literally—for a quick 20-minute jog. My research analyzes the working habits of writers who run or engage in other forms of exercise, so a short morning workout is a must. 7:35AM Time for a quick shower while indulging Barrett in our usual morning conversation. He definitely gets his chattiness from me. 7:59AM Buck helps load both boys into the car before kissing me goodbye. On the way, we phone my mom to catch up on how our family in St. Louis is doing. 8:15AM The hardest part of my day: the school drop-off. It’s Beau’s first day at day care, and I’m breathing my way past tears and back to reality. I remind myself that I want my sons
to respect the ambitions of career-focused women. Sobbing averted. 8:23AM I plant myself in my office and open my paper planner. It’s satisfying to write down and cross off my list by hand. 8:46AM Time to check email. I reply to quick emails and mark down the ones that I need more time to process or research. 10AM Pause to pump for my littlest guy. I’m fortunate to have a private office where I can work while pumping. Pumping still makes me feel self-conscious, like my coworkers imagine me kicking back, eating bonbons or doing crossword puzzles. In reality, I am blitzing through research annotation work or sending—wait for it—more emails. 11AM My first official office hour starts. A few graduate students stop by to talk to me about their research plans. I go heat up my lunch in the grad student offices to get more face time with them. I have a hard time peeling myself away from my computer, so this forces me to take a healthy movement-slash-social break. 12:04PM The “Nursing Mom at Work” sign hangs on my door once again. I also have to teach in less than an hour, so I hurry to review my lesson plans. 1PM Class begins. I like to start and end my classes right on time whenever possible. I truly believe this communicates to my students that I respect their time and try to maximize what little contact we have each week. 2:23PM Back to my office to check in with our secretary, Charles. 2:30PM My department chair and I meet with the coordinator for the gifted and talented program at Denton Independent School District to discuss the separation of dual credit and AP classes. It helps to have a spouse employed by DISD in these moments! 3:35PM A brisk walk back to my office to pump yet again and respond to more emails. Does staying on top of emails throughout the day increase or decrease the number of emails I’ll answer in the evening? 4:15PM I power walk to my car so I can reunite with my babies—best part of my day! Having a somewhat flexible schedule means I could leave earlier, but I rarely do. I try to come close to an eight-hour workday every day so I feel less guilty about disconnecting from work on nights and weekends. 4:46PM Hugs, snuggles and kisses ensue as I scoop up Barrett and Beau. In the car, Barrett and I review his day out loud during our drive home. He tells me about his favorite teachers and snacks and if any of his friends didn’t share well. He also lets me know that “Beau need baby milk” every time little brother starts fussing. 5:20PM Buck arrives home shortly after we do. He hugs us all before taking Beau so I can heat up leftovers from Sunday’s supper. Have I men-
Diaries are penned by moms (and dads) in the North Texas area. The authors volunteer to share a day of their choosing and are not paid or endorsed by DFWChild. Send your diary to editorial@dfwchild.com. All submissions are subject to editing and may be cut for space. 14
march 2020 / dfwchild.com
HOERMANN-ELLIOTT FAMILY: JEREMY LARUE PHOTOGRAPHY
real moms / R O U T I N E S
the fine
print FAVORITE INDULGENCE Lily’s Sweets dark chocolate bar with sea salt YEARLY DESTINATION St. Louis, Missouri, where I was born and raised WHERE SHE GOES FOR RETAIL THERAPY HomeGoods FAVORITE DATE NIGHT SPOT Spiral Diner GUARANTEED TO MAKE HER LAUGH My sister GUARANTEED TO MAKE HER CRY “The Mother” by Brandi Carlile GO-TO RECIPE Turkey pumpkin chili WORDS SHE LIVES BY Dreams don’t work unless you do. BLOG SHE FOLLOWS Vintage Revivals BIGGEST PET PEEVE Misogyny SHE WISHES SHE HAD MORE TIME TO Hang out with friends ONGOING PROJECT My house! We just moved in, in 2018, so I’m still tinkering with the design. SHE’S REALLY GOOD AT Procrasticleaning SHE’S REALLY BAD AT Remembering small details WHAT SHE’S READING Beneath My Feet: Writers on Walking LOOKING FORWARD TO
Workin’ Moms season 4
CHOCOLATE BAR: LILY’S SWEETS; BENEATH MY FEET: PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
FAVORITE GIFT TO GIVE FRIENDS Homemade pecan butter INSPIRED BY My sons’ smiles
tioned that we’ve been die-hard meal preppers since 2016? It makes life with littles so much easier. 6:24PM I’m on the couch reading Curious George Builds an Igloo for the 200th time when Beau starts crying to be fed. Buck distracts Barrett by asking him if he wants to wrestle or “just give hugs,” as my little boy sometimes requests. 7:02PM I sing and rock Barrett before putting him down. He’s always been big, but he’s over half my height now and getting heavier every day. I grab my nightly piece of salted dark chocolate before helping with bathtime for Beau. 7:27PM With both boys sleeping, my husband and I triage the living room and kitchen before we ease into our few childfree hours. I do not function well when the house feels messy. 7:45PM I work through email and research for about an hour before disconnecting. Buck and I cuddle on the couch and talk about our days, the grocery list and our hopes for the week ahead, and compromise about what to watch on Netflix. 10:43PM I’m almost ready for bed when Beau cries out for milk and affection. Sneaking in one more moment with my baby boy trumps working mother fatigue every time. dfwchild.com / march 2020
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sudden
heartache Helmets and pads don’t prevent cardiac arrest, which can strike seemingly healthy kids without warning. So what can we do to protect our young athletes’ hearts?
S
W O R D S G I N A C A LV E R T
ITTING IN THE PARKING LOT AT PLANO EAST HIGH SCHOOL, waiting to pick up her son after football practice, Karen Schrah received a call that no parent wants: Something happened to her son Zachary during practice. She thought perhaps her 16-year-old had broken a leg, until she saw the ambulance and fire truck at the field house and then was held back from getting close enough to see what was going on. “When they told me he was being worked on, I knew it was something more serious,” she recalls. Coaches, teammates and parents began to tell her what they knew, simply that Zac had collapsed while running drills in the field house. Friends and teachers followed the ambulance to the ER, where they waited, prayed and leaned on each other for strength during the two hours doctors worked to save Zac’s life. His family was sitting with him when he was pronounced dead. Zac’s cause of death was an undiagnosed congenital heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), one of the top two causes of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). HCM thickens a portion of the heart for unknown reasons, reducing its ability to pump blood effectively. Sufferers can experience chest pain, shortness of breath and irregular heart rhythm, or no symptoms at all. With immediate intervention—such as with an automated external defibrillator (AED), a portable electronic device designed to shock the heart back into normal rhythm—symptoms can be treated successfully. But unless treated within two to three minutes, HCM will lead to death.
