Luna

It seems to have stopped now, but it was happening just a short time ago. I read somewhere that this could be a sign of a respiratory problem or other illness? I'm not sure, but I AM very worried, which is why I'm asking here.

She does have a small problem with an overgrown beak at the moment. We're trying to take care of it but we haven't found a place that does beak trimmings for less than $70 which we're not sure if we have the money to spare for that.

Also, a few weeks ago her cage mate died, if that offers any clue.

Thanks!

My parakeet's beak is getting a little long, and I think that I probably will need to take her to the vet for a beak trim. However, she isn't hand-trained at all yet - she still cowers at my presence. What's the best way to get her into a box or something so that she can be transported for a short drive?

I've heard that you should cover up your parakeet's cage with a sheet or something every night. But we live in a relatively warm area and I'm not sure whether it's necessary or not.

It was about 76 degrees Fahrenheit in our house a few nights ago, and got a little bit colder last night.

So do you think we should still be covering up our bird's cage, or would that just make her too hot?

I learned that it's best to give your parakeets some cut-up fruits and veggies as well, and I plan to try giving my parakeet some today. But I'm not quite sure how small the pieces should be cut up into. Any help?

Thanks!

My parakeet Lucky's mate died last night, and since then she has seemed very lonely and depressed. She is not very active anymore and only chirps a little bit. We aren't able to get another parakeet, so I want to work on being her new friend.

I'll admit that I am not the greatest parakeet owner ever, and I've been busy lately and haven't been able to give her much attention. She is terrified of me and trembles whenever I put my hand in the cage or even get near her. Obviously she is not hand trained yet, which I plan to work on, but in the meantime, what can I do to keep her company if she's so scared of me?

Also she is a pretty old parakeet and I have had her for maybe 2 years now; but as I said before I really haven't been the best owner to her and am looking to improve now. Any other tips for taking care of her would be welcome too. Thanks!

So many parents on here have stated that they don't believe children should have cell phones. However, nearly all of the kids at my daughter's school (she is 12, and a rising 8th grader) have cell phones.

So I'm wondering, for those of you who disapprove of giving kids (namely kids in junior high) cell phones, why? And for whose of you who do approve, why?

I am not asking for advice, nor am I going to argue. I'm just curious. (:

Does anyone know why names like Madison, Jordan, Rowan, Dylan, etc. are now used for girls? I mean, I know some of these are unisex now, but I always pictured Dylan as a boy name, although recently I've seen it on girls as well. Anyone know?

Thank you!

http://babynames.com/namelist/9676928

It's a short list, so it shouldn't take too long. If you could just vote on it, that would be great, and if you could tell me which ones you like/dislike, what revisions you would suggest, etc. I would appreciate that very much as well.

10 points to the most detailed and helpful answer!

I have two children of my own and they are the best things that have ever happened to me. But, technically, is it a bit selfish to have children when the world is overpopulated already and the child did not ask to be born? Are we naturally wired to be a bit selfish in this sense? When our children misbehave, are we the ones to blame for having them in the first place? Is adopting a child a much better option? If so, why doesn't everyone simply adopt?

A lot of questions here, I know. I am not going to express my own opinion on this yet, but I am curious to see what others might think. (:

Does illiteracy/chatspeak affect your choice in contacts, best answers, etc. at all? If so, how much? Does it make a positive/negative first impression on you? Would you ever thumbs down an illiterate answer, or not choose it as a best answer because of its illiteracy or if it were written in chatspeak? Also, do you think that illiteracy or chatspeak could make an answer seem less credible?

Just curious. Please star! ;)

My 11-year-old daughter doesn't normally watch TV, but on occasion she does watch Disney. She enjoys shows like The Suite Life on Deck, Hannah Montana, and especially Wizards of Waverly Place. I've never seen a problem with it, myself, although she's mentioned that at school they're seen as "little-kid" shows. Lately, though, I've been hearing of first graders who watch those shows, and I was just wondering if those are actually shows intended to target an audience that young. I've watched them a couple of times with her, and I don't see anything particularly appealing to young children about them, honestly. I mean, my daughter and I agree that the Hannah Montana alter-ego thing is cheesy, but the shows talk a lot about romance and being in high school and things like that, stuff that I wouldn't have expected a first grader to understand much of.

My daughter takes high school level courses and is very mature, and is a perfectly normal kid. Should I be worried? I honestly don't have a problem with her watching the shows (hey, I still like SpongeBob!) but I would like to know what sort of audience they're actually targeting, and your opinions on young kids watching shows like these. Kids seem to be growing up faster and faster nowadays! Do you think that's a good or bad thing?

What do you like about the school(s) that your kid(s) attend? What do you wish you could change about them?

I've just always wondered what other moms in other places thought.

I'm mostly satisfied with the schools my children attend, although one change I wish I could make in both would be a ten-minute break per fifty minutes. My 6-year-old son's elementary school already has a 30 minute recess period, but I really think that splitting up the breaks would be more effective. My 11-year-old daughter's middle school allows 5 minutes to switch classes, but again, 10 minutes of actually going outside for some fresh air would be more effective. This was the system I was accustomed to growing up, and it really did work well by letting our brains cool off a bit. Also, there is an hour and a half period for study hall in the mornings on Tuesdays and Thursdays at my daughter's school (she goes to a magnet school, so that's why it might seem a bit strange), but I (along with several other parents) would prefer it moved to the afternoon. Many of the kids finish their homework at home and are bored during study hall, a couple of them even resorting to just wasting the period away. The others simply don't do any homework at home to do it during study hall, but end up rushing through their work in their haste to finish it before the time is up. If this were in the afternoon, the kids could start on the homework they already had and not have much to do at home.

So that's just me. What do you think?

My husband and I have been compiling a list of names we like, and we're down to these names.

