Kids Ain't Cheap

But They Sure Are Worth It

The North Wind and the Sun; an Aesop’s Fable

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A dispute once arose between the North Wind and the Sun over who was stronger, and they agreed that whoever could first make a Traveler remove his coat should be declared the victor.  The North Wind tried first and blew with all his might, but the stronger he blew, the closer the Traveler wrapped his cloak around him.  At last the North Wind called upon the Sun to see what he could do.  The Sun broke out of the clouds and dispersed the cold and wind, and the Traveler, feeling the genial warmth as the Sun became hotter and hotter, sat down and cast his coat upon the ground.

Persuasion is better than force.  The sunshine of a kind and gentle manner will sooner lay upon a poor man’s heart than all the threats of blustering authority.

Fable of the Wind and the Sun

How would you use this fable to teach your children?

The Flies and the Honey Pot; An Aesop’s Fable

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After a jar of honey was upset in a housekeeper’s room, a number of Flies were attracted by its sweetness and ate greedily.  Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey that they could not release themselves and were suffocated.  Just as they were dying, they exclaimed, “Oh, we are foolish creatures – for the sake of a little pleasure we have thrown away our lives!”

Pleasure sometimes brings pain.

This fable really hit home with me.  If you have been following my posts over the last couple of weeks you might now that I have been working very hard to lose weight and get into better shape.  I really enjoy good food and good craft beer but eating and drinking whatever you want comes at a cost.

The flies and the honepot

How would you use this this fable to teach your children?

When It’s Time to Pause.

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Rosie the Riviter as a single mom

Image by WILPF

It has been an extremely tiring week.  I had to work for 12 straight, full days so I am exhausted. And, as all parents know, work does not really stop when you leave the office.  There are tons still to do at home, albeit more enjoyable, with the family.  I hope and pray that I’ve been patient and understanding these past few days and that I have been an agreeable mom.  I hope that I have done better catching up at home than I have with all my other tasks.

I bumped into these two poems online and thought they were inspirational.  Well, they made me feel a bit better.  Here the are:

Ode to a Single Mom by Tamara Sue Appleman

She’s fixer of sinks and drier of tears; Anxious, yet valiant allayer of fears.
She works a full day Commutes home, and then she works another full-time job, again.

She’s master accountant. And counselor, too. She sets aside worries to listen to you.

There’s laundry and cooking and cleaning to do. Homework, then bathtime A story or two.

She’s finder of toys. And righter of wrongs. She’s busy. She’s tired. She’s lonely. She’s strong.

When the day is done, The kids safely in bed, No energy’s left for the thoughts in her head.

She turns them all off along with the lights. Crawls under covers – Gives in to the night.

Before the rise of the sun. She be up and back to it. There’s no other option. No one else to do it.

If you, too, know this woman (she goes by many names), Applaud her, she belongs to no ascribed hall of fame.

But a tacit sisterhood, Arduous like no other, Of extraordinary women. Also know as Single Mothers.

And another one by an anonymous author:

This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Meyer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, “It’s OK honey, Mommy’s here.” when they keep crying and won’t stop.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON’T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they’ll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for all the mothers who froze their buns off on metal bleachers at football or soccer games Friday night instead of watching from cars, so that when their kids asked, “Did you see me?” they could say, “Of course, I wouldn’t have missed it for the World,” and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet like a tired 2-year old who wants ice cream before dinner.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn’t. For all the mothers who read “Goodnight, Moon” twice a night for a year. And then read it again. “Just one more time.”

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead. This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls ” Mom ?” in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they’d be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can’t find the words to reach them. For all the mothers who bite their lips sometimes until they bleed–when their 14 -year olds dye their hair green.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying? For all the mothers of the victims of all these school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the Survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children’s graves. This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, Mothers without.

…being a mom is tough but it is something I would never change.

I will be better next week.

Where do you find inspiration when you are felling down?

