Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Lenten Promises
Nikki is really into Lent this year. At Mass on Ash Wednesday she kept coming up with more and more Lenten promises. Joe wanted to give up homework. Nikki however was really focused and had at least five things on her list, including saying one extra prayer a day for "kids who need it." She also decided to try and focus more on school work during her classes (fashion and friends are her usual school focus!.)
Anyway.....last night she and Jamie were arguing over a Monopoly game and both called Donnie up to referee their dispute. His solution is to have each kid state their case separately then he puts each in front of him and painstakingly goes over the fight point by point until there is agreement about the dispute. (Is it any wonder why they normally go to Momma to settle disagreements. Her decisions are usually arbitrary but at least its a quick and painless end to a dispute!)
They were stuck on one part of the fight and both kids were convinced that their personal side was the correct version. Donnie just sat and waited for them to come to agreement.
In desperation Nikki turned to Donnie and said, "I am telling the truth Dad you have to believe me. Honest."
Donnie waited in silence looking at his daughter's tear filled eye. Finally she blurted out, "Dad you have to know I am telling the truth. After all, I gave up lying for Lent!"
Now he did not actually laugh out loud to her face. But later as he related the tale to me he could not stop laughing.
Anyway.....last night she and Jamie were arguing over a Monopoly game and both called Donnie up to referee their dispute. His solution is to have each kid state their case separately then he puts each in front of him and painstakingly goes over the fight point by point until there is agreement about the dispute. (Is it any wonder why they normally go to Momma to settle disagreements. Her decisions are usually arbitrary but at least its a quick and painless end to a dispute!)
They were stuck on one part of the fight and both kids were convinced that their personal side was the correct version. Donnie just sat and waited for them to come to agreement.
In desperation Nikki turned to Donnie and said, "I am telling the truth Dad you have to believe me. Honest."
Donnie waited in silence looking at his daughter's tear filled eye. Finally she blurted out, "Dad you have to know I am telling the truth. After all, I gave up lying for Lent!"
Now he did not actually laugh out loud to her face. But later as he related the tale to me he could not stop laughing.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Next Article
It is February vacation for most of the little kids in Massachusetts this week. Do you remember what Feb. vacation was like? It certainly was no winter break down in Daytona or Cancun!
Most of your toys from Christmas were already broken. It was too cold to play outside. And if you had lots of winter gear, like sleds and ice skates, then your February vacation was just above freezing and not a snow flake in sight. (However if this was the year Santa brought inline roller skates and a bike, it was a frozen wasteland outside your door!)
But we are adults now and most of us give February vacation very little thought. We are in the full swing of spring semester. We have already had a test or paper due in this year’s courses. And perhaps we are thinking to our own March break where white sandy beaches and bottomless fruity drinks fill our imaginations.
Unless of course you happen to be both a student and a parent, then February vacation looms greatly in your mind! This week I am writing my Comment column while every neighborhood kid is at my house, yelling at the top of his or her lungs. Apparently I am the token at- home parent today. Too cold to be outside, my hallway has become a speedway and “good snacks” are already running low. (We all know “good snacks” are not the bowl of fruit on the counter. If it doesn’t crunch and come from a bag, if it doesn’t leave a chocolate stain around your mouth, it isn’t the “good” kind of snack!)
In the balancing act that is parenthood, one of the kids gets to come with me to classes this week. One child will be well behaved, two children are a gamble, and to bring the three youngest would threaten the stability of the campus.
Trust me I do not exaggerate. Have you ever seen a shark feeding frenzy? That is what three small children look like trying to get attention. Since I take psychology courses I am aware that young kids thrive on attention. Good or bad matters little to them!
It is a complicated thing to plan the backpack that I have to drag across campus this week. In addition to course books and notebooks, I need to make sure that I have crayons, drawing paper, and snacks that make no sound and leave no mark!
The last time I brought my daughter she was as quiet as a mouse. She spent most of the classes observing what all the girls were wearing. When you are ten, college fashion styles are what you daydream about.
But at one point she whispered to me during Statistics class, “Momma I have no idea what math the teacher is talking about.” The co-ed next to me whispered back, “Honey neither do I.” Both had a fit of the giggles and I tried to pretend I didn’t know either of them.
But when I sit next to my kids at the supper table, all of us working on homework, I am aware that this going back to school 25 years later has some unexpected benefits.
Children who think nothing of interrupting an important phone call or a moment of peace while I am in the shower, tip toe past while Momma is studying.
They ask how I did on my test, the youngest proudly hanging my B paper next to his A one on the fridge. He gives me a hug and reassures me that a B is good if I am trying my best.
I am glad that they have the opportunity to truly see that their Dad and I value an education. And I appreciate the smiles and friendly hellos my kids get from my fellow college classmates, as they tag-a-long behind me on campus.
February vacation is one loooong week for parents and kids alike. This week my kids get to be BSC students. They look at it as a great adventure. And they remind me- that so do I.
Most of your toys from Christmas were already broken. It was too cold to play outside. And if you had lots of winter gear, like sleds and ice skates, then your February vacation was just above freezing and not a snow flake in sight. (However if this was the year Santa brought inline roller skates and a bike, it was a frozen wasteland outside your door!)