dfwchild.com / march 2020
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“It’s just so important for schools to talk about emergency preparedness. Do you know where the AEDs are? Do you know how to quickly apply them?”
those first few moments after her son’s death in 2009 that God must have a plan, that he would support and comfort her, and that something would come from her son’s death. Zac’s friends and his younger sister Sarah had no such assurance. They wondered how this 6-foot-2, 225-pound kid who was the epitome of health could have had a heart condition serious enough to take his life. How could someone so special, so loved by his friends, so active in outdoor activities and sports, and so full of integrity, team spirit and leadership potential be gone? He’d been the life of the party, an excellent student who planned to go to the University of Texas, become a doctor and save lives. The entire school district grieved Zac’s untimely passing. Until they left for college 16 months later, his friends continued to hang out at the Schrah home and in Zac’s room. They wrestled with the question of why. Though you may occasionally hear stories like Zac’s on the news, SCA is considered relatively rare. Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Matthew Dzurik, medical director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Cook Children’s, reports that SCA is responsible for 5% of all cardiac-related deaths of children and only 1.3% of all deaths of children. Likewise, heart conditions that lead to SCA are not on the rise for young athletes or kids in general. According to Dr. Ilana Zeltser, director of electrophysiology at Children’s Health and associate professor at UT Southwestern, “incidences of heart conditions in young people are not increasing, but the degree of performance, families and athletes becoming more competitive, and the use of performance-enhancing measures are on the rise. These, and even the onset of puberty, may contribute to SCAs in those with existing heart conditions.” Estimates vary for the number of athletes who could experience a significant cardiac event with no prior diagnosis—Dzurik says the best studies put the ratio from 1 in 40,000 to 1 in 80,000, but those studies may include adult athletes, not just teens. For perspective, there are 18
march 2020 / dfwchild.com
more than 800,000 high school athletes in Texas, per the National Federation of State High School Associations, so a handful of young athletes are likely at risk and don’t know it. How is it that deadly cardiac conditions can go undiagnosed? “Sometimes, the first symptom of a heart condition is an irregular heartbeat that quickly becomes an SCA,” Dzurik says. This can happen during extreme exertion, mild activity or even sleep. Asymptomatic disease is, by nature, not easily detected. And until recently, screenings like echocardiograms and electrocardiograms were used only for patients who were showing symptoms. Then when SCA occurs, not all spaces are equipped with AEDs nearby, reducing the chance of survival by about 10% for each minute without emergency treatment, according to the National Safety Council. When Schrah learned that an AED might have saved Zac’s life if it had reached him sooner, she knew what she had to do to protect other children. Within three months, she created Living for Zachary, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of and preventing SCA in other young people. Living for Zachary focuses on educating parents about heart abnormalities, facilitating screenings that might detect them and funding the placement of AEDs where they can be quickly accessed. “Taking my experience of losing a child and wanting to help others, then actually meeting other parents whose kids have had our heart screening and discovered the need for corrective surgery, or working with adults or kids who have been saved by an AED, has given my life purpose,” Schrah says. WHAT CAN WE DO? Stories like Schrah’s are every parent’s worst nightmare. When a sudden student death on the sports field makes headlines, fears are ignited, and parents wonder what can be done to protect their child. Questions abound: What should I do to keep my child safe? Dzurik urges parents not to be afraid of allow-
ing their kids to be active, explaining that heart abnormalities don’t form because of physical activity—though there are risk factors and symptoms that parents should be aware of. (See sidebar, bottom right.) “The best place to start is with your pediatrician or primary care physician for sports physicals and regular wellness checkups,” Dzurik says. “If there is a family history of heart conditions or your child has experienced any symptoms, an EKG may be indicated.” Thanks to new state legislation, parents can now access screenings even without symptoms or a family history of heart disease. Cody’s Law (HB 76) was passed in 2019 in part through the work of the Cody Stephens Go Big or Go Home Memorial Foundation. The organization was launched by the family of Cody Stephens, a young athlete who succumbed to SCA in 2012 while resting in a recliner on a Sunday afternoon. Cody’s Law gives parents the right to choose heart screenings for their children, and University Interscholastic League (UIL) examinations for participating in school sports now include information about these optional screenings. SCA strikes non-athletes, as well, and organizations like Living for Zachary can be a source of information and help with the cost of screenings. Note that the law does not make sports screenings mandatory; parents can opt out. Why are these screenings optional? Why aren’t they mandatory for sports physicals? The American Heart Association (AHA), the American Pediatric Association (APA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) have recommended against mass mandatory heart screenings for student athletes for multiple reasons: 1. The top two undiagnosed heart conditions that can lead to SCA are HCM (Zac’s condition), which Zeltser says can be detected by screenings only about 50% of the time, and anomalous coronary artery, which is missed 90% of the time by screenings. No one screening exists that could detect all heart abnormalities. “Unfortunately, we cannot find every athlete that will have a heart problem,” Dzurik adds, “no matter how much screening we do.”