Girls --

Serena Skylar or Serena Rose

Lydia Elizabeth

Boys --

Jadon David

If you could just say whether you prefer Skylar or Rose as a middle name for Serena, and then which you prefer between Serena Skylar / Rose and Lydia Elizabeth, and maybe a reason why, that would be immensely helpful. Keep in mind that Skylar is my husband's preferred choice and Rose is mine; I think Rose flows better but it sounds too much like a filler name.

Also, we're looking to edit the name "Jadon David" a bit, so that it will honor my husband's family as well. We are hoping to use at least one of the following names: James, Tyler, Nicholas, and Cole in the name. We are definitely keeping David somewhere in the name; it is my father's name and he means a lot to me. If you could provide some suggestions, that would be great.

Feel free to suggest other names, but we probably won't make any major edits to the names we have. Thanks to everyone who answers for helping! (:

Well, another one of those name games where you get to name your big family, all with sparkling personalities!

1. You get pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl! The elder of the twins is the boy, who has wavy medium brown hair like you and your husband's deep blue eyes. The girl looks like your mini-me, with the same wavy brown hair and your soft, hazel eyes. They're perfect - adorable, bubbly, and always ready for a cuddle. What do you name them?

2. Two years later, you decide you're ready for another bundle of joy. She turns out to be a baby girl, with golden-blond hair like your hubby, although much curlier! She's an adorable little lady, loving to dress up and pose for the camera. What is this doll's name?

3. A few months pass. Your best friend calls you to deliver some great news - she's pregnant with triplets, two boys and a girl, and you're their godmother! She's already chosen Lucas Alexander for one of the boys and Daniella Grace for the girl, and she wants you to name the other boy! What do you name him?

4. Two years later, you have a handsome baby boy. He has light brown hair and light blue eyes. He looks like a little of you and a little of his daddy! He's a mischievous baby who loves to laugh. What do you name him?

5. A couple of years down the road, you decide to adopt a shelter dog. You find an adorable greyhound-Doberman mix. She's such a sweetie and is ever so friendly. What do you name her?

6. A year passes. Your sister, a hardworking widow, dies during childbirth. You take in the baby girl who survived her. The baby looks exactly like your sister, with the same soft chestnut hair and green eyes that your sister has. You decide that the baby's middle name will be Rosalyn, in honor of your sister. What will the baby's first name be, though?

(You don't have to read the following part, but it might help you in your naming adventures!)

1. The boy grows up and takes an interest in politics, studying political science in college and then law in graduate school. He is later elected into the State Senate and is well-respected for his wisdom and calm attitude. His twin studies computer programming. She becomes a master of all things computer!

2. Your baby girl grows up and takes an interest in dancing, becoming a professional ballerina and starring in many famous ballets. However, at the peak of her career, she is in a car crash and becomes paralyzed from the neck down. She begins to take a new path, becoming a filmmaker and directing many popular films.

3. Your godchildren form a popular 3-person band called 'The MusiKams,' becoming a pop sensation! Daniella mantains a strong friendship with your second daughter.

4. That mischievous baby grows up to become a star basketball player for the NBA, being at 6'8" and playing center.

5. Your puppy grew up and starred in one of your second daughter's films, becoming a canine actress famous for her role as Priscilla in the comedy film "Miss Priss and I."

6. Your adopted niece became an actress, as Jodie-Beth, Priscilla's owner in "Miss Priss and I." She went on to star in many other popular films.

What a family! Hope you have fun naming your huge family, and feel free to star this question so your contacts can join in on the fun!

Take your name and your spouse/partner/whoever's name and create as many names using only the letters from your names as possible! Basically an anagram game. You can also use your parents' names, your friends', or anyone's.

Here's an example:

L U N A (me) N I C H O L A S (husband)

Boy Names:

-Colin, Collin, Ian, Louis, Lucas, Luis, Nico, Nicolas

(I just realized I can get "Luis" and "Scola" out of our names; Luis Scola's of my favorite basketball players)

Girl Names:

-Alli, Anna, Halli, Lana, Lina, Lola, Nichola, Nicola

And so on! Have fun, and if you want to make my day by starring this question, feel free to do so. (:

My aunt gave me three bottles of Windex as a present. :o

What strange gifts did you receive this holiday season?

These are just some names of family and friends. Which ones do you like? Which ones do you strongly dislike? I'm curious to know. (:

Anita Joye

Ashley Elizabeth

Danielle Leigh

Holly Nicole

Jaelin Elyse

Madelyn Taylor

Anna Kathleen

Olivia Brooke

Rachel Erin

Susan Judith

Wendy Belle

Thanks! (:

In a few months, my daughter will be turning 12, which is the legal age in which someone can begin baby-sitting in my state. Since she's always been great with younger children and she'd like the extra money since she needs a graphing calculator for algebra, I thought this would be a good time to introduce her to baby-sitting, which she's expressed an interest in for a number of years. She's extremely mature and responsible, and I have no doubt that she'd be a fantastic baby-sitter with some training and all.

Neither my husband nor I has the time to go with her on a baby-sitting job or anything, nor do we know any older children who can. I've also been looking into baby-sitter training courses but have thus far been unsuccessful in finding any. I'm also definitely looking into opportunities as a mother's helper, although again, I'm still looking. Is there anything else I can do to help "train" her? For any baby-sitters out there, what did you do to get started? Also, do you have any general baby-sitting tips for us?

Thanks!

To clarify, would you consider the teasing factor when choosing a name? Would you reject a name for fear that your kid would be teased about it, or would you decide that your own opinion matters more and keep it?

What are some good middle names that go with Serena? I was considering Jade and Rae as possible middle name choices, and my husband likes Skye. I'm open to any other suggestions you might have as well.

Thanks in advance!

~Luna