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ART START AT THE LAKE MANSION: Art, creative movement/music and imaginative play in one hour of creative and active fun for children 3-5 years old accompanied by an adult. Th, 11am-noon through 10/8. Opens 9/17. $40 for one child and adult; $15 each additional child. Lake Mansion, 250 Court St., (775) 826-6100 ext. 3, www.artsforallnevada.org.
ARTE EN ESPANOL AT THE LAKE MANSION: Children ages 3-6 will learn Spanish through play, music, games and art. Reinforcement of Spanish vocabulary will be taught and practiced daily. Supplies included in the cost. Th, 10-11am through 10/8. Opens 9/17. $40. Lake Mansion, 250 Court St., (775) 826-6100 ext. 3, www.artsforallnevada.org.
BABY FAIR & DIAPER DERBY: This event offers education, information, free flu shots for children over age 7, raffles, prizes and a diaper derby. Sa, 9/19, 10am4pm. Free. Grand Sierra Resort, 2500 E. Second St., (775) 789-2000, www.bit.ly/ DiaperDerby2015.
BARNES & NOBLE STORYTIMES: Staff members and guest readers tell stories to children. Sa, 10am. Free. Barnes & Noble, 5555 S. Virginia St., (775) 826-8882.
Nappily Ever After I just moved in with my fiance, whose 5-year-old daughter stays with us part of the week. On the evenings she’s at the house, my fiance just goes to sleep, leaving me to entertain her. She likes to play endless games like “Guess how many fingers I’m holding up!” Well, I work a full-time job, and I’m exhausted in the evenings. He and I got into a big fight because I said he can’t just clock out like this. He told me that I need to “set boundaries” with her. Is this really my job? I’m not her mother, and I’m not even officially her stepmother yet. So what did he do before you moved in, just chain her to the radiator while he took a snooze? When I was growing up, I’d have to play with toys by myself or go out and poke a worm with a stick. These days, parents go way over the top in how involved they think they should be in playtime, and kids exploit this, extorting constant adult attention. Developmental psychologist Peter Gray explains that play evolved to be the “primary means” for children to learn to solve their own problems, overcome their fears, and take control of their lives, and this parents-as-playmates thing may stunt kids’ self-reliance. Gray, like anthropologist David Lancy, points out that parents being all up in kids’ playtime business is a very recent development. Throughout human history, parents have been too busy doing the little things—you know, like trying to keep the family from starving to death—to read the hieroglyphic version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar to their kid 500 times in a row. It isn’t fair for your fiance to clock out and make you Youth Activities Director. (I’m guessing your Match.com profile didn’t have you listed as BirthdayClown777.) It’s also important that you develop a nice warm relationship with this little girl before you start going all Department of Corrections on her. Connection first, discipline second is the order in which the most successful stepparent-stepchild relationships are formed, explains stepfamily researcher Kay Pasley. Of course, it is essential to set boundaries with willful, ill-behaved brats, including those who are, oh, 45. (Fatherhood is a journey, but not just from the living room to the bed.) As for how much of a role you’ll take in stepmommying, deciding that is part of deciding how your marriage will play out day to day, and that takes discussion: what you’re each comfortable with, what you need, and what seems fair. Once you
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FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Come into the library, find a table, grab a game and have some
fun. Second and Fourth W of every month, 4:30-6:30pm. Free. Northwest Reno Library,
and he figure everything out, you and your stepdaughter can play many fun games—starting with one of my favorites from Camp Tamakwa: “Let’s draw a pee-pee on your sleeping dad’s face with permanent marker!”
Grisly Bare I’m a 32-year-old woman, and I’m dating this guy, but I’m very insecure about my body. The other morning, I needed to go to the bathroom, but I didn’t want to walk naked out of the bedroom. I told him I felt self-conscious about being naked. He didn’t offer me a robe or a shirt or anything, and I found that kind of insensitive. They’ll hand you a paper gown at the doctor’s office, but that’s because you’re probably speaking to the intake nurse for the first or second time; you didn’t stay up till 4 a.m. riding her like a pony. This guy’s lack of “sensitivity” to your naked plight may also come out of how men generally don’t have quite so much insecurity about their appearance—and for good reason. Though a woman will go for a hunkbucket if she can get one, women evolved to prioritize men’s status and power over looks. (Think Henry Kissinger, Sarkozy, Shrek.) Men’s attraction to women, however, is largely visually driven. Women get this, so a woman can feel anxious when her tummy-wrangling garment is dangling from the ceiling fan and fret that her breasts, unbra’d, no longer stand up like two missiles about to be launched. But, as in this situation, when a guy keeps calling and coming back for more, chances are he’s feeling appreciative of what you have and not worried that seeing it naked will have him hurling in the nightstand drawer. Consider that a big part of sex appeal is confidence. Strutting around like you’re hot is a big step toward feeling that way. Try something for two weeks: Forget how insecure you feel naked and act as secure as you’d like to feel—tempting as it is to grab a pillow and back out of the bedroom like a cop when he knows the felons in the warehouse have him outnumbered. Ω
Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., No. 280, Santa Monica,CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com).
2325 Robb Drive, (775) 787-4100.
GALENA TODDLERS: Galena Creek Visitor Center offers this fun, educational presentation and craft session for children ages 2-5 every third Thursday of the month. Third Th of every month, 10-11am. $5 suggested donation. Galena Creek Visitor Center, 18250 Mt. Rose Highway, (775) 8494948, www.galenacreekvisitorcenter.org.