AED + ILLUSTRATION: ©ISTOCK
WRESTLING WITH WHY Though devastated, Schrah remembers feeling in
Fortunately, not all heart conditions are imminently life-threatening, and many times symptoms do alert families of the need to seek medical attention. 2. Some screenings result in false positives. A benign condition called athletic heart syndrome (an enlarged heart due to significant aerobic exercise) or even a normal variation in heart rhythm can mimic more serious conditions. A false positive puts families through tremendous stress and takes athletes out of play for weeks while they go through expensive, more invasive follow-up tests that do not uncover an underlying condition. 3. Heart conditions may develop at any time, so screenings would need to be repeated. With nearly 8 million high school athletes in the U.S., the medical system would be overwhelmed by such a large-scale annual initiative. A shortage of trained medical personnel and the AHA’s estimated $2 billion price tag make widespread screening prohibitive at this time for a disease of such low incidence. Even if only a small percentage of heart conditions can be detected through these screenings, isn’t that worth it? Schrah, undeterred by this controversy, believes so. “We understand there are some cases in which it is difficult to prevent sudden cardiac arrest,” she says. “My perspective, and the perspective of Living for Zachary, is that if we can save even one child’s life through preventative heart screenings, we believe our mission has been accomplished and families can be spared a lifetime of grief because of it.” To date, Living for Zachary has facilitated more than 8,000 youth heart screenings at multiple events throughout the year. If a child is unable to attend a free screening event, families can schedule a $55 heart screening at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital in Plano. At least three young people have discovered heart conditions through these screenings. According to the Cody Stephens Go Big or Go Home Memorial Foundation, its screenings have led to the diagnosis of heart conditions in over 90 young athletes. What else is being done to help keep student athletes safe? Sports cardiologists continue to seek new and better ways to screen student athletes, and awareness is critical. Educational videos are helping parents and students become more familiar with proper use of protective gear and concerning symptoms. UIL Texas has provided short videos in English and Spanish covering shortness of breath, chest pain, heart palpitations and passing out. But receiving by far the strongest push is a strategy that the major national cardiac organizations agree is the most effective for protecting kids from SCA: creating Heart Safe schools. And this is something parents can help with. BECOMING HEART SAFE Whether parents opt for screenings, Dzurik
encourages parents to channel their fear and energy into the two most important measures that are known to save lives: CPR and AEDs. Dzurik explains that Cook Children’s works with Project ADAM, a nonprofit named for a teen who died from SCA while playing basketball, to certify schools as Heart Safe. What makes a school or other organization Heart Safe? 1. A cardiac response plan and team 2. The correct number of accessible AEDs within two to three minutes’ reach 3. CPR training for school staff, teachers, coaches and students Cook Children’s reports that 434 Texas schools have been designated Heart Safe, including 258 schools in North Texas—251 public and only seven private. (Find out if your school is Heart Safe at cookchildrens.org.) With thousands more schools, extracurricular organizations and churches in Texas, there’s still plenty of room for parents to get involved and initiate the program where their children could benefit. “It’s just so important for schools to talk about emergency preparedness,” Schrah says. “Do you know where the AEDs are? Do you know how to quickly apply them?” So far, Living for Zachary has funded that training for 1,667 people and donated more than 290 AEDs. And the devices are benefiting more than adolescents. Adults are 3–5 times more likely to experience SCA. “The first AED we donated, just six months after we launched, was to St. Mark’s Catholic Church and School in Plano,” Schrah reveals. “Two years later, a parishioner collapsed during mass. The AED saved his life, and now he serves on our AED committee and teaches CPR. In fact, every one of our board members is a survivor of SCA, thanks to an AED.” So what’s the best thing you can do to protect your child? In addition to carefully considering your child’s screening needs, you can donate to organizations like Living for Zachary that are working to get AEDs and CPR into schools. (See sidebar at right.) And you can advocate for Heart Safe schools in your community. “Sudden cardiac arrest can happen in the blink of an eye with no warning, and protecting our schools and youth-based organizations from it is so important,” Schrah says. “One of the best
first steps we can take is to start the conversation with family, friends, teachers and our community leaders.” Zac’s sister Sarah is also committed to saving lives. Because of his death, she became an ICU nurse. Sarah graduated in December 2018 from Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing and is currently practicing at Baylor Scott & White The Heart Hospital in Plano. For Schrah, heart health advocacy has transformed her outlook. “Working with parents and kids … has given me an unbelievable joy I never thought I could experience again, a reason to press on and get up every morning,” Schrah says. “The love and joy that has come from being able to carry on and do this in Zac’s memory is overwhelming.”
Life Savers
These organizations are actively working together in Texas to prevent sudden cardiac arrest in students and provide resources to save lives when SCA happens: • Living for Zachary brings youth heart screening events to schools and youth organizations in North Texas and donates AEDs to these groups in order to protect the children they serve. Plano; livingforzachary.org • Project ADAM, in partnership with Cook Children’s, helps local schools develop CPR and AED programs. cookchildrens.org/ cardiology • The Cody Stephens Go Big or Go Home Memorial Foundation partners with schools to implement heart screening programs and raise awareness that SCA is preventable. Last year, the foundation helped to pass Cody’s Law, which gives Texas parents the right to request screenings. Crosby (near Houston); codystephensfoundation.org
Heart Check
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends talking to your pediatrician if your child has any risk factors or symptoms for dangerous heart conditions, including symptoms that seem to resolve without incident. These include: • Unexplained sudden death of a young, otherwise healthy family member • Family history of inherited heart muscle or rhythm problems • Congenital heart defect, even one that was surgically repaired • Abnormal heart rate or rhythm that can’t be explained • Chest pain during exercise • Unexplainable shortness of breath • Fainting or having a seizure without warning or while exercising dfwchild.com / march 2020
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kid culture.
BALL BOY: KELLY ERWIN/ TEXAS AIRHOGS BASEBALL; SPORTS ICON: NOUN PROJECT
As a bat boy for the Texas AirHogs, Noah Barton organized equipment, among other tasks, before enjoying games.
WORK WITH THE PROS
the perks of being a ball kid WORDS RUDY KLANCNIK
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HILE HIS BUDDIES WERE TOILING AWAY in their first jobs busing tables, bagging groceries and flipping burgers, Noah Barton was talking about how to hit a curveball with a local professional baseball player. And he was getting paid to do it. “I couldn’t believe it when I found out I had gotten the job as bat boy for the [Texas] AirHogs,” says the 15-year-old freshman. “For a first job, I couldn’t have found a better one. And the experience really taught me a lot about how to put in a hard day at work and enjoy it at the same time. It was very fulfilling.” Like a select group of youngsters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Noah found his peek into the professional sports world to be eye-opening—and definitely never boring. Noah’s day at the Grand Prairie stadium usually started two hours before first pitch and included dfwchild.com / march 2020
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kid culture / W O R K
Get Involved OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY
WITH THE PROS