But we are adults now and most of us give February vacation very little thought. We are in the full swing of spring semester. We have already had a test or paper due in this year’s courses. And perhaps we are thinking to our own March break where white sandy beaches and bottomless fruity drinks fill our imaginations.
Unless of course you happen to be both a student and a parent, then February vacation looms greatly in your mind! This week I am writing my Comment column while every neighborhood kid is at my house, yelling at the top of his or her lungs. Apparently I am the token at- home parent today. Too cold to be outside, my hallway has become a speedway and “good snacks” are already running low. (We all know “good snacks” are not the bowl of fruit on the counter. If it doesn’t crunch and come from a bag, if it doesn’t leave a chocolate stain around your mouth, it isn’t the “good” kind of snack!)
In the balancing act that is parenthood, one of the kids gets to come with me to classes this week. One child will be well behaved, two children are a gamble, and to bring the three youngest would threaten the stability of the campus.
Trust me I do not exaggerate. Have you ever seen a shark feeding frenzy? That is what three small children look like trying to get attention. Since I take psychology courses I am aware that young kids thrive on attention. Good or bad matters little to them!
It is a complicated thing to plan the backpack that I have to drag across campus this week. In addition to course books and notebooks, I need to make sure that I have crayons, drawing paper, and snacks that make no sound and leave no mark!
The last time I brought my daughter she was as quiet as a mouse. She spent most of the classes observing what all the girls were wearing. When you are ten, college fashion styles are what you daydream about.
But at one point she whispered to me during Statistics class, “Momma I have no idea what math the teacher is talking about.” The co-ed next to me whispered back, “Honey neither do I.” Both had a fit of the giggles and I tried to pretend I didn’t know either of them.
But when I sit next to my kids at the supper table, all of us working on homework, I am aware that this going back to school 25 years later has some unexpected benefits.
Children who think nothing of interrupting an important phone call or a moment of peace while I am in the shower, tip toe past while Momma is studying.
They ask how I did on my test, the youngest proudly hanging my B paper next to his A one on the fridge. He gives me a hug and reassures me that a B is good if I am trying my best.
I am glad that they have the opportunity to truly see that their Dad and I value an education. And I appreciate the smiles and friendly hellos my kids get from my fellow college classmates, as they tag-a-long behind me on campus.
February vacation is one loooong week for parents and kids alike. This week my kids get to be BSC students. They look at it as a great adventure. And they remind me- that so do I.
College paper Article
Well I do not know about the rest of you, but winter break flew by much too quickly! And now look we have already flown through the first two weeks of the new semester.
For me it’s my last hurrah. That’s right, this spring I graduate- finally. For those of you who think doing the five year plan is the long way to go through college- you are all just fine.
I began my Freshman year in the fall of 81 and will finish my Senior year in May of 07!
Not only will we be hosting a graduation party for this old rickety graduate, but my middle son graduates from high school and my eldest son from BSC as well! But before I start the partying I still have to get through this last challenging set of courses. And there are a few things I would like to do before I leave the BSC campus.
I want to make even better use of the library while I am still here. We have a gem of a library and the access to so much current research in my field. I am going to be a total book geek and read, read, read.
Next, I want to explore the campus’ career placement center and have a few long talks with both my advisor and department chair about the kinds of work to be found in my field. I have been working in human services for over 16 years, but there is still lots I do not know.
I am also going to volunteer again for a couple of research projects. Most psychological research is conducted in this country at colleges and universities and it’s a fun and free way to contribute to my field.
Then I am going to continue to write for The Comment and am going to branch out and try my hand at some news writing. After all there is a LOT that goes on here at BSC.
Also, I am still waiting to be invited to a frat party. I never went to one my first time through college and I am sure I am missing out on something great! I make great Jell-O shots and have a few terrific recipes for late night munchies.
So look for me around campus and say hi. These college years fly by so quickly and I intend to make the most of them. Care to join me?
For me it’s my last hurrah. That’s right, this spring I graduate- finally. For those of you who think doing the five year plan is the long way to go through college- you are all just fine.
I began my Freshman year in the fall of 81 and will finish my Senior year in May of 07!
Not only will we be hosting a graduation party for this old rickety graduate, but my middle son graduates from high school and my eldest son from BSC as well! But before I start the partying I still have to get through this last challenging set of courses. And there are a few things I would like to do before I leave the BSC campus.
I want to make even better use of the library while I am still here. We have a gem of a library and the access to so much current research in my field. I am going to be a total book geek and read, read, read.
Next, I want to explore the campus’ career placement center and have a few long talks with both my advisor and department chair about the kinds of work to be found in my field. I have been working in human services for over 16 years, but there is still lots I do not know.
I am also going to volunteer again for a couple of research projects. Most psychological research is conducted in this country at colleges and universities and it’s a fun and free way to contribute to my field.
Then I am going to continue to write for The Comment and am going to branch out and try my hand at some news writing. After all there is a LOT that goes on here at BSC.
Also, I am still waiting to be invited to a frat party. I never went to one my first time through college and I am sure I am missing out on something great! I make great Jell-O shots and have a few terrific recipes for late night munchies.
So look for me around campus and say hi. These college years fly by so quickly and I intend to make the most of them. Care to join me?
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