Y2K Babies: The Fear of Millennium Mayhem by Abbi Perets

"Mommy, I had a bad dream." Words we dread hearing, and not only because we know it means no more sleep for us tonight.

Have you been letting your kids watch NBC? That Must-See TV thing would spook anyone. Bet even scarier than the latest hair horrors on Friends was NBC's recent Sunday night movie, Y2K: Murphy's Law. And if you let your kids stay up late on a school night to watch it, you have only yourself to blame the next time Japan beats America in those international IQ tests. And if being personally responsible for the decline of Western civilization isn't enough to keep you up at night, your kids are having nightmares about Y2K. So put on some coffee, sit your little ones down on the sofa, and give it to them straight:

If civilization as we know it is going to come to an end, wouldn't you rather it be because of Y2K than a giant meteor on a collision course with Earth? Because that is a wildly unoriginal way to go.

But seriously, maybe your kids do have some concerns about Y2K -- and as we get closer to December 31, you can expect them to have more and more questions about what Y2K means for their personal safety. (They may be concerned for your safety as well, but that is only because it is your salary that pays for all their Pokemon stuff.) So how can you talk to your kids about Y2K?

As you explain the "millennium bug" to your children, you should avoid the phrase "the end of the world as we know it." Using hyperbole is confusing to small children, and it isn't very reassuring. You might point out that for the world as we know it to truly end, we would all have to spontaneously forget everything we ever learned at the instant of the rollover. Since your children can probably remember exactly how many presents they have received, since birth, in comparison with their siblings, we're probably okay. On the other hand, no child alive can remember what you just told him five minutes ago about not flushing forks down the toilet, so who knows?

Selective memory aside, it's unlikely that society will experience collective amnesia, so teach your kids to be prepared, but not panicked. Take them with you to the grocery store and stock up on some extra canned goods -- let each child pick out something he wouldn't mind eating three nights in a row. Explain that before credit cards were invented, people used this neat green stuff called "cash," and that it is still, surprisingly, recognized as legal tender in most establishments. Show your kids where you keep the candles and matches, but then lock that cabinet and keep the key on your person 24 hours a day unless really want to give your smoke detector and the fire department a run for their money.

Help your kids look forward to the rollover. Plan a "low tech" New Year's Day: have each of your children pick a board game or activity -- without batteries or electricity -- for the whole family to play together. Plan a menu that will work even if the refrigerator doesn't, like sandwiches and cookies. You can always roast potatoes and marshmallows in your fireplace. Even if there are no problems with the electricity, spend a day together without the television. Enjoy each other's company. Heck, you might even decide you like it so much you make a habit of it!

More than anything, your children will learn from your example. If you've spent the last five years growing your own food supply and shunning society and any technological advances, then (a) you're probably not reading this column because computers and the Internet utilize what is arguably some pretty advanced technology and (b) your kids are probably pretty freaked out. But if you take things in stride, make careful -- but not extreme -- preparations, and keep yourself informed yet levelheaded, your kids will, too.

And if we'd stop letting our kids watch so much junk on TV, maybe more Americans could identify Japan on a map.

As for our millennium mommies, they're way too busy being excited at the prospect of having their babies to be worried about anything as trivial as the bug that could make the world stand still -- uh, just kidding.

Lee-Al repainted her whole house, including the baby's room, in preparation for the new arrival. And apart from a cold that had her a bit down for three weeks, she's excited and feeling good at nearing the end of her pregnancy: " Only five more weeks!!!! Yeah!!!" Yes, just a little bit of enthusiasm.

Connie is still hoping her baby will come a little early: "I had an ultrasound done on Friday which put Julianna at 35 weeks, 2 days, when my actual time was 34 weeks, 1 day. Hmmm... could I be so lucky??" We'll keep our fingers crossed, and the mommies will keep us posted!