filling water jugs, getting the umpires’ room Mavericks, who choose their Mavs Ballkids squared away, making sure there were enough from participants in their skills camps, it’s baseballs for the umps and organizing bats 13. It’s smart to check out your favorite and helmets in the dugout. Then he could team’s official website for age requirements. have some fun. (See sidebar at right for more local teams’ “Probably my best lesson was never requirements.) putting things off until later,” he says. “When “We want kids who are responsible, and I had something to do, I did it quickly we interview them to talk about that so then later I could better enjoy beforehand,” says Kelsey Armand, the experience of the game and community relations specialist mix in with the players. That was for the AirHogs. “We prefer bat the best.” boys/girls to continue in the job Not surprisingly, breaking even when school begins but into the sports world is super understand that they will have competitive. After all, anyone to miss from time to time since who’s ever attended a ball game school always should come first.” has dreamed of how cool it would Travis Charles, director of be to work for a sports basketball operations team. Fortunately for the WNBA’s Dallas for kiddos in DFW, It may be the coolest first job ever, but being Wings, loves his team’s the opportunities to ball kid program—but a ball boy or ball girl is exactly that—a job. work in sports are he emphasizes that the Here are some ways to put your kiddo in the numerous thanks to kids are there to work. best spot to land the gig: our abundance of “We treat them like professional sports employees because + Make sure your child is in it for the long teams (more than a haul. Seasons aren’t short. Plus, the job starts they have some very dozen). Still, landing important jobs to do well before the game begins—usually two to one of these gigs can at every game,” says three hours prior—and ends long after the be as challenging as Charles, whose team parking lot clears of fans. That’s a huge time defending Luka Dončić commitment away from friends and family, plays home games on the fastbreak. at the University of so make sure your kid is fully on board. “Being a ball kid Texas at Arlington. + Professionally pursue the job. Just like is an excellent way “You’ve got to take in the adult world of job seeking, it may to become part of care of the officials take a little extra to get the attention the Texas Legends before the game, run of the team. After submitting an email game operation at a errands for players in to the team’s website, follow it up with young age,” explains both locker rooms, a handwritten note from your kid. That Brock Berenato, who rebound during definitely cuts through the clutter. heads up basketball the pregame shoot+ Focus on job duties versus how cool operations for the arounds, work with it will be to hang with Joey Gallo or Dak Frisco-based Legends. the game crew, handle Prescott. Have your kiddo communicate “Ball kids rebound halftime duties for that they understand the responsibilities before the games the refs and more and are ready to earn their stripes. for our players and rebounding during Operations people work really hard to opposing players, move put on a great show every game, and they shoot-arounds after the ball racks on and appreciate someone who understands that halftime.” off the court, mop the Charles says the job is not all glitz. floors for slick spots, while rebounding + Put up a lot of shots. Have your kiddo move towels and other sounds fun—and is apply to numerous opportunities in the gear to and from the very fun—the pros area. If the RoughRiders don’t work out, locker rooms, and can be demanding. there’s the AirHogs. If the Mavs say, “Not make sure players have at this time,” try the Legends. Lots of “We’ve actually had water or Gatorade some complaints kids want to be part of the action, so it’s when they need it. from visiting players important to shoot early and shoot often. “Of course they when they didn’t also get to see how love how our kids our operations staff do were rebounding and their jobs and enjoy feeding them the [watching] NBA-caliber players perform,” he ball,” he reveals. “So, yes, it’s important to be adds. “The kids are a vital part of our game good at the game to be a ball kid.” day operation.” For really good ball kids, a team internship could be in the cards. “We’ve definitely hired UP TO PAR interns from our ball kid program,” Charles says. The minimum age for kids to get involved “It’s awesome watching them mature over the varies from team to team. With the Legends, course of the season and blossom into great it’s 10. For the AirHogs, it’s 15. For the members of our game day staff.”
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BALL GIRL: TEXAS LEGENDS
Your Best Shot
Create Blow Paintings! e ts! cen Squishy Circui t o S nge! han te? g p e t o L e Bake lle El hpas Build Rob Make a Spidey Cha L Web Shooter! Toot a Frogs! Beignets! Lam va ps! Spy Missions! d Scente lk Sidewa ! Chalk ®
®
THE
LINEUP
Here are some local teams with opportunities for kids:
FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS Looking for: Bat boys and ball shaggers Must be: At least 16 years old and capable with the leather— in other words, able to catch a fly ball hit by a professional baseball player How to apply: Visit teamworkonline.com and search “RoughRiders” Frisco; ridersbaseball.com TEXAS AIRHOGS Looking for: Bat boys and girls Must be: 15 years or older How to apply: Email Kelsey Armand (karmand@texasairhogs.com) Grand Prairie; texasairhogs.com DALLAS WINGS Looking for: Ball boys and girls Must be: 16 years or older How to apply: Contact the Dallas Wings office at 817/469-9464 Arlington; dallaswings.com
ONLINE SIGN UP TODAY! Weekdays throughout the Summer Flower Mound: 972-899-9332 ALL-DAY OR HALF DAY PRESCHOOL Fort Worth: 817-741-2572 AND SCHOOL-AGE CAMPS. Frisco: 972-668-5990 Highland Village: 972-317-4158 McKinney: 214-491-4088 North Dallas: 214-295-5877 Plano: 972-612-5400 Southlake: 817-488-4600
DALLAS MAVERICKS Looking for: 90 Ballkids (per season) to help out on game nights Must be: Ages 13–18 and a Dallas Mavericks Hoop Camp or Elite Camp attendee How to apply: Attend camp to receive an application; mavs.com/hoopcamp Dallas; mavs.com TEXAS LEGENDS Looking for: Ball boys and girls Must be: At least 10 years old and a capable basketball player How to apply: Email Byron Bogar (bbogar@texlegends.com) or Brock Berenato (bberenato@texlegends.com) Frisco; texlegends.com
MASCOT: FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS
ALLEN AMERICANS Looking for: Help for the equipment manager, game day promotions and media relations Must be: At least 10 years old, but the age requirement varies based on job responsibilities How to apply: For equipment management roles, email Tim Abbott (tabbott@allenamericans.com); for game day promotions, email Corey Essman (corey@allenamericans.com); for media relations, email Tommy Daniels (tommy@allenamericans.com) Allen; allenamericans.com DALLAS SIDEKICKS Looking for: Interns, as well as kids to help with the in-game charity ball toss Must be: In high school (for internship) How to apply: Email Paul Donaghy (paul@dallassidekicks.org) Allen; dallassidekicks.com
Exhibit Opens March 4, 2020! fortworthmuseum.org
Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog was created by Minnesota Children's Museum together with Scholastic Entertainment.© 2020 Scholastic Entertainment Inc. SCHOLASTIC and logos are trademarks of Scholastic Inc. CLIFFORD, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, BE BIG and logos are trademarks of Norman Bridwell. All rights reserved.
dfwchild.com / march 2020
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kid culture / T R A V E L
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travel tips from YouTube mega-stars WORDS ALEXIS PATTERSON
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F YOUR CHILD IS A YOUTUBE FANATIC, chances are they know all about the Izzys. The longtime Austin residents—known to viewers as Stridor (mom), Eddie (dad) and Bubs (their 6-year-old son)— started making videos in 2016, showcasing their elaborate train-track builds. Fast forward to 2020, and they’ve reached a billion (yes, billion with a B) views on their main channel, youtube.com/theizzys. Today their videos range from creating a LEGO obstacle course for Happy the Hamster to playing video games to opening fan mail from their 920,000 subscribers. We tapped the bona fide YouTube stars to give us their recommendations for a trip to the state capital with kids.
