Christmas is just around the corner and, in my mind, I’m drawing up Christmas lists. I found the perfect gift for at least one person on the list.
Real Boys, Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood by William Pollack, PhD, is a book that anyone who lives or works with boys and men should read, according to Gail Sheehy. I wish I had read it years ago. It tells you what you already know and is a common sense approach to raising boys.
In a previous article I recommended Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher, which talks about growing up as a female through adolescence and young adulthood. Real Boys by Pollack, a Harvard University faculty member, writes about what boys are like, how to help them and what happens if you don’t. He says there is enormous cultural confusion about how to raise our sons.
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Pollack talks about the boy code and how we push boys away. Pollack says our outdated gender models, rules and assumptions are making boys sick. He describes how boys get mixed messages, “to be manly but empathetic, cool but open, strong yet vulnerable.” They misunderstand and are misunderstood. They are bombarded by tough and macho images rather than the influence of real, kind men.
Pollack sees relationships with parents as the most important factor for boys. The dilemma for parents is “how can we give the boy the love he needs and still prepare him for tough male culture?”
Pollack’s bottom line advice is “stay connected, no matter what.”
Real Boys is an Owl Book, first published by Random House Inc., New York, 1998.
A hot cookbook
Another Christmas idea is a new cookbook that will satisfy the taste buds of a culinary artist. Peppers Peppers Peppers by Marlena Spieler is available from Firefly Books Ltd. at $19.95, Willowdale, Ont., 416-499-8412 or fax: 416-499-8313.
Spieler says although peppers have been a mainstay in the Americas for more than 7,000 years, they were only introduced to Europe 500 years ago, when Christopher Columbus brought samples back from his first trip to the New World. The pepper soon transformed the cuisine of Europe, and eventually spread to the rest of the world.
Peppers Peppers Peppers includes easy to prepare recipes using different types of peppers from all over the world.
Recipes include spiciness ratings. Soups, appetizers, salads, poultry, meat, fish, sandwiches, pastries and accompaniments are included in this book with full-color photos throughout. The author lists every variety of sweet and chili peppers, a map showing where chilies are grown and mail order sources of exotic pepper varieties. She provides information about growing, storing, drying, roasting and preserving peppers, handling and cooking hot peppers, buying and preparing bottled, pickled and powdered peppers, and describes what to drink with peppery dishes.
“If your mouth is on fire, whatever you do, don’t reach for the water; it only spreads the capsaicin (the heat-producing component of the chili) throughout your mouth. Milk or dairy products are cooling. Beer is cooling, rinses the volatile oils away, and also includes alcohol, which helps to dissolve the irritating oils as well as deaden the pain. Vodka, tequila and other neutral spirits are equally effective.”
Christmas shopping ideas
For those Christmas shoppers who plan to buy toys for little ones, the following products have been tested and found to be excellent in their category by the Canadian Toy Testing Council. The council assesses toys on the basis of design, function, durability and, most importantly, play value. Children test toys in their homes for six to 12 weeks. For more information, call the Canadian Toy Testing Council, 613-729-7101 or try the website at www.toy-testing/org.
The council gave an award of excellence to Lego for its Duplo line of superior products. Other recommendations for young children are:
- Dog Dice, Gamewright, three to five years.
- I Dig The Past: Dig and grow ancient pet triops, Earth Lore, six+ years.
- * I Spy Spooky Mansion,
- I Spy Spooky Mansion, Scholastic, five+ years.
* Lego Star Wars series, Lego,
- Lego Star Wars series, Lego, five+ years.
- Les Bebes-Nourrisson Love White, Corolle, 3+ years.
- My Life According to Me, (ISBN: 1 57054 354 2), Klutz, eight+ years.
* Noris Club thick triangular
- Noris Club thick triangular colored pencils, Staedtler-Mars, three + years.
- Noris Club washable markers with dry safe ink, Staedtler-Mars, four+ years.
- Play-Doh Seaside Playworld, Hasbro, three+ years.
- Radio Go Race Car, Little Tikes company, three+ years.
* Rat a Tat Cat, Gamewright,
- Rat a Tat Cat, Gamewright, six+ years.
- Small Miracles Dress up Clothes, Learning Curve Toys, three to six years.
- Tendre Calin, Corolle, one+ years.
- Toy replacement parts
When I was reading through the November 1998 issue of Consumer Reports, I discovered that although it’s not well known, you can often get replacement game and toy parts directly from the manufacturer – sometimes free although shipping and handling may be extra.
For example, Lego and Erector will replace, at no charge, building instructions and missing pieces from models you own. Hasbro will replace up to 10 Scrabble tiles, free. Bandai, which makes Power Rangers and other action figures, gives away replacement laser guns, swords, and decals.
For $2 you may get a missing fleet from Battleship or new Monopoly money. Barbie’s shoes cost 50 cents, and Mr. Potatohead pieces (without the potato) are $4.
Consumer Reports suggests asking for the piece you need, free, from the manufacturer. Here are some companies’ phone numbers.
Bandai, 714-816-9561.
Crayola, 800-272-9652.
Erector, 800-268-1733.
Fisher-Price, 800-432-5437.
Galoob, 800-442-5662, www.galoob.com.
Hasbro, Kenner, Tonka, 800-327-8264, www.hasbro.com.
Lego, 800-233-8756.
Little Tikes, 800-321-0183, www.littletikes.com.
Mattel, Tyco, 800-524-8697.
Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, 888-836-7025.
Playskool, 800-752-9755.
Considering a cell phone?
Readers have indicated interest in information about buying cell phones and portable phones. According to Consumer Reports, people indicate that about 50 percent of the reason they buy cell phones is for safety or emergencies. One can buy a cell phone for as little as $50. For another $30, you can buy a 75-minute phone card which is good for one year. If you keep your phone charged up, only using it for emergencies, it serves the purpose intended for little cost. For those who use the cell phone on a regular basis, a monthly plan may work better.
In 1993, news stories alluded to a link between cell phone use and brain cancer. There is no still no convincing evidence but you may want to use a phone equipped with a plug-in headset which allows you to talk while holding the signal-sending antenna in your hand, away from your head.
A 1997 University of Toronto study found people who talk on the phone while driving, even with a hands-free phone, are four times more likely to be involved in an accident. A cell phone can be a hazardous distraction. Pulling off the road to make or receive a call is recommended.
Cordless portable phones
Cordless phones, another popular Christmas idea, were evaluated in the September 1999 Consumer Reports magazine. Even though cordless phones are getting better, the job of choosing one isn’t any simpler.
All 49 MHz phones use analog technology. A 900 MHz phone may use analog, conventional digital, or digital spread spectrum which is soon likely to be the standard type.
Digital phones cost more, enhance security, increase range to about 700 metres and reduce interference when you approach their maximum range compared to analog phones. However, the Uniden EXP7900 in Canada is an analog phone and is a Consumer Reports Best Buy at $85 (no answering machine).
For a phone with an answer, September 1999 Consumer Reports rated The Radio Shack TAD-1029, $150, as a good phone and answerer with a 16-hour battery life. It also lets you assign a separate voice “mailbox” to as many as three family members.
Decide what features are important for your use when you make your choice and consider buying a phone from a store with a return policy.
