Hey there Readers! Just got back from the annual big family vacation with The Girl’s family. This one was a doozy, mine and the Hellions first trip south of the border to spend six days sightseeing and swimming on the Riviera Maya. We had a lovely time on the beach and in the pool, as well as guided tours of the coastal Mayan town of Tulum and the major Mayan city of Chichen Itza and its iconic pyramid. We also visited three cenotes, the limestone sinkholes that dot the Yucatan and provided the Mayans with their only fresh water. It was a wonderful experience. Not a cheap one, it’s hard to forget your privilege visiting a poorer part of the world. But it’s tourism that helps pay for conservation and preservation, so if you go spend generously and tread lightly and you’ll have a great time.
Now on to the links!
It’s ok to swear in front of your kids says science. Way the fuck ahead of you science.
Candyland, a game new parents learn to love to hate, has a heartwarming origin story. It was crafted by schoolteacher Eleanor Abbott for kids confined to polio wards in the 40’s and 50’s.
A colorful chocolate-and-candy landscape seems like the game’s main attraction, but Candy Land’s play revolves around movement. In theme and execution, the game functions as a mobility fantasy. It simulates a leisurely stroll instead of the studied rigor of therapeutic exercise. And unlike the challenges of physical therapy, movement in Candy Land is so effortless, it’s literally all one can do. Every card drawn either compels you forward or whisks you some distance across the board. Each turn promises either the pleasure of unencumbered travel or the thrill of unexpected flight. The game counters the culture of restriction imposed by both the polio scare and the disease itself. The joy of movement, especially for polio patients, seems to have been integral to Abbott’s design philosophy from the start. The original board even depicts the tentative steps of a boy in a leg brace.
Speaking of vaccines, doctors have Seven Myths about the HPV Vaccine they want to see busted.
Ever wondered what you would do if the little ones walked in on you whilst en flagrante delicto? Melissa Carnagey, a sex educator, social worker, and the founder of Sex Positive Families is here to help!
And while we are on the subject of sex, High school football coach and internet pastor ‘Coach’ Dave Daubenmire would like you to know that Celebrating Palm Sunday is TOTALLY GAY!
You’ve just got to say no to it, as hard as it is. If you’re very honest about it, masturbation is homosexuality.
“You’re having sex with a man. You’re putting images of a woman in your mind, but you’re having sex with a man.
“It’s where the Devil will take us if we give him free range in our minds.”
Just to show not all sports folks are like Coach Nevermadeawomanorgasm up there, let’s end on two great sports stories. First, 13 time all-star and the Miami Heat’s all time leader in points, assists and steals Dwayne Wade says “Supporting my son at Pride is my Job as a father.”
“I’m doing what every parent has to do. Once you bring kids into this world, you become unselfish. It’s my job to be their role model, to be their voice in my kids’ lives, to let them know you can conquer the world.
“So, go and be your amazing self and we’re going to sit back and just love you.”
And this picture of 21 month old Jospeh Tidd and Orlando Pride defender Carson Pickett’s fist bump melted hearts across the internet.
And finally… here’s a bedtime story the whole galaxy can appreciate