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OUT(SIDE) & ABOUT Spring is a wonderful time to visit Zilker Park. Dubbed “Austin’s mostloved park,” it stretches across 351 acres in the heart of the city. “Take a ride on the Zilker Zephyr train,” Stridor suggests. There’s also a huge playground, canoeing, the Barton Springs pool, Barking Springs for your pup and more. The Izzys like to start their Zilker Park outings with a family picnic— The Izzys P. Terry’s Burger Stand is their choice. Later, enjoy the city by land and water with Austin Duck Adventures. “They tell you lots of interesting facts I never knew about Austin, and you get to boat on the lake and quack at people along the way,” Stridor says, adding that you should check Groupon for discounts before buying tickets. INDOOR FUN The Texas heat can creep up anytime, so it’s good to have some indoor spots on your itinerary. Stridor recommends The Thinkery,
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Austin’s children’s museum. “We love it here,” she smiles. “We shot a show on it awhile back; you can check it out to get a better feel of it.” When the kids have worn you out there, make your way downtown to the Central Library. “This place is a work of art,” says Stridor. “I bring kids here just to walk through, and I drink a cup of coffee at the top.” SUSTENANCE After a full day, both you and the kids are no doubt hungry. According to Stridor, Phil’s Icehouse on South Lamar is a great choice. “Hello, playground!” she says. “They have ‘parent recess’ prices on beer and wine, and there is an Amy’s Ice Cream.” When the Izzys have guests, they take them to The Oasis on Lake Travis. “There’s music and tons to see,” says Stridor. “Get there early if you want to sit right on the rail, closest to the water.” THE BATS When you’ve wrapped up dinner, there’s one more outdoor outing that’s an Austin must. “We have bats!” Stridor exclaims. “They leave their spot under the Congress Avenue Bridge every night and it is amazing. And a little stinky.” But worth it to see North America’s largest urban bat population (we’re talking hundreds of thousands of bats) start their night flight. The bats are
1 / The Thinkery boasts “play-based” learning. 2 / P. Terry’s offers a great burger unique to the Austin area. 3 / Crowds gather to see Austin’s bats. 4 / The Austin Motel is within walking distance of all the South Congress attractions.
active from late March through early fall and begin to move between 7:30 and 9:45pm. SLEEP IT OFF For a cool hotel pick, Stridor suggests the Austin Motel on South Congress. “It’s weird. I like weird,” she explains. There’s also The Driskill, the iconic property on Sixth Street. “This is my husband’s pick. Because it’s haunted,” Stridor says. “He’ll be staying there alone.”
ZILKER PARK austintexas.gov/zilker P. TERRY’S BURGER STAND pterrys.com AUSTIN DUCK ADVENTURES austinducks.com THE THINKERY thinkeryaustin.org CENTRAL LIBRARY library.austintexas.gov/central-library PHIL’S ICEHOUSE philsicehouse.com THE OASIS oasis-austin.com CONGRESS AVENUE BRIDGE BATS austintexas.org/things-to-do/outdoors/ bat-watching AUSTIN MOTEL austinmotel.com THE DRISKILL driskillhotel.com
THINKERY: KIRK TUCK; RESTAURANT: P. TERRY’S; BATS: ©ISTOCK; AUSTIN HOTEL: NICK SIMONITE; FAMILY: THE IZZYS
THE CAPITAL WITH KIDS
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kid culture / C E L E B R A T E
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a royally perfect party WORDS ALEXIS PATTERSON
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5 1 & 2 / The party was the perfect opportunity for a themed family photo shoot. 3 / The cake featured a storybook layer and one that matched Belle’s signature dress. 4 / Belle’s friends made cheerful decorations. 5 / Party guests surrounded the actress who played Belle. 26
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HEN IT CAME TIME TO PLAN her daughter Elyana’s fourth birthday party, Dayna Tolley took a cue from the movie playing on repeat in their home: Beauty and the Beast. And since Tolley is a party planner—in addition to her full-time role as a dispatcher with the Plano Police Department—you can be certain that no detail was missed. It all started with the party invitations. “They were shaped like the mirror in the story,” explains Tolley. “I had them cut out. They weren’t box invitations.” Another unconventional aspect to this party: The children got their party favors as soon as they arrived, and for good reason. “We provided golden yellow Belle skirts and hair bows for the girls and blue shirts with Beast on them for the boys,” Tolley says—attire that perfectly matched the decor. Table centerpieces featured the mystical rose in glass domes and Belle’s beloved books. The decor also included toy characters from the movie: Chip, Lumiere, Cogsworth … the gang was all there.
The celebration turned out to be a mix of something old (books from their storage shed), something new (plush dolls and rose centerpieces), something borrowed (a “magic mirror” from the florist) and something blue—the jacket worn by the Beast himself. He was, of course, joined by Belle. “The kids were so excited that they screamed,” recalls Tolley of the moment the characters arrived. While the actress playing Belle came from a party service, the Beast was played by Elyana’s dad. “He was a good sport,” smiles Tolley. “It was a full-face costume that got pretty warm.” After the bounce house (where Tolley notes Elyana spent 95% of the party), balloon art and face painting, they cut into the cake. Tolley gave her trusted baker the celebration’s theme and color palette, and she came up with a stunning fondant creation topped with the story’s title characters. For Tolley, the best part of the bash was that she could actually enjoy it. “I hired my go-to assistant to come to the party,” she says. “At client events, I’m handling logistics. But my assistant kept everything running smoothly.” Making for an enchanted day, you might say.
BOUNCE HOUSE Bounce ‘N’ More bouncenmore.com PRINCESS ACTRESS Happily Ever Parties happilyeverparties.com/ n-texas FACE PAINTING AND BALLOON TWISTING Today’s Balloons todaysballoons.com
CAKE Sweet Somethings by Ashleigh sweetsomethingsby ashleigh.com TULLE SKIRTS The Hair Bow Company thehairbowcompany.com PARTY PLANNING Party On! Events partyonevents-tx.com
BE OUR GUEST: BRANDI MCCOMB PHOTOGRAPHY
BE OUR GUEST
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SPRING
FAMILY FUN DI RE CTO RY
Shed those winter coats, grab the kids and check out all the season has to offer! DESCRIPTION
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Actors Conservatory Theatre getintotheact.org 972/463-8228
Musical Theatre Spring Break Camp will be the week of March 16–20, with performances March 21–22. Campers (kindergarten through 8th grade) will put on a short musical in one week, Journey of the Noble Gnarble. See ad on page 6.
City of Denton Parks and Rec dentonparks.com 940/349-7275
Free Easter Eggstravaganza: Saturday, April 11, at Quakertown Park & Denton Civic Center, 321 E McKinney St. From 9:30–11:30am, enjoy bounce house fun, arts & crafts, pictures and a magic show (at 10:45am). Egg hunt begins promptly at 11:30am! See ad on page 2.
