Strollerderby : Lost

Best of FameCrawler - Week of May 8th

Whit Honea — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Julia Roberts Shows Her Bikini Bod & Tattoo In Honor Of Her Kids (PHOTOS)

Jon & Kate - Jon Is Cheating -It's Been Confirmed - Photos

Elizabeth Edwards Has "No Idea" If John's The Baby Daddy

Jon Gosselin Tells EW Exclusively "I Did NOT Cheat!"

I'm Following You, Nicole Richie

Pregnant Heidi Klum Naked on Ellen - Video

Mary Stuart Masterson Has Reason to Smile!

'Idol' Winner David Cook Announces his Brother's Passing at 5K Race (VIDEO)

Matthew Fox Prepares to get UnLost with Family

Jenny McCarthy To Get Her Own Talk Show?

Ed Burns and Christy Turlington Are Not Selfish

Kate Gosselin To Address Rumors About Jon?

Getting Lost: Funny Story or Major Tragedy?

Kate Tuttle — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:31:00 GMT

Have you ever lost your child -- in the park, the mall, or even your backyard? Or were you ever lost as a child -- or rather, did you wander away happily, only to find later that your parents were searching high and low? Are today's parents more easily freaked out by lost kids (due to hyped up fears of stranger danger and so forth), or is the misplaced child one of those universal and timeless parental fears? And are today's kids less well prepared for what to do when they get lost, less well prepared for taking care of themselves in general than when we were kids?

Two recent mom-bloggers have explored this topic, inspired at least in part by the news story from a few days back of the five-year-old who ended up riding the subway alone in New York. As Lisa Belkin says in her New York Times Motherlode blog, it's useful to focus on what didn't happen: "The child was not kidnapped, or crushed by a train, or gone forever." Belkin then touts the work of Lenore Skenazy, author of Free Range Kids: Giving Our Kids The Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry. On Skenazy's blog, she invited readers to share their stories of losing kids in public places, and ends by reminding us that "even one of parenting’s biggest fears - being separated in a public place from your child - usually ends up with a big sigh of relief. And, when possible, ice cream." Both posts are followed by dozens of great stories (hilarious and harrowing in equal measure), many of which include fantastic advice. Boiling it down here:

Parents should establish basic rules about what they want their kids to do if separated from them, and TELL THEIR KIDS.
While there's no one right method, some popular ones are: child should go to a cash register and wait there/ask for help, child should go to a mother with kids and ask for help, child should go to a person in uniform (mall cop, cop) and ask for help.
On public transportation, the subway rule rules:
a. If you are on the train, and the grown-up(s) are NOT on the train, get off at the next stop and wait. The grown-ups will come to you.

b. If you are off the train, and the grown-ups are ON the train, stand still and wait. DO NOT GET ON THE NEXT TRAIN. The grown-ups will come to you.

c. If you’re just lost, in general, stand still and wait. The grown-ups will come to you.

d. If you’re exceedingly lost and grown-ups haven’t shown up, it’s okay to ask a store employee or a cop or another grown-up to call security to have us paged. (children should learn their parents' cellphone numbers as young as possible) Do not hold anybody’s hand or go wandering off - there’s a good chance we’ll still show up exactly where you are.
For the very very rare times in which your child might actually be in danger, it's a good idea to have a recent photo of your child -- one parent points out that with today's cellphones, if you take a picture of your child that day, in that day's clothes, before you set off for the mall or the zoo, it could be helpful later.

So how about you, Babble readers? Have you lost a kid yet? Or do you remember being lost yourself as a child? What are your worst fears and best tips? For me, I worry far less about abduction by a stranger -- statistically the chances are nearly nil -- but a lost child can be in danger from more common threats (cars, drowning, exposure). So I think it's a great idea to have a set of family rules, covering both how not to get lost (stick with me, make sure you can see me, come when I call you) and what to do if you are.

photo: Weegee, "Lost Children," 1941

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Awww ... The Babies of TV's 'Lost'

Jen Chaney — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:02:00 GMT

Whether you're a casual viewer of ABC's "Lost" or, like me, completey and utterly obsessed, you probably know that children play a key role in the drama's multiple storylines.

With that in mind, the smarties over at New York Magazine's Web site put together a photo-gallery tribute to the babies on TV's most blogged-about show. Even if you gave up on the series after Boone died way back in season one, the gallery is worth a look because these little ones really are cute.

My vote for the cutest? Man, it's a tough call, but I have to go with Ji-Yeon, whose tiny mouth looks like a sweet, perfectly tied little bow. But what do you think? Does Aaron or Lil' Walt out-cute her? Cast your vote with a comment. Oh, and while you're at it, feel free to offer your theory on what the smoke monster is. Inquiring minds, both young and old, want to know.

Image: ABC via nymag.com

Black Market for Blankies

Kelly Mills — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:32:00 GMT

According to the Washington Post, there's a whole slew of sellers on ebay who are buying up seemingly "'eh, what's the deal" blankets, stuffed animals, and other toys. Why? Because the items have been discontinued by manufacturers, and sellers are hoping to capitalize on the desparation of one group in particular.

The "lost lovie" parents. You know, folks whose kids are attached to a binkie, snuggle, woobie, num-num, lovie, blankie, wootsie cueball whatsit. Whatever. Sellers are counting on parents paying top dollar when their child's most precious security possession goes missing. For example, one Carter's blanket had a "buy it now" option of $54.88 and a message telling people not to ask why the price was so high, because this item could only be found on eBay.

I'm simultaneously creeped out by the idea of capitalizing on a kid's attachment to an almost irreplaceable item, and impressed by the ingenuity of people who get exactly how far parents will go to keep their kids from a lost-blankie freakout. I know my family once drove five hours back to a hotel during a packed vacation to retrieve my sister's most beloved stuffed otter.

So how far would you go or have you gone to keep your kid snuggie-satisfied? Would you pay top dollar to ebay vultures/entrepreneurs?

Teddy Bear Rescue Goes Horribly Wrong

Georgia Family Has Everything They Own Up on eBay

Want Your Baby to Star on 'Lost'?

Jen Chaney — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:02:00 GMT

Technically, it could happen. Julie Carlson, the extras casting director for the hit ABC series, is seeking a new set of infants to play the role of Aaron, son of Claire and son of future Kate, on the fifth season of "Lost." (If you watch the show, you understand how the kid can have two moms. If you don't, well, spend some time at Lostpedia after you finish reading this blog post.)

Carlson is looking for babies who weigh between 10 and 17 pounds and have blond hair and either blue or green eyes. If you think your kid fits the bill, you can send a photo and phone number to: Julie Carlson, "Lost" cast, 510 18th Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816. One important catch: Since the show is shot in Hawaii, it would probably help if you live there, unless you are willing to relocate at a moment's notice. (Um, if it got me closer to Josh Holloway, yeah, I'd consider it.) They begin filming the season later this month.

By the way, even though Aaron is a boy, female infants have definitely been cast in the role. In fact, over the weekend, all 16 of the babies that played Aaron last season had a little reunion in Honolulu. Thirteen of those kids were girls.

"Females tend to have the rounder face and they don't age as quickly," Carlson told the Honolulu Advertiser. "Plus, the boys squirm more."

I always knew that Aaron kid looked different in each episode. Now I know why. If someone would just explain what happened to the island during last season's finale, I'd feel even better.

Photo Rebecca Breyer/Honolulu Advertiser