Joys of Single Motherhood

Do you know Little Big Planet? This PS3 game came into my son's life a few months ago and while his friends long ago abandoned it, he remains caught up in developing his own levels. I think of LBP as a game platform and not just a game. The software platform has a rudimentary builder's kit that lets "players" create their own games or "levels". Each level--at least for my kiddo--features a Sock Puppet or more properly, a "Sack Person"--trying to make his way through a sort of obstacle course to win points and prizes and of course, to escape "death". The obstacles can be sharks, dragons, clacking teeth. It's pretty amazing and very creative. He thinks about his designs a lot. Probably during English class and math. You can "publish" your levels and tell your friends and get them to play your creation and to comment and rate it. These are mostly good things. I've helped him design levels and we've had fun doing it. On ...

Kid 1 and I were just at the local Staples--the one in the mall on the edge of the somewhat shabby town right next to our upscale Sound town--buying new pens. Someone stole her beloved pencil case so we were replacing whatever we could afford. When we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed a small beat-up compact beside us. The engine was running and the car was sloppily parked--like when you were a teenager and screeched into a space to run into the store down the street for gum. That was odd enough but then we looked in the back seat to see a sleeping baby and a sleeping girl probably about 10. I thought about whether to call the police but I was torn. The front seat of the car was taken up with trash bags full of clothing and I wondered if they were living in the car. I decided to take Kid 1 into the store and to deal with it if necessary when we came out. Fifteen minutes later we were finished with our shopping. The car was still there and now it had drawn att...