 

The Old Hound; An Aesop Fable

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A Hound who had been excellent in his youth became worn out with the weight of years and injuries.  One day, while hunting a Wild Boar, he seized the creature’s ear but could not hold on because of the decline of his teeth.  The Boar escaped and the Hound’s master was very disappointed.  As the man was berating the Hound, the dog looked up and said, “Spare me.  It was my power, not my will, that failed.  Remember what I was, rather than abuse me for what I am.”

No one should be blamed for their infirmities.

The old hound

Image on DeviantArt

How would you use this fable to teach your children?

Some Books My Kids Love

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Books kids will loveOK, I love reading.  I love words and stories.  I love it so much I studied it in University and I teach it today.  So I want my kids to discover the glorious beauty of words and the wonderful things these can make your imagination do.  I try to make them love books, and stories, and reading by reading to them whenever I can.  Here are some of the books my kids love.

1. I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

This was actually a Christmas gift to me by a dear, dear friend a year ago and now it’s one of the mommy-and-kids bonding books.  The story starts with a son who is just born and continues through his toddler years, his teen years, and even on to when he is a grown man.  The mother sings to him every night:  “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.”  My kids love this book. They love the story and love seeing parallels between the boy in the book and themselves.  This is true for my daughter as well even if the baby in the story is a boy.  It helps that they love music and singing too and that I sing the lullaby part to them as well.  It is a great way to express the love a mom has for her kids and vice versa.  I must say, I cried while reading this to them the first few times.  Amazon currently sells it for $5.95, you can find it here

2. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

This is a simple story about the relationship between a boy and a tree.  The tree loves the boy very much and gives him everything, even  allowing the boy to cut him down to be used to build a boat.  The boy comes back to the stump later when he is old and chooses to sit and be quiet with the tree who still loves him so.  I know, it sounds kinda depressing, and kinda selfish.  But I love the part about giving because you love the person. This is what I focus on with my kids especially emphasizing them giving to each other as brother and sister.  Amazon is selling it for $12.23, you can find it here

3.  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

This was a children’s book I knew nothing about until I took a Children’s Lit class in University.  I have loved it ever since. It is the story of a boy, Max, who flies into a tantrum and is sent to bed without his supper by his mom.  In his room, he imagines a  wild forest and sea and sails to the land of the Wild Things.  There he becomes king and does anything he want.  But he soon becomes homesick and so goes home, back to his bedroom, where he finds his supper waiting for him, still hot.  I love how this book deals with anger and how it shows that tantrums aren’t good and that at the end of the day, you can always come home to your parents who love you and to a safe and comforting place.  It helps too that there is a movie about this book!  Amazon is currently selling it for $10.82, you can find it here

So, these are the top three books of the moment.  I know these will change as I stumble upon newly remembered books of childhood years past.

What are your favorite children’s books?

The Kite and the Pigeons; An Aesop’s Fable

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Some Pigeons, terrified by the appearance of a Kite, called upon the Hawk to defend them.  He agreed at once.  When they had admitted the Hawk into their coop, they found that he killed a larger number of them in one day then the Kite could injure in a whole year.

Avoid solutions that are worse than the problem.

The Kite and the Pigeons

Image on Fotopedia

How would you use this fable to teach your children?

The Bowman and The Lion, an Aesop’s Fable

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A very skillful Bowman went up into the mountains to hunt.  All the animals of the forest ran at his approach; only the Lion challenged him to fight.  “Stop,” said the Bowman to the Lion.  “Here is my messenger, who has something to say to you,” and then he let fly an arrow.  The Lion, wounded in the side, rushed away in terror.  When he met a Fox who chided him for lack of courage, the Lion replied, “If the man sends so fearful a messenger , what will be the power of the man himself?”

Be on guard from those who can strike at you from far away, whether that strike is physical or something else entirely.

Bowman and the Lion

Image from Briarpress.org

How would you use this fable to teach your children?

