Teach Your Children Well

In this time of big questions, political chaos and lack of understanding, I can take comfort and pride in the work I do as a Parent. Most days, that is. And I am continually inspired by the brave and selfless acts of parenting that I am fortunate enough to observe all around me every day.

-My friend Brooke has a 5 week old baby. She was searching out bold, graphic prints to encourage Lily to track. This will help her learn to appreciate books and learn to read later.

-My husband, who spends the morning caring for Eliza who is 23 months, sometimes forgets a spare diaper but always remembers a snack. And he takes her to the YMCA so he can work out, and Eliza spends a little while in the nursery with her "friends". When I ask him what they did he tells me that Eliza went to "see friends".

-Sawyer, who is 4, was riding with me to school the other day when NPR was reporting on the horrific realities of the war in Iraq. I didn't think he was listening, but he commented that "there was something scary on the radio" I chose to not give him too much information and rather to switch the channel to "Woopie Goldberg" where, I told him, they only talk about "funny things". Then he listened and learned about Stevia (the sugar alternative) and developed a (slightly bizarre) interest about why Stevia is healthier than sugar.

-My neighbor has a 6 year old boy. He likes to play with light sabers when the "force" moves him to do so. His mom has only 2 rules: 1) that he has fun and 2) that he is safe with them. She honors his interest in this kind of play and does not discourage him.

-My co-worker has a 12 year old and she packs her lunch for school in a lovely woven basket. Her little girl is a vegetarian so she makes sure she fixes her healthy alternatives and is tolerant and honest about eating meat or not eating meat. But when her daughter said that the basket didn't fit into her locker at school, my co-worker made a different plan and wasn't discouraged.

-A good friend of mine is the mother of a 16 year old boy and he has a girlfriend. One evening she bravely went up to his room with a banana and 2 condoms. He actually let her in the door!

-My dad, in my recent birthday card, wrote that "this is a year of growth" and that Dave and I have "the most pleasing fruits of that marriage" and that we are all "healthy, beautiful plants". And he also quoted Chauncey the Gardner saying, "Autumn will follow Summer, then Winter, then Spring. And the garden will grow according to its seasons."

Listen. Be honest. Be patient. Be clear in your expectations. Keep your promises. Kiss, Hug, Laugh. Admit when you make a mistake. Encourage creative expression and adventure.
Love like you've never loved before.