Picket Fence Post

Item #1: Amy Poehler’s Parenting Tips

Amy Poehler claimed a special place in my heart last fall when, while precariously close to the due date for her first child, she ferociously performed the infamous, wickedly funny ”Palin Rap” on Saturday Night Live. Now, soon after having given birth to her son, she’s back on the air with her new NBC sitcom, Parks & Recreation, to which I’m going to give some latitude because I think it’ll develop into something good. (At least that’s what I’m hoping. Got fingers crossed.)

Meanwhile the folks over at the Daily Beast  landed an interview with the new funny mom and asked her for favorite pieces of parenting advice. Among them:

– Always remember your kid’s name.

– Always remember where you put your kid.

– Don’t let your kid drive until their feet can reach the pedals.

That’s the kind of parenting advice I can really appreciate.

Item #2: Lost’s Bad Dads

If you’re a fan of the deliciously densely written, symbol-laden show Lost – I’m an addict, I admit it — you couldn’t help but notice that this week’s installment only advanced the argument that almost every character who goes to (or crashes on) that mysterious island has some sort of serious father issue with which to contend/overcome/make peace with, etc. (Wrote about it briefly on my Suburban Mom blog.)

There’ve been dads on this show who’ve ranged from physically and verbally abusive to outright homicidal toward their offspring, who’ve killed their children’s mothers, who’ve been dangerous alcoholics (including one who wielded a surgeon’s scalpel in the operating room while under the influence), who’ve abandoned their families and who’ve been emotionally absent. Now that their children have grown up to be damaged adults, they find themselves on this creepy, haunted island. (The web site Jezebel did a fine job of analyzing the multitude of Lost’s “daddy issues.”)

So, a word of warning to dads: Better be good to your kids or else they’ll grow up to be writers on a show like Lost and depict fathers as the root of all evil. I’m just sayin’ . . .

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Fresh from a razor-sharp election season on Saturday Night Live, new mom Amy Poehler (she of the awesome “Palin Rap” skit about which I still chuckle) has a new project: Videos promoting the virtues of smart girls.

Webisodes for Poehler’s “Smart Girls at the Party” feature real gals talking about things that they love and things at which they excel. The video below (link here) features a 7-year-old named Ruby, who’s too sassy for words.

For some reason, the video won’t upload. You can find the Ruby video here.