For many, BC could easily stand for "Before Cellphones," so unimaginable is life without these handy devices.

And while giving a child his or her own cell phone is now nearly as common a ritual as buying them a bike, the age cellphone ownership is appropriate for children is still rather uncharted territory. The allure of GPS tracking capability has parents of children as young as three considering a cell phone a worthwhile investment in safety, in the even of the child being separated from them in a crowd.

While giving a toddler their own cell phone seems rather extreme, the age at which a child is given a cell phone is rapidly plummeting. The Center on Media and Child Health web site states that 54 percent of 8- to 12-year-olds will have a cell phone in the next three years.

In our house, we didn't feel the kids needed cell phones until they were old enough to be involved in after school activities. Having a cell phone meant they could call when the bus was returning after an out of town game and save us from a forty-five minute wait in the school parking lot. And with pay phones practically on the endangered species list, a cell phone means they can get 911 assistance where ever they might be.

But kids and cell phones also have downsides. For one thing, there's the money issue. Kids are notorious for losing items and cell phones are not cheap. Nor are most cell phone plans or the overage charges when kids get a little too chatty or succumb to the allure of downloading. There's also the back-of-the-mind worry on what the long-term effect radiation waves from a device held so close to the brain might have on developing bodies.

Does you child have a cell phone? If so, how did you decide when they were old enough to have one?

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The first week of school is behind us now-and we're in the midst of the second, getting used to routines, expectations and each other. The classroom is bustling with activity from the minute the children arrive, to when they leave, tired and hot at the end of the day.

Aside from building a strong classroom community during the first couple of weeks of school, teachers spend the bulk of their time trying to get to know their students-both personally and academically. We have so many questions: did our students regress over the summer or grow? Did they read? Do math? Play games? Travel?

We spend our days conferring with individual students and soliciting information through writing prompts, drawing activities, and assessments.

As parents, you are likely doing the same thing, right? Every parent comes with a pocketful of worries, questions and concerns.

I know this is true because my son just started preschool this past week, anda great deal of my time is consumed with wondering about small things-will they open his lunch containers for him? Will they heat up his food? Will they help him make friends?

But really, when I think about it, all these little concerns amount to one great big huge one: will my son's teachers see him as he really is? Will they get to know him, and help him to grow and learn without quashing his sweet earnestness?

While teachers do their absolute best to get to know every child, there is a lot that you can do to support both your child and her teacher during this transitional relationship building time.

If you have specific concerns about your child-send his teacher an email or note explaining them. Share any relevant recent events that have taken place in your child's life-the birth of a sibling, the transition to a new house, the death of a grandparent or family pet, any illness, or other trauma all affects how children learn.

I am often surprised to discover the answers to these kinds of questions only after I inquire. I'll notice a child is particularly moody, or seems stressed out beyond the normal first weeks of school stress, and when I ask I'll discover that he's had a very ill sibling, or that the family is going through a divorce and the picture will suddenly become oh-so-clear, and it will be much easier for me to approach the child and support his learning.

Similarly, share positive feedback and information with your child's teacher-if you went on a trip or your child accomplished a major milestone (riding a two-wheel bike for the first time, loosing teeth, riding a roller coaster solo, etc.) Just send a quick email or note. Your child's teacher will love hearing about these events, and will likely incorporate this knew knowledge of your child into the way she works with him. I know I do. I relish hearing about where and what my students have been up to all summer.

By the second week of school I already know which child got stitches, lost a tooth, traveled to a foreign country, and rode the rollercoaster at the fair. I also know which child is having a hard time going to sleep at night, and which one is expecting a new baby brother soon. I wouldn't know half of these things if I didn't ask, though, and I'm sure there are heaps of things I have yet to learn. I'm just waiting for parents (and the kids) to tell me.

• a small Magna-Doodle
• travel bingo
• crayons/markers
• coloring or activity books
• Rubik's cube
• hand-held puzzles made from wood or wire
• small electronics, like a Leapster or hand-held Suduko game

The key to a successful kid joke for the younger crowd is keep it simple.

This is an important (but often overlooked) point for an aspiring young comedian, anything that requires too long of a build-up can easily flummox, so short and sweet is generally the best bet.

It's also a hit if the child has a joke that fits the occasion. My kids' best Halloween was the year they dressed up as skunks and had this little gem to share with the people who passed out candy:

How do you keep a skunk from smelling? Hold its nose!

Many of today's parents grew up with the daily query, "Did you remember to take your vitamin?" and would dutifully trudge back to the kitchen and pop that Flintstone chewable.

Today there is a vast ocean of choice when it comes to children's vitamins. You can choose between omega3, immunity support, zinc & echinachea, extra iron, or extra C in liquid, swallow-able, or chewable in the traditional chalky version, gummy-bear, or bubblegum variety forms.

But are vitamins still an necessary part of a children's daily diet? A British website did a study on children's multivitamins and found only five out of 14 brands of supplements contained all 12 essential vitamins and stated that some have little more nutritional value than candy.

Even experts seem to disagree whether multivitamins are necessary for all children. The American Academy of Pediatrics only giving supplements if your pediatrician advises you to, but the same organization also says a daily vitamin isn't likely do any harm, unless it exceeds the recommended daily allowance amounts of a vitamin or mineral.

With so many of today's common food and beverages being fortified (Who could have imagined that calcium could be added to orange juice?!) even finicky children are probably getting a lot more vitamins and minerals than parents realize. We're pretty lackadaisical on the multivitamin front in our house. What about you?

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My kid takes showers. He is sixteen months old. I took showers as a kid, but spent most of my time in the bath, surrounded by various toys and lots of suds. When our children are first born we barely bathe them, then move them into the little plastic tubs, then eventually into the tub for big kids. I don't even know when the technical transition from bath to shower begins.

I got the idea to put my child in the shower from a friend who always took her three girls into the shower with her (not all at once). The concept was that mom was in the shower and wet already anyway. Showers also use a lot less water than baths, and they're faster. Baths are tough in our apartment as the bathroom is small and the bathtub is awkwardly placed.

So, my husband and I tried taking our son, who was able to stand very comfortably on his own, into the shower a few times with decent results. Over time he became less intimidated by the water and now enjoys splashing around in it. He still plays with his toys and we all get clean relatively quickly. Still, I wonder if there's any reason to go back to baths, or to only do baths. There will come a point when our son is too old to be in the shower with us, for obvious reasons. There will also need to be a time when he lathers himself up instead of having a parent do it. I'm not wild about leaving him alone in the bath or the shower, and I wonder if either is really "safer."

Do you do showers or baths for your kids? At what age did you settle on a routine?

Pic by Don Nunn.