Denton County Office of History and Culture dentoncounty.com/chos 940/349-2850
Learn like a local at the Courthouse-on-the-Square Museum and the Denton County Historical Park! Explore Denton County's past. Play in the vintage grocery store and design a quilt square. Free admission!
Explorium Denton Children's Museum exploriumdenton.org 940/320-5444
Come to the sixth annual Touch a Truck fundraiser for Explorium Denton Children's Museum, Saturday, March 28 from 10am–1pm. A special hour for children with sensory sensitivities is set for 9–10am. Suggested $3 donation per person. exploriumdenton. org/events. See ad on page 7.
Fort Worth Zoo fwzoorun.com 817/759-7500
Join us April 4 for Zoo Run, a race where you can run wild in support of the wild! This family-friendly race winds through the zoo and includes a 5K and 1K Fun Run. See ad on pages 8 and 20.
Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau grapevinetexasusa.com 817/410-3185
Enjoy springtime fun in Grapevine! Ride the Grapevine Vintage Railroad's Day Out With Thomas, visit Nash Farm during Spring Into Nash and explore the New Vintage Wine and Gallery Trail & Blessing of the Vines. See ad on page 11.
Highland Village Parks and Recreation hvparks.com 972/317-7430
What are your plans for spring break? Highland Village Parks and Recreation has classes, programs, and activities to keep the kids entertained and learning this spring break. Check it out at hvparks.com. See ad on page 25.
Irving Arts Center irvingartscenter.com 972/252-2787
We offer youth & family fun year-round! From Saturday School and homeschool classes to summer camps, we help all ages get art smart. Exciting upcoming family friendly shows! Open 7 days a week. Free parking. See ad on page 7.
Kemah Boardwalk kemahboardwalk.com 281/535-8100
With an amazing waterfront location 30 miles south of Houston, the Boardwalk entices you with amusement rides, midway games, charming retail stores, live entertainment and festivals, as well as waterfront restaurants. Spring Break & Weekend Pass available! See ad on page 4.
Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area llela.org 972/219-3550
See beautiful wildflowers, kayak through the trees, hike in oak forests and see the deer at LLELA Nature Preserve at 201 E. Jones Street in Lewisville. Check out the activity calendar and explore with us! See ad on page 11.
Museum of the American Railroad museumoftheamericanrailroad.org 214/428-0101
Visit TrainTopia, a 2,500-square-foot model train experience, at the Frisco Discovery Center! It’s a miniature world of trains that will delight the entire family. Open year-round at 8004 N. Dallas Parkway in Frisco.
Town of Flower Mound Parks and Recreation flower-mound.com/parks 972/874-7275
Spring fun family events include our Easter Egg Scramble (April 4), Underwater Easter Egg Hunt (April 11), and our Father Daughter Prom (April 25)! More information, and how to register, can be found at flower-mound.com/specialevents.
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
BEST Summer EVER EPIC SUMMER PLANNING STARTS HERE Additional camps online at dfwchild.com/directory
The #1 summer STEM camp Build in-demand skills and discover a passion for technology! At iD Tech Camps, students ages 7–17 kickstart their futures with courses in coding, Fortnite, Roblox, robotics engineering, AI, VR, 3D printing, photography, and more. In each weeklong session, students explore a top campus with new friends, learn from world-class instructors, and create impressive projects for their portfolios. Small class sizes are guaranteed (no more than 10 students per instructor) to ensure proper pacing for all skill levels.
1-888-709-8324 info@idtech.com iDTech.com
iD Tech summer programs are held at 150 prestigious campuses worldwide, including the University of Texas at Dallas, SMU, TCU, Rice, Westlake Academy, and Imperial College London. While most programs are weeklong (with optional overnight stays at many locations), teens can enroll in two-week, pre-collegiate Academies for an extra immersive experience. Join us and see firsthand why over 450,000 camp alumni are raving about our programs. Visit iDTech.com for more information, or call our Camp Specialists at 1-888-709-8324 for a personalized course recommendation.
16795 State Route E, Rolla, MO 65401 573-458-2125 • office@bearriverranch.com CubCreekScienceCamp.com
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Imagine a summer camp where campers eat breakfast with a colony of lemurs, zoom down a zip-line and pet a camel before lunch, and play a camp-wide game of Capture the Flag after dinner! Cub Creek is that camp! With 300 incredible animals and over 100+ classes, we are not your average science camp! Welcoming boys and girls ages 7 to 17 for over 25 years.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
BEST Summer EVER
CAMPS | TRAVEL | SPORTS | ARTS | STEM
Summer just got more awesome!
3000 Meadowmere Ln. Grapevine, TX 76051 For questions: 817-228-9104 GoGrapevine.com/DoveCreek
1175 Municipal Way Grapevine, TX 76051 For questions: 817-410-3450 GoGrapevine.com/Camps
The shores of Grapevine Lake can be your child’s next summer adventure—full of archery, fishing, Altitude H2O, wilderness skills and so much more! Dove Creek Day Camp offers your child the experience of overnight camp without the hassle of packing for a full week. Multi-child and multi-week discounts are available for families. We can’t wait to see you this summer for all the fun we have planned! Visit GoGrapevine.com/DoveCreek for dates, times and complete details. Dove Creek—DFW’s all day adventure Day Camp!
The REC of Grapevine offers over 50 Summer Camps and has something for every kid to enjoy! Fast Forward Kids will offer writing camps and STEM activities using Legos. Youth Tech camps will offer a variety of camps for young technology lovers including game design, animation and robotics. There is something for every child’s interest including science camps, technology camps, sports camps, outdoor camps, music camps, dance camps and more! Spend the summer with us at The REC!
Open House at both camps on Saturday, March 21.
2430 Hwy. 39, Hunt TX 78024 830-238-4650 RagsdaleFamilyCamps.com
Come spend a day on the beautiful Guadalupe near Kerrville! Our camps are friendly, instruction-oriented and offer more than 50 activities, including sports, horseback and swimming. Also intangibles critical to a child’s success: self-confidence, teamwork, leadership, individual identity and working through challenges. Ragsdale family owned and operated. Stewart est. 1924 and Heart est. 1953. Campers ages 6–16, family style dining, home cooked meals. Friendly!
Want more camps? From sports and STEM to dance and art—we’ve got them all! Explore our not-so-secret weapon, the online directory, at dfwchild.com.