GALENA TODDLERS: This nature education program for toddlers includes a presentation, craft and a walk through the forest with a Visitor Center educator. Third Th of every month, 10-11am. $5 suggested donation. Galena Creek Visitor Center, 18250 Mt. Rose Highway, (775) 849-4948, www. galena creekvisitorcenter.org.
PAINT YOUR PET: Learn a step-by-step instruction using collage techniques in a fun, social setting. Please bring a couple of photos of your pet and beverage and snacks. This class takes place in the Garden Pavilion. F, 9/18, 5:30-7:30pm. $30. Lake Mansion, 250 Court St., (775) 826-6100 ext. 3, www.artsforallnevada.org.
PAINTING AT THE LAKE MANSION: Students ages 10-14 will explore multiple painting techniques through different paint mediums, such as watercolor and acrylics. Supplies are included in the cost. Th, 5:30-7pm through 10/22. Opens 9/17. $75. Lake Mansion, 250 Court St., (775) 826-6100 ext. 3, www. artsforallnevada.org.
PRESCHOOL MUSIC AND MOVEMENT CLASS: This class will expose preschool-aged children to the joy of moving and grooving. Children will sing, play instruments and learn a variety of fun dance moves. M, 10:30-11:15am through 11/2. $60 for six-week session. McKinley Arts & Culture Center, 925 Riverside Drive, (775) 324-5521, www. note-ables.org.
RANCHING AT RANCHO: A fun, free ranchingthemed open house in the main barn area. Each week features a new theme from goats to tractors and everything else in between. Kids can visit with resident chickens and turkeys, cool off inside the Discovery Room or enjoy pony rides for $5. Themed Ranching at Rancho activities will only be offered on Saturdays, but you can ride the ponies on Friday, Saturday or Sunday between 10am-1pm each week. M-Su, 10am-1pm through 11/21. Free admission; $5 for pony rides. Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, 1595 N. Sierra St., (775) 7854512, www.washoecounty.us.
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP) OUTREACH CLINICH: The Food Bank of Northern Nevada hosts SNAP outreach clinics to assist low-income families and individuals in applying for SNAP benefits. First come, first served. Th, 10am-
noon. Free. Downtown Reno Library, 301 S. Center St., (775) 327-8312.
Art ART INDEED! SIERRA MEMORIAL ART SPACE: Luscious Abstracts and Plus 2, The abstract art gallery is open for the Reno Wine Walk on Sept. 19 and for the Artists’ Open House on Sept. 20. Gallery hours are 1:30-6pm on Monday, 3:30-7pm Tuesday through Thursday, or by appointment. Sa, 9/19, 2-5pm; Su, 9/20, 2-5pm. Free. 142 Bell St., (775) 846-8367.
FRONT DOOR GALLERY, CHURCH FINE ARTS BUILDING, UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO: Pinhole Project: Photos from the Playa, Pinhole Project photographers document the people, art and events at Burning Man each year, while they teach others to explore their creativity through this 100-year-old technique of pinhole photography. M-F through 10/1. Free. 1664 N. Virginia St., (775) 784-6658.
SPARKS HERITAGE MUSEUM: Objects of Art and Utility Reception, Enjoy food and refreshments while browsing the exhibit, taking part in live woodworking demonstrations, and learning about the Nevada Woodchucks, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to teaching the skills of woodworking in the northern Nevada area. F, 9/18, 5:30-7:30pm. Free. Contact Kelly Reis (775) 355-1144, 814 Victorian Ave., Sparks, (775) 355-1144, www. sparksmuseum.org.
STREMMEL GALLERY: Ewoud de Groot, Stremmel Gallery presents an exhibition of recent paintings by Dutch artist Ewoud de Groot. M-Sa through 10/3. Free. 1400 S. Virginia St.; (775) 786-0558; www.stremmelgallery.com.
Museums NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM (THE HARRAH COLLECTION): SpaceMobiles: From Rockets and Rovers to Cars on Mars, This exhibit takes a look at America’s fascination with exploring new frontiers and the machines that make it possible. M-Su through 4/11. $4-$10, free for members and children age 5 and younger. www.automuseum.org/ exhibits for details on this exhibit. 10 S. Lake St., (775) 333-9300.
NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART: Tahoe: A Visual
History, W-Su through 1/10. $1-$10.Tahoe: A Visual History, Experience Lake Tahoe landscapes through the eyes of 175 painters, photographers, architects, weavers and sculptors. The Nevada Museum of Art has organized the first major art historical survey exhibition of painting, Native baskets, photography, architecture and contemporary art dedicated to Lake Tahoe, Donner Pass and the surrounding Sierra Nevada region. TAHOE: A Visual History spans over two centuries of cultural and creative production related to the second largest freshwater alpine lake in the United States. W-Su through 1/10. 160 W. Liberty St., (775) 329-3333, www.nevadaart.org.
Film BALLAD OF JOE HILL: The film opens with Joe Hill’s arrival in New York in 1902, details his move to the West Coast and his involvement with the Industrial Workers of the World, and ends with his controversial trial for murder and subsequent execution. M, 9/21, 7:30pm. Free. Studio on 4th, 432 E. Fourth St., (775) 737-9776, http:// studioon4th.com.
BANFF MOUNTAIN RADICAL REELS TOUR: The tour features the best action sports films from the annual Banff Mountain Film Festival. This event is sponsored by REI and benefit Snowlands Network. Su, 9/20, 7pm. $20. Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, 3800 S. Virginia St., (775) 825-4700, www.snowlands. org/events/radicalreels.html.
MOONLIGHT MOVIE SERIES: Brasserie St. James’ summer movie series takes place every Thursday on the Rooftop Patio. Dress in character to receive drink specials. Enjoy live entertainment following the
