College Kids These Days

An observation about college kids these days, in 100 or fewer words:

My college students discuss matters of civic engagement in one of our public speaking classes. One student starts, with uttermost sincerity, "Back in the late nineteen hundreds...."

I hear nothing he says beyond these opening six words.

Back in the late nineteen hundreds? Did you really just say, "Back in the late 1900's," as if I wasn't graduating high school and finishing 7 of my 8 college semesters, and listening to homemade mixed tapes and burnt CD's, and watching Keanu Reeves save Sandra Bullock in Speed during this very time span?

And, yes. He really just said that.

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Short and Sweet: Fill the Gaps

A lesson on community, in 100 or fewer words:

One evening last week, I received an email asking if anyone could cover classes for a colleague whose son had an accident.  Since I had no obligations during one slot, I immediately replied yes.  Others did the same.  Within no time, her classes were covered.

The next day, a neighbor called with news of her father's failing health.  She'd need to travel abroad to visit him, and we arranged what days I'd watch her daughter during her trip.

Because this is what community does. It finds one aspect of a hard situation and makes it better.  It fills the gaps.

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Short and Sweet: Forgetfulness

A lesson on forgetfulness in 100 or fewer words:

My husband tells me about an article he read on memory.  "Being forgetful is actually a sign of intelligence," he says.

I suspect the article is making this up to make us feel better about ourselves, but he continues. "Your brain can't retain every detail, so you discard unessential information.  Then you can have greater focus on the important things."

I admit, it makes sense.  And later in the evening when I opened the refrigerator and stand there, unsure why I had just opened the refrigerator, I have one thought:

I'm a genius.

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Short and Sweet: Observations from a Water Park

Short and Sweet: observations from an indoor water park, in 100 or fewer words.

It's Spring Break, and my husband and I have taken our children to an indoor water park for the day. Today's water-sliding and wave-pool-swimming experiences not only have forced me to confront the ironic fact that I really don't like to be wet for extended periods, but it's also given me an opportunity to observe lots of people.  I've come to two conclusions:

First, there are people who, despite all odds, can look good at a water park.  Second, I am not one of them.

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Short and Sweet: True Love

Short and Sweet: a real life example of true love, in 100 or fewer words. 

That moment when you mention to your husband that you'd like to hang a heavy mirror, meaning that you'd actually like him to hang the mirror, but once it's hung, you realize that it's 4 or 5 inches higher than you'd like it to be, and despite the fact you know he's thinking that your decorating sensibilities are entirely too precise, he lowers the mirror.

Exactly 4.5 inches lower.

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Short and Sweet: That Can't Be Real....

Short and Sweet: What I'm really thinking today, in 100 or fewer words.

Have you ever looked at a word for so long that you no longer were sure whether it was an actual word or you had just made it up?

I'm hoping that some of you just nodded yes.  If you did, please let me chime in, me too.

That is all for now.  Carry on.

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Short and Sweet: We Could Have Picked a Shorter Name

Practical reflections from a mother approaching Valentine's Day in 100 or fewer words:

Never once have I regretted the names we selected for our three children.  Notwithstanding my obvious bias, I'm entirely convinced that my husband and I did a smashing job with this task.  We're top-notch, grade-A, highly skilled child namers. 

That being said, today would be a good day to mention that selecting a ten-letter name for your kid has its drawbacks when that child is four and needs to print her name repeatedly on valentines.

Image compliments of Ken Douglas (flickr.com)

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Short and Sweet: Liking Easter More

Why we obviously still need to be teaching our children about the signifiance of Easter in 100 or fewer words:

My four-year-old speaks from the back seat.  "Mom, I like Easter even more than I like Christmas."

In an instant my mind riffs off of her proclamation in self-congratulation.  Take a look at that!  She's getting it!  Here's a child who understands the significance of such a holy day.  Rebirth!  New life!  An empty tomb!  Overcoming sin and death!  Now we're cooking!

I check myself just long enough to ask a question.  "That's great, honey.  Why do you like Easter better?"

"You know, because of the leprechauns."

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Short and Sweet: Come Together

An observation on seizing the moment in 100 or fewer words:

Sometimes, the absolute best thing to do is to drop everything, pile into the bottom bunk with your kids, and be close -- so close that someone's knee connects with your head, so close that the ticklish child is in hysterics from being nudged, so close that the blanket is tugged back and forth and pillows are shared.

It's good to come so close together that our lives and conversation and time can't help but to be entwined.

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Short and Sweet: Vegetables

Why I need to teach my children more about basic nutrition in 100 or fewer words: 

We're driving to soccer practice and Reese is telling Brooke all about school lunches.  "They make you take a vegetable every time that you buy a lunch.  Every time!"

Brooke reflects on this for a moment before weighing in.  "That's okay.  There are only three vegetables that I don't like."

"Which ones?" I ask.

Without flinching she reports back to me, sounding mildly amazed that I don't already have this knowledge tucked away in my memory.

"Celery, stuffing, and grass."

Come to think of it, I don't like those vegetables much, either.

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Short and Sweet: Cutting to the Chase

How a four-year-old distills information to the most necessary point in 100 or fewer words:

We're visiting the pool for the first time this summer, and I seize the opportunity to pepper the girls with instructions as we cross the parking lot.  I see the moment as a preemptive strike, my thirty seconds when I can cram all advice on proper swimming behavior and water safety into their minds.

