Honor the Elderly

All too often, we see a wrinkled face, a bent back, a slow shuffling step, and we are quick to jump to conclusions about the person living in that body. We may not even be aware that we are falling into the easy trap of discounting a person's worth simply because their bodies, and sometimes their minds, have grown feeble with age. Let's remember that we all start as soft, tiny human beings, taking in the wonder of the world with new eyes. Years may change our outsides, but, within, we all carry the spirit that is ever ourselves throughout our entire lives.

If I ever find myself judging an elderly person for what they are no longer able to do, I try to picture them at their strongest, most vibrant age, and that helps me relate to them as a fellow human being, not just an "old person". Take time to engage an elderly person in conversation, and I promise, you will be the better for it. We have much to teach each other and much to learn. Will you find time in your life to honor the elderly?

Make Your Own Rules!

If you’re like most people, you probably have a word game or two sitting in a box somewhere in the dark corners of a closet. You know, the ones that have tiles with letters on them that you use to make words of varying point value? Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good, long game of Scrabble, or Boggle or any number of other similar games, but sometimes, you just don’t want to be so formal. Also, if you’ve got young children, like I do, these games are a bit over their heads.

I know that one of the most important things I can do as a mom is to foster a love of reading, learning and thinking in my children. And it’s no secret that making learning fun and game-like is the best way to do that. It’s also well-known that puzzles and critical thinking games develop their brains in a different way than do “non-thinking” games like tag or hide-and-go-seek.

One rainy day, we were hanging around the house, thinking of what we could do for fun. Nicholas found my box of Scrabble in the games cupboard and decided that he wanted to learn how to play. Well, at the time he was about 7 years old, and, while his vocabulary and spelling ability was well above the average for his age, I knew that he wasn’t quite ready for a full-fledged game.

So, I told him that I COULD teach him to play Scrabble, if that’s what he wanted, but I knew a SECRET way to play that was a lot more fun. That’s all I had to say and all three kids were jumping up and down, wanting to learn the secret game.

Go Climb a Tree

Every once in a while, Michael and I don’t quite see eye to eye.  Nothing unusual about that. Like most couples, we talk through the issues and come to a compromise. On the topic of child rearing, he tends to be a bit more overprotective than I am. Don’t get me wrong, I worry and fret about my babies’ emotional and physical well being just as much as he does, if not more. But, I know that part of my job as a mom is to prepare my children to function independently in a world that may be indifferent and even hostile at times.

After months of renovation work, we finally moved into our new house a couple of weeks ago. I love that we have plenty of room to spread out, and a yard full of lush greenery with magnificent trees. The kids love it, too. Especially the part about the trees.  And that’s where Michael and I disagree a bit.

He thinks that it’s far too dangerous for kids to climb trees. I say, let them climb. Is there a chance that they’ll fall and get a little scraped up? Sure. 

“What if they break an arm or a leg? What will you do then?” says Michael. 

That’s a bridge I’d rather not think about crossing. Of course, I’d be heartbroken, like any mother would be. My tears would flow more easily and with greater strength than my injured child’s. But we would get to a doctor, be fitted with a cast and learn to be more careful in the future.

I took an informal poll amongst my friends and was truly surprised at the differences of opinion. Then, I did a bit of searching on the Internet. It seems that the issue isn’t as straightforward as I had assumed. In my world, childhood equals playing in the dirt, climbing trees, scraping knees and going indoors only when the sun goes down.

But, for a lot of moms and dads – well, moms more than dads - the risks outweigh the advantages, it seems. I read about the hazards, the what-ifs and the keep-them-safe-at-all-costs opinions.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Recently, I watched in wonder as a boy of about 10 years rode a unicycle expertly down one of the streets in my neighborhood. He was obviously having a great time, gliding up and down driveways, tracing large circles on the sidewalk and generally looking about as comfortable on that one wheel as most people do hanging out in their favorite easy chair. When he looked up and saw me admiring him, his face beamed with pride and joy.  I called out, “You are really good at that!”

“Thank you!” He smiled and rode toward me.

“How long have you been riding?”

“Oh, not too long. I started practicing on my friend’s uni every day after school. I just got my own today.” As we spoke, he maintained his equilibrium by rolling back and forth a couple of feet in front

Happy Thanksgiving

Recently, I received an email with pictures of Hornero birds building their mud nests, complete with a windbreak to protect their eggs and young offspring. The amount of time and work involved in making these perfect little homes boggles my mind. But even beyond that, I am amazed at how the birds know just what to do. Clearly, there is silent and powerful knowledge passed down from one generation to the next, and it plays a substantial role in allowing the species to survive and to thrive.

We humans also pass on our accumulated knowledge to our young. Many times, we use words. But, much more often, we teach through our actions. When I was a child, I heard adults say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” And I thought it was the silliest thing I’d ever heard. If what they were telling me to do was so great, how come they weren’t doing it, too?

Roots and Wings

There’s a new-ish term I’ve been hearing a lot lately - helicopter parents. It refers to those parents, usually mothers, who hover over their children, scheduling every aspect of their lives, and going to extremes to shield them from disappointment and difficulty. No doubt about it, the mothers’ behavior stems from loving and wanting only the best for their children. I, too, share this desire, but my methods are a little different.

We know that exposure to germs in childhood helps strengthen the immune system and protects children from developing allergies and asthma. Ongoing studies are also suggesting that there is an age threshold to this building up of the immune system – lack of exposure during the early years can’t be compensated for in adulthood.

Waste Not, Want Not

I have a certain fondness for animals. Not just the cute and cuddly ones - I love them all. One of my favorites is the dung beetle. These prehistoric-looking little troopers spend their entire lives searching for, collecting, eating and living in dung. They even use it for reproducing. In fact, the beetle is so compelled by the odor of manure, he will fly up to 10 miles in search of just the right variety. Nature is a funny and surprising force, isn't it? If you've never seen a dung beetle rolling around his ball of waste, here's a little treat for you.

Like the beetle, people spend a lot of time pushing poo around.