Friday, March 16, 2012

Kids Just Want to Dance!

That I had to confirm I was 18 years of age or older in order to watch the video was clue number one.  LMFAO's video of the song, "Sexy and I Know It," has explicit content and requires parental control.

Ok, I'm over 18. Heck, I'm the parent! So I double-clicked, then watched and listened.

"I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it," repeats the refrain. "I pimp to the beat." "Ah, girl look at that body." And so forth. Wow, I think to myself, these lyrics ARE explicit. Then the camera zooms and my vision fills with wiggling penises. Seriously?! The more I watched the more confused I became.

Why is my 7-year old daughter singing LMFAO music and practicing the wiggle dance AT SCHOOL?

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Imagery of Work


The kids and I sit on the living room floor searching old print magazines for their individual classroom assignments when Magda asks, “What do humans need to survive Momma?”

“Ah, water. Food. Hmm, why are you asking?” I mutter while flipping the pages of Mary Jane Farm scouring images for pigs, pies, or anything that begins with the letter, P –TT’s kindergarten class’s letter of the week.

Magda elaborates, “Miss Debra says we should bring in pictures of things humans need every day. I know we need water already Momma. But...here! Do we need cell phones?” she asks excitedly.

“Ah, no dear, we do not need cell phones to exist.” Surprised that she suggested a mobile is requisite for life on Earth, I add, “Grandpa Chuck doesn’t have a cell phone and he’s very much alive.” 'Though he might be the only person I know without one.' I think to myself.

“What about vegetables or fruit?” I suggest.

“Those are too easy Momma. Ah, TT! Here! I found a picture for you—a man in a suit—it’s a “Person”!” she announces enthusiastically while ripping the page from its glue.

He smiles and proceeds to cut the man, ah person, out with scissors.

“I got it! We need WORK! Here are TWO pictures of work Momma!”

Friday, January 27, 2012

A Mother's Work


Just when I thought drop-off couldn’t get worse, it did, today. This morning began with TT’s pleas for staying home from school, with a few doses of ‘my stomach’ hurts thrown in for good measure. The defiance continued when he wouldn’t put his shoes on, so I carried him to the car with shoes in hand.

The pleading even wore Magda down. She insisted that I "just" take TT to the Helix office with me today so no one would have to "listen to this whining" anymore.

A part of me was tempted to keep him by my side for the duration of the day. I’ve taken him to work with me many times prior. Heck, I thought, ‘What’s one day of ‘skipping school’ going to hurt?’

A lot, actually.

As novelist, Dorthy Canfield Fisher once said, “A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.”

I was not going to help him by being a conspirator in truancy.
Montessori Spindles--thanks to 54Mama for the pic!
Instead, I need to help him by inspiring a love of learning, and letting him experience the resultant feelings of achievement that come from doing good work.

And he is poised to do just so at the Montessori both of our kids attend. Maybe if I told TT that the inventor of “The Sims” videogame, Will Wright, was not only Montessori taught, he attributes his success to the Montessori method. (TT does not know of The Sims game; Sonic is his game of choice) Heck, the mere discussion around gaming designers might peak his interest in school again.

To be sure, TT displays more electronic prowess than I have ever had in all my years of computer work combined. And part of that prowess comes simply from exploring buttons or tabs that I would never double click for fear of the unknown. He has no fear of trying and retrying and retrying again on a computer, DSI, or Wii. He simply figures out the solution through trial and error. He acts. He creates. He innovates. When he’s plugged in. And when he’s assembling or “upgrading” his Beyblades. Or when he’s doing origami.

Hmm, as I write this post, I realize that my son IS learning to love learning, more so of course when he’s interested in the subject matter. But, in saying so, the quandary of ‘school refusal’ remains...











Thursday, January 26, 2012

Parenting as a Cliff Hanger


Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach, CA

Cliffs can be scary. We are vulnerable at the edge. All senses are heightened. We can hear our crying echo. We can feel the weightlessness below. And the drop may seem endless—with no branches, grass, or parachutes to catch our seemingly inevitable fall. 

I need to talk my son off his metaphorical cliff—a newly developed fear of school.