Let's Make a Deal

Each morning when I check my email, I normally have at least two dozen sitting in my inbox since I checked it approximately 10 hours prior. While some of these are late-night notes from friends, many are emails from various "deal" sites that I willingly signed up for.

At first, it seemed quite harmless and beneficial. I mean, who wouldn't want access to great restaurants and shops at a fraction of the regular price? But as time went on, I realized that this new trend was becoming something of an addiction. Instead of saving me money, these so-called "deals" sometimes end up costing me. I often lose track of the things I purchase, only to find them expired by the time I remember. Or, something that seems enticing in the moment, loses its sparkle once I've shelled out my $19 to spend on a random website, museum, art store or ice skating rink I rarely visit.

I've no doubt I'll keep logging into these emails daily, lest I miss out on a fabulous find that I can't live without. I guess I should be grateful I live in Atlanta and not Denver, as I just read about a crazy deal site that just went live there earlier this month.

You might say that MMJdailydeals.com caters to a niche market. While they claim to have a following of 10,000 in just two short weeks, this coupon site isn't one that offers exclusive access to the latest in haute couture or laser hair removal -- rather, MMJ deals in something a tad more controversial -- medical marijuana.

Each day, subscribers get access to coupons for things like pot-infused cookies and brownies, smoking accessories and other cannibis-related discounts. Playing on the Groupon/Living Social model, clients get a kickback when they reefer (oops, Freudian slip, I mean refer) friends.

Seriously?

Since Colorado is currently the only state allowed to sell medical marijuana at a profit, I don't think this little startup is going to start a new revolution. But the fact that this exists begs the question, is there any limit to what consumers are willing to buy these days?

Guess some inboxes have officially gone to pot.

Save Sesame Street!

Did you know that Congress is contemplating a bill that could cut all funding for Public Broadcasting? I don't know about you, but I consider Ernie, Bert and Cookie Monster old friends and I'd feel awful if they were taken off the air. I seriously love PBS and the quality programs they provide.

"Sesame Street" first went on the air just months before I was born and I still remember many of the skits, songs and themes from those shows. Now, my own kids get a kick out of shows like "Sesame Street," "WordGirl" and "Curious George" and I feel good knowing these programs are consistent with my values without major commercial interests.

If you care about PBS too, take 5 minutes and go to www.170millionamericans.org. Here you'll find great information, including links to letters you can quickly send to your Congressman via email, voicing support for Public Broadcasting.

While there are certainly other reasons to support Public Broadcasting, other than just their offerings for kids, aren't the Muppets enough?

The death of common sense?

Summer Infant recalled millions of baby monitors today after two infant deaths were linked to their products. When I first read the headline, I thought perhaps the deaths were due to the electromagnetic field around the monitor or something innocuous and terrifying like that. But no, these two children died because their parents were such geniuses that they put the cameras and cord in reach of their kids and the babies strangled on the cord.

Now, I don't mean to be flip or callous, but honestly, is this the manufacturer's fault or the parent's? Do we need warnings on EVERYTHING to protect us from our own stupidity? If this is the world we live in now, shouldn't everything have a warning label on it because frankly most things we own can be treacherous if misused.

I am so so sad for these parents and their infants who died needlessly. But truly, our job as moms and dads is to be on the lookout for hidden dangers (though I'd argue that this one was not so hidden). If you choose to mount a camera and cord to your child's crib and your baby suffers as a result of it, who is to blame?  And not that their lives are not precious, but these are two kids out of millions who's parents presumably know how to properly place a baby monitor. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, only seven kids have died since 2004 as a result of baby monitors placed too closely to their cribs.

If a parent leaves a loaded gun on a table and their toddler accidentally shoots himself, is it a horrible accident that the gun manufacturer should be held responsible for? If you leave coins out and a baby swallows one, should we sue the bank the money came from? Or the federal government who issued the coins?

Wake up and take some accountability people!

I know those examples seem like a stretch compared to the baby monitor recall, but you get my point. As parents, we do all sorts of things on a daily basis to protect our kids -- we hold their hands crossing busy streets, place them in car seats, keep them away from sharp objects or hot stoves, stay with them while they bathe so they don't drown etc., etc. We do all these things precisely because small children can't be trusted to look out for themselves. As parents our brains should always be attuned to things that might pose a risk to our kids. So just as we teach our children to take responsibility --  unless an accident involves some tragic unforeseen event -- I believe parents need to look within and not be so quick to seek blame elsewhere.