Teaching Children

Here’s an interesting quote, which I came across quite by accident:

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)

Even without ever seeing this quote before, I think I raised both my daughters with this philosophy in mind. Maybe that’s why one of them once thought the capital of the United States was England. LOL.

One daughter teaches third grade students and the other prosecutes juvenile delinquents. Yet, each in their own way, is working to make the world worthy of its children.

But one thing scares me. It seems that one of my daughters has taken up boxing at her gym. I hope it’s only for defensive purposes!

Senior Citizens

Someone e-mailed the following to me and I thought I would share it. Normally I would just e-mail it to friends, but if I'm not violating protocol, I'm posting it here. I think it speaks for our generation, much like Billy Joel's "We didn't start the fire" and I wish I had written it.

Here is the e-mail:

Hi ah,....Hummm let me think ,...why did I send you this......don't tell me it's coming to me.....Oh yeah....Senior citizens are constantly being criticized for every conceivable deficiency of the modern world, real or imaginary. We know we take responsibility for all we have done and do not blame others.HOWEVER, upon reflection, we would like to point out that it was NOT the senior citizens who took:
The melody out of music,
The pride out of appearance,
The courtesy out of driving,
The romance out of love,
The commitment out of marriage,
The responsibility out of parenthood,
The togetherness out of the family,
The learning out of education,
The service out of patriotism,
The Golden Rule from rulers,
The nativity scene out of cities,
The civility out of behavior,
The refinement out of language,
The dedication out of employment,
The prudence out of spending,
The ambition out of achievement, or,
God out of government and school.

And we certainly are NOT the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships and interactions with others!!And, we do understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who have fought and died for our country.Does anyone under the age of 50 know the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner? Just look at the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts as they stand at attention, on veterans day and our great country's birthday .

YES, I'M A SENIOR CITIZEN!

I'm the life of the party...... even if it lasts until 8 p.m.I'm very good at opening childproof caps... with a hammer.I'm usually interested in going home before I get to where I am going. I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up.I'm smiling all the time because I can't hear a thing you're saying. I'm very good at telling stories; over and over and over and over... I'm aware that other people's grandchildren are not nearly as cute as mine. I'm so cared for --- long term care, eye care, private care, dental care.I'm not really grouchy,I just don't like traffic, waiting, crowds, lawyers, loud music, unruly kids, Jenny Craig and Toyota commercials, barking dogs, politicians and a few other things I can't seem to remember right now.I'm sure everything I can't find is in a safe secure place, somewhere.I'm wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that's just my left leg.I'm having trouble remembering simple words like.......I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.I'm sure they are making adults much younger these days, and when did they let kids become policemen?I'm wondering, if you're only as old as you feel, how could I be alive at 150?And, how can my kids be older than I feel sometimes?I'm a walking storeroom of facts..... I've just lost the key to the storeroom door.

Yes, I'm a SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of my life!

Now if I could only remember who sent this to me, I wouldn't send it back to them, but I would send it to many more!Now- Have I already sent this to you???????If so, I'll try not to do it again (for a while.)

Protecting our children?

The other day I was browsing in a store and came upon the CD section. One jewel case in particular caught my attention. Not because of the title or artist – I had never heard of either – but because of the sticker affixed to the outside. It read: PARENTAL ADVISORY.

I had heard of these warning labels, which I think came about when Tipper Gore campaigned to have the recording industry notify parents of material which they might find objectionable for their children. Nothing wrong with that, as long as it doesn’t interfere with free speech. But this particular Parental Advisory Label struck me as odd. Underneath the bold letters were slightly smaller letters indicating the type of potentially objectionable material.

There were only two words. The words were not “sexually explicit” or “violent language” as one might expect. The words were: “Christian Lyrics.”

Now I can understand that some atheists, like the late Madeline Murray O’Hare, might not want their children to hear such dangerous lyrics, for fear that they might come under some cult-like spell. But I have to wonder what our founding fathers would have thought of this warning label when they indicated we were one nation, under God.

As Walt Kelly wrote in the comic strip POGO, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”