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18 F A M I L Y - F R I E N D L Y E V E N T S Y O U C A N ’ T M I S S I N
MARCH
FIRST FRIDAYS AT THE FARM: KITES
NASH FA RM March 6 Kite flying is a wholesome pastime that ought not be left in the past. Make your own paper kite by hand at the heritage workshop led by the knowledgeable docents of Grapevine’s Nash Farm and then test it outside when the wind blows at the right speed. Registration is required. $3 per person; free for age 2 and younger. 626 Ball St., Grapevine; nashfarm.org
BUMPER JACKSONS
MAR. 7 // CELEBRATE THE LONE STAR STATE’S UNIQUE CULTURE AT THE CITY OF CARROLLTON’S FIFTH ANNUAL TEXFEST, FEATURING MECHANICAL BULL RIDING, MUSIC AND MUCH MORE.
BOY RIDING BULL: CITY OF CARROLLTON; INSTRUMENT PETTING ZOO: LEWISVILLE LAKE SYMPHONY; MUD COURSE: COOL EVENTS
BUTTERFLIES IN THE GARDEN: CELEBRATE THE CHANGE
F ORT WORT H B OTA N IC G ARDE N Through April 12 Have you ever seen a butterfly with wings as transparent as actual glass? Come see glasswing butterflies, the much-loved blue morpho and more exotic butterflies from the Americas, Africa and Asia at the garden’s Rainforest Conservatory. Timed admission is $12 for adults, $8 for ages 6–15 and free for children 5 and younger. Garden/exhibit combo tickets are available. 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd., Fort Worth fwbg.org
DALLAS BLOOMS: SOUNDS OF SPRING
DA LL AS ARB ORETUM Through April 12 Topiaries clipped into the shapes of instruments—a harp, guitar, saxophone, bass, violin and piano—tower overhead as six pièces de résistance among half a million tulips and other
blooming flowers throughout the gardens. In keeping with the musical theme, you can enjoy live bands each weekend and a full activity lineup, including Kindermusik and a petting zoo on Mondays and Tuesdays. General admission is $15 for adults and $10 for kids ages 3–12; there is an additional $3 fee for the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. 8525 Garland Road, Dallas dallasarboretum.org/blooms
PETER & THE WOLF
H ER R ING R ECR EATION CENTER March 1 The clarinet mimics the voice of the cat, the bassoon the grandfather, etc., in this annual family concert and ballet that introduces kids to orchestral instruments and the sounds they make. Help spark your kids’ interest in music by attending the Lewisville Lake Symphony concert, featuring narration
by Fox 4 traffic reporter Chip Waggoner and an instrument petting zoo. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children and $25 for families. 191 Civic Circle, Lewisville lewisvillesymphony.org
SCALE TALES
SE A LIFE AQUA RIUM GR A PEVINE March 1–31 Ranger Rick unleashes the stories behind snakes, lizards and more reptiles living the wild life at the aquarium. Come learn what’s behind their harsh exteriors during a month of upclose animal encounters and educational shows held in the Conservation Theater, free with general admission. Online pricing from $17.99 for adults, $14.99 for children 3–12 years and free for 2 and younger. 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Grapevine visitsealife.com
IRVING A RT S CE NT E R March 7 You know the children’s clapping game “Miss Mary Mack”? You’ve never heard it like the rendition from the Bumper Jacksons, an internationally touring band with a signature bluegrassmeets-jazz-meets-swing sound. Come listen to songs like “God Bless the Child” and the mantra chant “Alrighty Then!” (a nod to the Ace Ventura comedies) from their new album Live at Wolf Trap when they perform at the center’s Carpenter Hall.
Tickets from $16.50. 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving irvingartscenter.com
TEXFEST
D OWNTOWN CA RROLLTON March 7 Show off your cowboy skills riding a mechanical bull, sitting atop a live longhorn and snapping photos in oldfashioned Western wear—all in the name of celebrating Texas Independence Day. The annual festival features free family activities until sunset and live music by headliners the Vandoliers. Lawn chairs welcome. FREE 1106 S. Broadway St., Carrollton cityofcarrollton.com/texfest
TERRAIN RACE
T E X AS MOTOR SPE E DWAY March 7 Trek through mud pits and more obstacles—including rope walls, cargo nets and monkey bars—on this 5K course. Children ages 7–13 are welcome to run the 5K with a parent or guardian, while 2- to 10-year-olds can join the Mini Monkey course, a
MAR. 7 // DON’T LET THE MUD—OR OTHER OBSTACLES—STOP YOU DURING THE 5K TERRAIN RACE AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.
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the agenda / M A R C H
WILD DAY: HOME SWEET HOME
C OPPEL L NAT URE PA R K March 12 From fox dens to bird nests to ant hills, animal homes come in all shapes, sizes and materials, depending on the species and their needs. Come discover the animal homes found throughout Coppell Nature Park by bringing your family’s most curious little ones for this Thursday afternoon program at the Biodiversity Education Center. Wild Days feature come-andgo learning stations geared toward families with kids 3–14 years. FREE 367 Freeport Parkway, Coppell coppelltx.gov/bec
TEXAS STORYTELLING FESTIVAL
M U LT IPL E LO C AT ION S March 12–15 Professional storytellers and children’s entertainers lead two days of kid-focused workshops and concerts during the Tejas Storytelling Association’s annual event in Denton. Come to Emily Fowler Library and the Woman’s Club Building next door for singing, puppet making and story swapping over slices of pizza. Festival admission from $10 for events at the Denton Civic Center;
free for all children’s events, ghost stories, story slams and more activities. 502 Oakland St., Denton tejasstorytelling.com/festival
DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!
