Baby Einstein offering refunds because it cannot “make your baby smarter” (and in fact is really not good for their eyeballs and depth perception). I started to understand how stage mothers get their reputation– having agreed that my daughter could be in an NYU Grad Student film that shot this weekend– my way of giving back since I haven’t donated financially since graduation. Thankfully she had a good time and the filmmakers were great. I was keenly aware of every emotion– wanting to make sure she hit her marks, understood directions (physical and emotional) and found myself feeling a bit impatient/guilty if they had to do another take because she looked over at me at the wrong time, let’s say, when the camera was rolling. I played a new game! For families with children ages 6 and up, the game Family Matters makes a great gift. Invented by a dad from NYC, this board game ensures the family playing will have fun, interesting and important conversations. Even though we aren’t in the same family, the creator, David, and I played the other day– touching on subjects as cute as “what’s your favorite pie” (and why) to a faux “family crisis” involving a teen who has started to smoke. The game is well thought out so you can easily choose big issues that are age appropriate. It also won the “Dr. Toy Award” for best new game.