Lately, athletes haven’t exactly comported themselves in heroic ways. Growing up, I idolized Hank Aaron, Magic Johnson, and Ryne Sandberg – among many others. I was a sucker for their on-field/court exploits and their community support. These days, players get more press for their selfishness, substance abuse, and assault charges. Of course, many of today’s sports performers are honorable people, and with female athletes getting their due, there are more fine role models than people realize.

For now, I want to call attention to Cesar Izturis, the Gold Glove-shortstop-turned-utility-player for the Los Angeles Dodgers. This month, Izturis took some time away from the Dodgers (who are currently in a tail spin) to attend the birth of his child. He had expected to miss only 48 hours, but because it was a Caesarean birth, the recovery took four days. Rather than return to the team, Izturis stayed with his wife to help her and see to the care of his first child.

In the manly sport of baseball, Izturis chose the manlier act of remaining with his wife. It’s not that she was in danger, it’s that he wanted to see her home, healthy and secure. For this, he earns my respect and admiration because he’s modeling not only for grown men, but for the kids out their who follow athletes’ private lives as much as their public ones.

Now the Dodgers apparently did not give Izturis a hard time, and the team’s general manager seemed openly supportive of his player’s fatherly choice. However, writing about the situation in the Los Angeles Times, columnist J.A. Adande sheds light on the fact that the Major League Players’ Association has made sure that athletes get sufficient bereavement leave but does not stipulate that they get paternity time (link). Adande writes, “We knock the deadbeat dads — especially pro athletes — who abandon their children, but we don’t accommodate the men who want to be there for their kids from day one.”

Adande makes an even more significant point: “Baseball is far from the only industry that doesn’t look after the rights of dads who want to be with their newborn children. A 2005 report by the Families and Work Institute showed that only 13% of the American employers surveyed offered paid paternity leave.”

Paternity leave is an issue unto itself, and one I’ve written about in the past and will continue to write because working dads should get the time to be with their families right from the start. Then there is the issue of baseball and the window of opportunity it has to make a statement about fatherhood, parenting, and family in general. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players’ Association should amend their collective bargaining agreement to include paternity time and then shout it out to the rest of the world as loud as the words “Play ball!”

In the meantime, I’m gonna cheer for the amazing dad and player Cesar Izturis, who, as of the hour of this writing, hit a two-run home run to help the Dodgers win — in more ways than one.

A fierce new battle in Israel and Lebanon, the ongoing war in Iraq, trouble in Iran and possibly North Korea. Ethnic cleansing in Darfur, Sudan. Hurricanes and tsunamis. Global warming. Anybody else hyperventilating, yet? Leaving our own anxieties on the side for the moment, the bigger question is how do we care for our children in the face of all these danger and hatred.  I have a few ideas, some of which can be read by clicking over to an article on easing our kids’ fears that I first put together after the tsunami in Indonesia.

Briefly, I think we have to limit our children’s exposure to TV and sometimes print news. I am thankful for the media’s frequently intrepid coverage of war and disaster, especially when it’s balanced, but children under 9 (and often older) can easily be horribly frightened about what they cannot control in the world. We, as parents, need to save our news accumulation for the hours when our children are in bed or safely in school or camp. That also means not listening to news in the car when the kids are present.
 
Still, children cannot be completely sheltered, so they will have questions. We have to answer them. The key is to focus on telling our young ones that we will protect them. Even when we’re unsure that we can defend them against tornadoes or missiles, we have to assure them that we’ll do everything in our power to shelter them.
 
Because my thoughts are simply not enough, I want your own views. Please post your thoughts and suggestions on protecting our kids in light of this dangerous world. Should we all move to the seemingly calm hinterlands of Canada? Are we actually safer and should we just relax? Now, more than ever is a time for community, so let’s talk.

Music is probably as important as the sun when it comes to summer road trips, days at the beach, or hanging out in the backyard. At least it has been for me. Whether it was Three Dog Night in the early ‘70s or Prince in the ‘80s, my hot-season memories are colored by the songs that played on my radio or tape deck. If I had to pick my all-time favorites for the June-August stretch, I think I’d go with the Rolling Stones’ “Some Girls” and Steely Dan’s “Aja” albums, just because it reminds me of my sixth-grade summer vacation.

Now that I have kids, I’m making summer mix CDs with the tunes of their performers of choice. With my sons’ help, here are the top 5 albums for creating a summer soundtrack, with suggested tracks.

- Billy Jonas – What Kind of Cat Are You? – Wordplay and one-man-band musicianship are the hallmarks of this CD. My kids love “Watermelon,” the title track, and “Some Houses.”

- Ralph’s World – At the Bottom of the Sea – Ralph Covert is consistently good on his many albums, but this one is the boys’ top pick. Listen to the title tune, “M-O-M-M-Y Needs C-O-F-F-E-E,” and “Surfing in My Imagination.”

- Charity and the JAMband – Rock Your Socks Off – This more recent album from Charity and her kickin’ group is non-stop fun for its groovy energy. Try “Travelin’” and “Jump Into the Middle.”

- Justin Roberts – Way Out – How can you beat the kid-perspective lyrics of a fine songwriter like Justin? My children love “Airplane of Food” and “Day Camp.”

- Peter Himmelman – My Best Friend is a Salamander – This disc vies for my boys’ favorite CD for any season. Himmelman is crazy funny and funky, too, on songs like the title track, “You’ll Always Be You to Me,” and “Tantrum.”

Now it’s your turn. What are your favorite kids albums for the summer?