IRV ING ART S CENTER March 12 Seems like sensible advice, right? This hilarious story from the Pigeon series by Mo Willems (and a Caldecott Honor book) comes to life in this new musical with actors, puppets and lots of feathers. What’s not to love? Shows at 9:30am and 11:30am. Tickets from $5. 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving irvingartscenter.com
ST. PADDY’S TEXAS STYLE
OLD TOW N LEW ISV ILLE March 14 To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day more authentically, don’t miss a show of Irish step dancing from the students of Inishfree School of Irish Dance. Their performance begins at noon, followed by more live entertainment and a variety of free family activities at Wayne Ferguson Plaza. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets to picnic on the lawn between playtime at the carnival games, bounce houses and face painting. FREE 150 W. Church St., Lewisville visitlewisville.com
JURASSIC GARDENS
GR APEV INE B OTANICAL GAR DENS March 21–April 5 Come face to face with the Brachiosaurus, T. rex and more life-size animatronic dinosaurs, and look up-close at genuine fossils at this temporary exhibit—which re-creates the prehistoric Woodbine Formation that
once existed in what is now North Texas. Dinos After Dark events on Friday and Saturday nights during the exhibit offer special family experiences. $10 per person; free for children 2 and younger. 411 Ball St., Grapevine gograpevine.com/ jurassicgardens
ROAD WARRIORS
Get behind the steering wheel at a truck rodeo, race to the finish line with Paw Patrol and drive gocarts down a multi-level racetrack at a brand new family attraction. ANDRETTI INDOOR KARTING & GAMES GRAND OPENING
LEGO TROLLS WORLD TOUR
LE G OL A ND DISC OVE RY CE NT E R March 28–April 26 In Trolls World Tour (hitting theaters April 17), Poppy and Branch return to the big screen to stop rockers Queen Barb and King Thrash from destroying all other genres of music. Go on tour-slash-music rescue mission with the Trolls when a new attraction based on the movie comes to the Legoland indoor playground. Online admission from $19.95; free for children 2 and younger. 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Grapevine legolanddiscoverycenter.com
ELM FORK LADYBUG RELEASE
E LM FORK NAT URE PRE SE RVE March 28 A master naturalist guides participants on an early evening hike through the nature preserve‘s trails, followed by a release of live ladybugs at twilight. Take part
G R A NDSCA PE March 3 Electric super carts on a multi-level track, virtual reality gaming that simulates driving on the world’s most famous tracks, a ropes course with a zip line—all of this and more is coming to the new attraction named for the Andretti racing family. Look online for height and age requirements per activity. Free general admission with pay-as-you-go per activity. Half off races on Turbo Tuesdays. 5752 Grandscape Blvd., Suite 100, The Colony andrettikarting.com/thecolony
PAW PATROL LIVE! RACE TO THE RESCUE
T HE T HE AT RE AT G R A ND PR A IRIE March 20–22 When Mayor Goodway goes missing, Ryder summons Marshall, Chase, Skye, Rubble, Rocky, Zuma and Everest to the rescue—while they also race to the finish line in the Great Adventure Bay Race. See the heroic pups from the animated preschool series on stage in this live musical as they discover lessons about citizenship, social skills and problemsolving. Tickets from $23. VIP tickets, from $140, include an after-show meet and greet with the characters and more. 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie pawpatrollive.com
TOUCH A TRUCK
C. H. C OLLINS AT HLET IC C OMPLE X March 28 Sit in the drivers’ seats, honk the horns and meet the drivers of dozens of vehicles used for construction, utility services and emergencies during the annual fundraiser for Explorium Denton Children’s Museum. Stay to watch a demonstration by electric company CoServ, paint a truck and enter raffle drawings for a chance to win a membership or birthday party at Explorium. Have a child with sensory sensitivities? Come during the quiet hour from 9–10am. $3 suggested donation per person for admission. 1500 Long Road, Denton exploriumdenton.org
in crafts and games that teach how our weather affects the insects and animals in the local environment. Closed-toe shoes and long pants are needed to participate. FREE 2335 Sandy Lake Road, Carrollton cityofcarrollton.com
road—and the ocean and the plains—for adventures to Motunui with Moana, the Pride Lands with Simba, a larger-than-life carnival with Woody and Forky, and many more destinations with your child’s favorite Disney characters. Some guests will be selected at random DISNEY ON ICE: to ride in the Magic Mobile ROAD TRIP vehicle during the show. ADVENTURES Tickets from $15. VIP Plan A ME RICA N experiences begin an A IRLINE S CE NT E R Ahead hour before showtime. April 2–5 2500 Victory Ave., Dallas DICKIE S A RE NA 1911 Montgomery St., April 8–12 Fort Worth Calling all Disney fans! Mickey disneyonice.com/ Mouse and pals hit the road-trip-adventures
MAR. 28 // THE LAUGHS ARE PLENTIFUL IN THE STAGE PRODUCTION OF DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!, PERFORMED AT THE IRVING ARTS CENTER.
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F O R M O R E F A M I LY- F R I E N D LY F U N T H I S M O N T H , C H E C K O U R O N L I N E C A L E N D A R A T DFWCHILD.COM/CALENDAR. A N D W H I L E Y O U ’ R E T H E R E , S I G N U P F O R O U R W E E K LY E - N E W S L E T T E R : THE WEEKEND GUIDE.
DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!: JEREMY DANIEL; JURASSIC GARDENS: GRAPEVINE PARKS & RECREATION; GO-CART: ANDRETTI INDOOR KARTING & GAMES; PAW PATROL: VSTAR ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
half-mile, scaled-down version of the adult course. Parents may follow Mini Monkeys at no charge. Registration will be available with posted start times when you arrive at the venue on race day. Once you’ve earned your virtual reality medal, rinse off the mud with an outdoor shower and stay for the post-run party. Registration up to $40. 3545 Lone Star Circle, Fort Worth terrainrace.com
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confessions
MOM TRUTHS ILLUSTRATION MARY DUNN
I EXPLAINED NEGATIVE NUMBERS TO MY KINDERGARTNER. HE LOOKED AT ME LIKE I WAS CRAZY AND CRIED, ‘THAT’S NONSENSE!’ THIS IS THE SAME CHILD WHO TOLD ME THE BOOK HE WAS ASSIGNED TO READ WAS ‘NOT VERY SENSIBLE.’” —ALEXIS, BEDFORD
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CO M P I L E D BY E M I LY Y E A R W O O D
My husband was getting ready to take my son out to play soccer since he has new shin guards. I stopped them on their way out the door because something didn’t look right. Spoiler alert: They weren’t shin guards … they were Nike slippers!” —NICOLE, LITTLE ELM
“I’m trying to train my stubborn toddler to use the potty. He’s not into it and refuses to learn. I decided to show him how to use the potty by showing him myself. Instead of him taking it in, he says, ‘Yay! Mommy uses the potty. Good job, Mommy!’ and runs out of the bathroom.” —LATARI, DALLAS
Got a funny parenting moment you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you. Send it to editorial@dfwchild.com.
“My son has been doing boxing. Since it’s so hard to connect with teenagers, I joined boxing as well. Now not only can I kick butt, we have had so many great conversations and laughs over our shared hobby.” —DANIELLE, FORT WORTH
ONE DAY I WORE ALL BLACK TO WORK. I TURNED TO MY 8-YEAROLD DAUGHTER AND ASKED HER IF I LOOKED SKINNY. SHE REPLIED, ‘YEAH, IN THE DARK!’” —ROSHUN, MCKINNEY
I was explaining to my son that his father and I are always on the same team and don’t fight. He quickly reminded me that I yell at Dad a lot because he ‘farts in the car.’ Then he says, ‘That’s not fair, Mom. Everyone farts! Why can’t we all just let it out when we need to? Unless we’re at the dinner table—then I know we need to hold it in.’” —ANGELA, IRVING