Child's Play

Sure, kids do the darndest things -- but let's face it -- their actions can usually be traced to a clumsy parenting. Here are a couple of incidents for which blame clearly falls on mom and/or dad!

• A Wild Party -- Howard and Muriel E. of Boulder, Colo., wish they had arranged activities for the kids while they celebrated their 20th anniversary in anoter part of the house. As they dined, two police cars and an ambulance pulled into their driveway, sirens blaring and lights flashing. It seems one of their lads had dialed 911. Maybe the emergency was he was getting bored to death!
  
• Getting Fingered -- Rod S. of Petaluma, Calif., didn't think his first-grader Bailey paid close attention to daddy's driving etiquette. But a call from Bailey's teacher enlightened him. The teacher had put little fella in time out for saluting his classmates with just the middle finger extended. Bailey told his teacher he didn't understand what he'd done wrong; after all, this was how daddy waved at other drivers on the freeway. Later that night, Bailey's mom put Rod in time out.

He Yacht to Be More Careful

Thierry C., a winch grinder on a French yacht, spent five grueling years preparing for the America's Cup trials. But during the qualifier run, he became so engrossed in his job that he failed to see open hath in the yacht's cockpit. Thierry plunged through the opening, broke three ribs and was grounded from the sailing competition. Oh mon Dieu!