This is a new article I wrote for Technorati.com: I loathe the show American Idol – mainly because of the cattle call auditions where the program travels from city-to-city in search of contestants. Conversely, millions of viewers love those auditions because the majority of the wannabe performers are so pitifully pitch deaf that they’re akin to an auditory car crash. People can’t turn away from a car crash – they have to ogle it. In the case of Idol’s auditions, the … [Read more...]
April 12, 2012 By 5 Comments
Why Loving Your Kids Is NOT Enough…
Today I've got an article featured on the Lifestyle: Family section of Technorati. I'm thrilled to be a contributor for them after being rejected by them in the past! Here's an excerpt from my piece Loving Your Kids is Not Enough: … [Read more...]
April 11, 2012 By 5 Comments
Our Pregnancy Update – Week 30
The arrival of our new baby boy is approximately 10 weeks away and we’re thrilled as the due date draws near. Our son continues to grow and seems to have some sort of 24/7 dance party going on in my wife's uterus because he is constantly moving! Perhaps he's piping in dance tracks from some international-techno- rave party DJ such as Armin van Burren or Teisto! Regardless, he'd give that creepy dancing baby from Ally McBeal a run for the money. Here’s the latest developmental … [Read more...]
April 9, 2012 By 8 Comments
Clownish Celebrity Parenting
Last week, actress and ultra-all-natural mom Alicia Silverstone (who ironically starred in the movie Clueless) posted a home video on YouTube. In the clip she proceeded to feed her son - named Bear - by first chewing the food herself - and then feeding him mouth-to-mouth. Perhaps she might want to consider renaming Baby Bear something more appropriate, to something like...oh, I don't know...perhaps Baby Bird - since she's modeling the aviary regurgitation practice. Here's the … [Read more...]
April 6, 2012 By 12 Comments
Our Words Can Rise or Ruin….
Parents often remind kids that, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." That's a great little saying because it rhymes and comes off as conveying profundity - but it's a lie. Name calling and hurtful words can do considerable damage. While words may not actually break a bone, they most certainly can crush a heart, end a relationship or start a war. Words have world-changing power. Unfortunately, people take the power and impact of their words for … [Read more...]
March 27, 2012 By 18 Comments
10 Worst Celebrity Baby Names
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." ~William Shakespeare "Thanks for that Willie, but you're wrong - names matter." ~Tor Constantino Despite what The Bard says, names matter. My birth name is Salvatore and as a kid growing up I was picked on a lot because my parents nicknamed me "Tory." During the 1970s and 80s that kind of name was different, ergo it was an easy target for bullies and mockery. Based on my firsthand experience, I think … [Read more...]
March 22, 2012 By 10 Comments
Our Pregnancy Update – Week 27
The arrival of our new baby boy is less than 13 weeks away and we're thrilled as the due day of June 19th draws closer. Junior has been so active of late that his intra-uteral gymnastics have woken my wife up in the middle of the night. We expect to see full-fledged "Alien" abdominal movements within the next week - how cool is that! We've cleared our the guest room and have set up the crib - it's one of those heavy, oak jobs where you lower the mattress as the baby grows and converts … [Read more...]
March 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment
5 Toughest Lessons Every Parent Must Learn
This year I'm trying to extend the reach of my writing into a variety of new online and offline publications and outlets. Today, I have an article featured on the Parenting Section of Suite101. This is kind of a big deal for me, because two years ago Suite101 rejected my application to submit articles to its site stating that my submissions were too personal. I applaud those writers who have their content readily accepted by the editors at sites such as Suite101 because they summarily … [Read more...]
March 8, 2012 By 12 Comments
Our Pregnancy Update – Week 25
Every week is another step closer toward our estimated delivery date of June 19th for Junior Constantino - who's been baking nicely at a toasty 98.6° within the innards of my wife for the past 25 weeks. Our pending baby boy has been very active during the past week, both our girls have been able to distinguish his kicks and fist bumps on a consistent basis. Last weekend, the family made our first visit to a baby store - all I can say is that I'm amazed at how much has changed since our … [Read more...]
