Things to Dough
Seven-year-old Mary Ashley burst through the door yesterday after school to report that she could not believe what she overheard at school. Some of her second-grade classmates actually said they do not like to play with Play-Doh anymore. Shocked at this revelation, Mary Ashley said she asked in disbelief, "You don't even like to play with [dowch]?"
"Douch?" I asked.
"You know, that stuff you gave to your VBS class."
(That would be dough.)
The New Classics
As a little boy, Carson loved books. At 1, I can remember him toddling into my bedroom first thing in the morning with a stack of books. And with just the two of us at home, we could snuggle up in our pajamas and read 20 books before breakfast.
With so much one-on-one reading time in his younger years, it surprises me that Carson's enthusiasm for reading waned as he got older. By fourth grade, it seemed I nearly had to push his nose into a book.
But finally, last year in sixth grade he discovered a series of classic books that he couldn't put down. "Mom!" he exclaimed proudly. "I read a book that was so good! It is really old, but maybe you have hear of it. It's called Gilligan's Travels."
Bath Time Bobbles
School nights almost always include bath time. Awhile back Emma inquired about a loofah I had tucked into a basket beside our tub. I explained that the rough texture sloughs off dead skin cells, so grown-ups sometimes use a loofah to freshen their skin when they bathe. She eyed it with interest but didn't say anything. A few weeks later I left her soaking in the tub for a few minutes. When I returned to bathe her, she pointed to the loofah and whispered, "Mommy, I used that, but it didn't work. I waited, but it didn't make me grow any new skin."
Justice Served
A new school year means another round of competitions for Joe as Director of Trial Advocacy for Faulkner Law. During his rigorous travel schedule, he can't help but remember taking son Christian on one of his trips years ago. Just 3 years old at the time, Christian was remarkably patient through lengthy coaches meetings, team practices and dinners out. Joe was so proud of his big boy and marvelled at his patience throughout the weekend. Father and son sat quietly together on a bench outside the courtroom during a trial, until finally Christian broke the silence: "Daddy, how much longer are we going to be in time out?"