Review of Owly Volume 1 by Andy Runton

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Owly Volume 1As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have loved and enjoyed comic books for most of my life. Most people that have never been truly exposed to the medium lump them all into one category, childish superhero fantasy.  While I am a big fan of superhero comics and find most modern superhero comics to be anything but childish, the point of this review is to show you that the medium of comics can and does tell a wide variety of stories.

Comics, in the simplest terms, are stories told with both writing and art.  They cover a huge variety of genres and are aimed at an equally wide number of audiences and age groups.   Owly is an independent comic book that is both written and drawn by Andy Runton.  There is very little text in Owly.  Mr. Runton uses expressive imagery to tell very emotional and heart warming stories.

Who is Owly?

Owly vol 1 is the first comic book I bought for my children.  Harrison was 3 and Sean was 1.  Both were too young for it but they have grown into it since.  Owly is not in the typical comic book format, it is shaped more like a standard book and much thicker than a comic.  The first volume includes two stories: The Way Home and The Bittersweet Summer.  Owly is an adorable owl who knows what it means to be human.  He is a reflection of the sweet and innocent child in all of us.  In the first story, Owly is lonely and in search of a friend.  He is misunderstood by the other animals around him but he perseveres and in the end he learns the meaning of friendship.  In the second story, Owly needs to learn how to let go but he also learns that goodbyes aren’t always forever.  Both stories teach a valuable life lesson to children.

As I mentioned previously, there is very little writing in Owly, it’s done almost entirely in black and white pictures but that is the beauty of it.  The art is so expressive that it’s easy to take your child through the story and talk about what is going on in the panels.  The book also allows your little one to express himself through the images, to create his own dialogue and explain to you what is going on.  It let’s them use their imagination to tell a story that matches up with the images in front of them.  My wife had a hard time with this book at first.  The first part of the first story is heart wrenching, poor little Owly just wants to be friends but is rejected at every turn in the beginning.  The art is so expressive it nearly brought her to tears the first time.

If you can’t already tell, I highly recommend Owly.  I reviewed vol 1 simply because it’s a good starting point but there are 5 volumes that I know of.  Owly is published by Top Shelf comics and may be available via your local comic book store.  If you can’t find it locally, Amazon has it at a great price.  Check it out for yourself at Owly Vol 1.

The Wolf and the Sheep, an Aesop’s Fable

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A Wolf, sorely wounded by dogs, lay recovering in his lair.  Being in want of food, he asked a Sheep who was passing by to fetch some water from a nearby stream.  “If you will bring me drink,” he said, “I will find meat myself.” “No doubt,” said the Sheep, “If I should bring you the drink, you would make mince-meat out of me.”

The moral of the story?  Hypocritical speeches are easily seen through.

The Wolf and the Sheep

How would you use this fable to teach your children?

The Fox and the Grapes, an Aesop’s Fable

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“A hungry Fox saw some clusters of ripe grapes hanging from a trellised vine.  She resorted to all her tricks to get at them, but she could not reach them and tired herself out. At last she turned away, muttering to herself, “Well, who cares? I’m sure the grapes are sour anyway”

This fable is actually where we get the often used term “sour grapes” from.  The fable is a popular example of Cognitive Dissonance, once of the most studied theories in social psychology.  I am no psychologist nor have I studied social psychology so my insight into this concept is limited but basically, what I believe it means, is the rationalization of something in order to deal with two conflicting ideas.  In this case the fox’s conflicting ideas are that he wants the grapes AND doesn’t want the grapes since they are probably sour anyway.

How often do you see this kind of activity in your life.  I know I have done it myself and I know that I see my kids react this way if they aren’t able to complete a task they were originally excited to tackle.  It seems almost like a natural defense mechanism, a way to convince yourself that it’s okay to not have accomplished what you set out to accomplish because it was never really worth while anyway.

The Fox and the Grapes

Found on Pixabay

How would you use this fable to teach your children?