Sue:

I have the unfortunate distinction of being the only person I know who spent significant time on a dog run. As a toddler, I wandered out onto the road. My mom knew something was wrong when she heard a semi slam on its brakes. Thereafter, I was allowed to play in the front yard on the dog run.

My wife likes to imagine the scene when my father would come home from work and I would run across the hard to hug him, only to be brought up short by the chain.

No one ever questioned my mom's practicality.

I was put on a leash at the age of 3, too... worked out pretty good for about 30 minutes, until everyone left the sandpit (common gathering point for all the kids) for play behind some neighbor's house.

I think my kids really would have identified with this book - if I would let them read it.

Well, that's a start.

My brother and I were in the ER so many times that we got these "membership cards" that helped us check in faster.

We had between us:
Broken legs, broken arm, concussions, possible poisoning, bike crashes, heat burns, chemical burns, I got hit in the eyes with a leaf rake, my brother got a sinus infection from an impacted tooth that nearly killed him...

When I was a kid, after a while we gave up on going to to the ER for stitches - we grabbed a handful a sutchers and just did it ourselves.

Boys are boys.

Read this. http://www.disaboomlive.com/blogs/saydra...ising-sons.aspx

Blast Brother I'm right there with you. My oldest is 11 and boy has she blossomed. The boys don't hold much interest for her right now but she has started to notice which ones are "cute". I've got two others following her but they are only 8 and 3.

I have 22, 19 and soon to be 18 year old girls. So far I have evaded becoming a grandparent. I will however bring up the fact that it ain't just boys going to the emergency room. We've had a compound fracture of the humerus that needed emergency surgery, that was a couple of sleepless nights, an obscure, but life threatening eye infection, numerous asthma attacks, two cases of anaphylaxis requiring ER visits as well as the normal childhood injuries and predicaments.
Parents are not wired to survive their children. I share your concerns and sincerely hope all your kids, and grandchildren, are at your funeral.