"What are some rules that we need to remember when we're at the pool, girls?" I begin.

My four-year-old responds immediately.  "Don't drown."

The child knows how to cut to the chase, doesn't she?


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Short and Sweet: When Letters Form Real Words

A story about what happens when random letters come together to create actual words in 100 or fewer words:

Brooke is fascinated that letters form words when combined.  She'll rattle off a string of letters and ask what she spelled.

Normally, it's jibberish -- some combination of nine consonants and no vowels like "Ygrjvslhv," which I'm quite certain means nothing but is likely a name in Serbian-Cyrillic. 

It doesn't spell anything.  It's not a word; you made it up.

Then she gets me.  "B-O-N-G.  What does that spell, Mom?"

I pause.  "It spells 'bong.'"

She looks at me.  "Bong?  Bong!  That's silly.  Now that's a made-up word."

I look at her, smile, and offer only one response.

"Yep."

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Short and Sweet: Cleaning Advice

A post about cleaning in 100 or fewer words:

While wiping down your kitchen table after a meal, have you ever knelt down beside it and inspected its underside?  I just did.  My advice to you is this:

Don't.


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Short and Sweet: Sisterly Love

A short and sweet post on the love between siblings in 100 or fewer words:

Instigating.  Irritating.  Aggravating.  Pushing buttons.  It's still morning and my two oldest already have demonstrated mastery in these areas.

I scrutinize them from across the table and concoct a plan to turn the tide.  "Girls, you can't act this way.  You each need say something that you like about one another."

They sit for one moment in silence.

Brooke begins, "I like it when you don't hit me."

Reese finishes, "And I like it when you play in the other room."

No one will accuse us of setting the bar too high today.

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Short and Sweet: Eyewitness Reporting

An accurate eyewitness report in 100 or fewer words:

My nephew spends one afternoon a week at our house.  From the other room, I listened as he and my two youngest daughters played.  Their game was spontaneous, shifting quickly as they created new scenarios.  The floor was lava.  The pillows were safe.  The goal -- I heard -- was to jump.

Then I heard the thud.  Then I heard the crying.  I ran into the room as Kerrington picked herself off the ground.

Settling her onto my lap, I looked at the older kids for more information.  "What did she hit?" I asked.

My nephew pointed downward.  "The floor."

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Short and Sweet: A Bad Winter

Redefining "bad winter" in 100 or fewer words:

"Why has this winter been so bad?" Reese asks as she kicks at the ground with her foot while we wait for the school bus.

Based on the first few words out of my mouth, it's so evident that I'm filtering her question through the lens of adulthood, not the lens of a first grader.

Bad?  What's been bad about this winter?  Despite a few notably cold stretches, it's been relatively mild.  There have been no snow days to make up.  We've never needed to run the snow blower.  Why, I've hardly had to shovel.

Reese looks at me when I finish my list.

"See?  I told you it's been a bad winter. "

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Short and Sweet: Terms of Affection

A short and sweet (100 or fewer words) observation from today's dinner preparation:

I'm cooking dinner with the help of the girls, which means that the process is taking significantly longer than it ought to in a messy, beautiful way.

With intense concentration, Reese stirs the contents of the skillet. "Good job, baby," I announce as I watch her work before turning my attention to my prep on the island.

"Mommy, Reese is not a baby. She's bigger than me, and I'm not a baby," Brooke explains.

Before I can respond, Reese jumps to my defense. "It's okay, Brooke. Mommy can call me a baby because she's bigger than me. She told me once that it's a term of infection."

Consider my children infected.

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Short and Sweet: Knowing Who You Are

How I know my three-year-old has a solid sense of self in 100 or fewer words:

Each girl is entirely dolled up.  Reese prances in her leotard, pink tights, and ballet shoes.  Kerrington wears a tutu over her everyday clothes, repeatedly spinning in a circle until she falls to the floor from dizziness.  Brooke wears a bedazzled play dress, pulls high satiny gloves to her elbows, and places a jeweled crown on her head.

A visitor arrives at the door and spots Brooke.  "Why, hello little princess!"

"Hello, but I am not a princess." she corrects him.  "I am a mosquito."  She pauses for just a moment before clinching it.  "Look out. I sting."

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Short and Sweet: Two Types

An observation in 100 of fewer words:

In the most basic sense, there are two types of people in the world.  Type One makes the bed faithfully every morning.  By chance, if they ever noticed that their bed somehow remained unmade later in the day, they'd still be compelled to make it before sleeping in it -- even if they were going to bed in less than an hour.

Type Two does not and would not.

Inevitably, Type One's and Type Two's marry each other.

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Short and Sweet: Honesty

An honest exchange with my three-year-old in 100 or fewer words:

Even though Brooke no longer naps, she still spends quiet time in her bedroom in the afternoon.  Today I tucked in Kerrington and then led Brooke to her room and pulled out several toys.

"Brooke, if you get tired, you can lay down on your bed to rest.  Otherwise, it's quiet time for you to play."

She looked thoughtful.  "Mommy, I think I like loud time better.  You know, not quiet time.  Noisy time."

Yes, Brooke, I know.  I know.


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