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Friday, July 16, 2010

Googling Parenthood

I remember the first time I ever used an online search engine. Freshman year of college, researching the recent Rwandan genocide (that ought to give you enough of a timeline to determine how long ago this was…)

I typed in the key words and BOOM. Information.

Really amazing.

Googling has come a long way, now part of our everyday vernacular (there is a word I don’t get to use around my three year old, oh, how I love blogging. Big people. YAY. HA.)

Of course, back then it was Yahoo. But one can’t really “Yahoo” something. “I am just yahooing the movie first.” Nope, doesn’t quite cut it.

Google got me through my graduate degree research (especially a particularly challenging stats project finding global civil society data and Freedom House Index numbers. Sounds fancy huh? I know. I went to look at it the other day and basically had no idea what it was talking about. My brain has atrophied over the past four years, I am telling you.)

Cut to a few days ago.

I type in “green diarrhea.”

You know you are a parent when you are googling about poop, right?

We all do it though.

“Green poop”

Hmm, a common symptom of a gut bacteria. (I mean, it was VIOLENT green, like he must’ve-eaten-a-friggin’-leprechaun green. I eventually diagnosed consumption of a green crayon to be the true cause.)

“Hacking cough, infant”

Phew, it says here it’s not a problem unless she seems lethargic and struggling to breathe.

“Allergies in children”

“Preschool readiness”

“Potty-training regression”

“Difficulty latching”

“permanent marker, couch”

“Constipation, newborns”

“Getting your child to sleep better”

“Getting your kid to stop throwing his shoes while you are driving” (Ha. Joking. Kind of)

Seriously, what would we do without google? I think I would be calling my mom or my sister or a pediatrician every three days. Heck, every day. “Mom, he is just pooping like every other day, I mean, is that normal?”

(In fact, I did do this when Jack was first born, calling and calling and calling and calling. I have lightened up a little now that I am more of a, shall we say, experienced mother – read, less neurotic – I do call my mom a lot but I try to limit my discussion of my children’s bowel habits. You didn’t really mind too much, did you mom?)

But of course, google can be frustrating too. Opinions differ, arguments abound, who can you believe, especially on delicate matters as say, the best pee-stick out there?* (For the record http://www.peeonastick.com/ is really the best out there.)

I have found a few websites, especially about health, that I trust above all else. http://www.webmd.com/ is the best for general health issues. But Dr. Sears is the best, THE BEST, for health, parenting, sleep issues, etc. http://www.askdrsears.com/

But still, google is my friend.

So, I gotta say it. Google. I love you. Thank you. Really.

Now, what are some of your favorites?




* NO, I AM NOT PREGNANT AGAIN. IT IS AN EXAMPLE. Sheesh.


Next up: Survival Days

6 comments:

  1. well in my current state i use www.LDonline.com for a LOT of school research. it really is a great site with tons of information on special education/ parenting/ school issues/ educationg for kids and how to deal with all four things at once.

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  3. um....
    i'm on style.com and random fashion blog.
    but i have googled
    "how to shorten a separating zipper"
    " do you interface the lining or waistband on shorts"
    and...
    "local starbucks near modesto ca"
    i'm sure one day i'll be down with the kid stuff.
    great blogging as always. xx

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  4. I like the Merck Manual (http://www.merck.com/mmpe/index.html) and the Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/) in addition to webmd. Sometimes you don't get the complete picture with just one.

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  5. A couple weeks ago at the beach Gana started getting chest pains. I know. Super scary. BUT, it only hurt when he moved and did not hurt into his arm and the pain was just around his sternum. ????? Rush the the ER? Maybe it's gas. LOL! So, we called my bro-in-law who is doctor. After a long serious of questions (and taking the precautionary aspirin) we determined he was not having a heart attack. But what in the world was wrong with him? Thank you Google. It was costochondritis, which is where the cartilege of the rib becomes inflamed. Whew. Prescription: Take it easy and don't parallel park for a few days. :-)

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  6. Oh I am so a googler. M. is skeptical of the fact that most of my parenting information is backed up by "the internet," but really, I don't know what I'd do without it. I google a TON about baby stuff, but also about household stuff...how to fix stuff, get rid of pests, and so on.

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