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CAROLYN HAX

(Nick Galifianakis for the Washington Post)

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Re: Mad mom:

Oh man. As a stay-at-home dad, I got micromanaged all the time by my (working) wife. Fortunately, she pretty quickly got over it and went back to micromanaging her staff, once she realized I knew more than she did, given that I was the one with the kids all day every day, making all the decisions. But those first few months were . . . tough.

My heart goes out to the husband, busy street or not.

Anonymous

Better when you say it, thanks.

Dear Carolyn:

"Fuming Mad" needs to realize also that scary kid incidents are VERY rare, despite what we hear on the news. The United States has 300 million people, and even if CNN beat us over the head with a new awful tragedy every single day, that would mean only 1 in 200,000 kids was the victim.

24-Hour News World

Yes, yes. It's not just the news cycle that breeds needlessly jittery parents, though. It's also the disclaimers plastered on even the tiniest, least significant bit of baby paraphernalia, that MISUSE OF THIS PRODUCT CAN RESULT IN THE HIDEOUS INJURY OR DEATH OF YOUR CHILD, AND EVEN IF IT DOESN'T, THE ENTIRE VILLAGE WILL WITNESS YOUR INCOMPETENCE AND SHUN YOU, AND YOU WILL BE HAUNTED BY YOUR INADEQUACIES FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, OR UNTIL YOU FINISH PAYING OFF COLLEGE, IF YOUR KID EVEN GETS INTO COLLEGE.

That's from the litigious-industrial complex, not CNN.

I get the need for safe products and consumer education, but really.

Write to Carolyn Hax, Style, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071, ortellme@washpost.com.

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