The U.S. Census Bureau estimates there are roughly 120 million households in the U.S. And they would know, because they’re the ones charged with carrying out the constitutional mandate to touch base with each and every one of them.

In their continuing effort to leave no person uncounted, the Census folks today launched “Children Count Too,” which is basically a big reminder to parents that babies and children need to be included in the census.

“A complete and accurate count of our nation’s youngest is critical to their health and education, and the future strength of our communities and labor force,” Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said at a news conference today at Mary’s Center in Washington. The center is a nonprofit maternal and child care center that serves “immigrant communities,” according to the census news release.

At the same conference, Samantha Maltin, senior vice president for integrated marketing and partnerships at Nickelodeon, explained Dora the Explorer’s participation in the program: “We’ve arrived at a crossroads in American history where it’s more important than ever for all of us to stand up and be counted. Dora the Explorer is an iconic bilingual character for American families of all backgrounds, and with her help, Nickelodeon will remind families how easy, important and safe it is to participate in the census.”

Why is it so important to encourage parents to help the census count every last one of the nation’s babies and young children? Because apparently, children have a history of being undercounted – especially those younger than 5 years old. And since the count is used to determine how much federal funding goes to which programs, an undercount of children essentially means that many children’s programs could do underfunded. In fact, some $26 billion in funding for educational and other children’s services are divvied up each year.

Those census forms are expected to start arriving in mailboxes starting on Monday, by the way.

- MM

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I’ve been itching to write something about some of the lame commercials run during the Super Bowl game. I’ve been held back by my laissez-faire attitude that, in general, if you don’t like an ad, you shouldn’t watch it. Or don’t buy the product being advertised. Whatever.

But Connie Schultz’s column in today’s Missoulian does it for me. Check it out.

- MM

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Since my kiddo turned 5 years old last month, I’ve had a reason to carry cash in my pockets: I started giving her an allowance.

It’s a funny word, “allowance.” The first time I handed Willow her $1 and told her she would receive one every Sunday, she wanted to know why. “What’s an allowance?” she asked. Prepared for this question, I told her that she does a lot for this family (she does, too – she’s in charge of feeding the dogs and cat every morning and every night) and that an allowance is money I give her so she can save it or spend it on the things she wants. I also told her I’d be willing to pay for additional chores, but that offer remains unexplored.

So today, I hand her the dollar and she says thanks, then squirrels it away somewhere in her room. Later, I ask her what she plans to do with all her money. “Just look at it,” she says. “It’s nice to look at.”

Well, the point of an allowance is to teach kids financial responsibility, right? When does the lesson kick in? Did I start her too early? Am I missing some crucial step in the allowance education process?

Looks like I’ll be doing some more research on this one at the library.

- MM

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