It takes a child to make the man
A poem
It takes a child to make the man
Dandelion seeds
land on our noses.
Slide down the hill,
check out our poses!
Wiping out in the mud,
Ribbon Bear laughs
at J's mouthful of slop
and S's tumbling flop.
Let's do it again!
all three of them yell,
it's obvious to tell
laughter and friendship
are innate and true
and watching these
. . .
Posted in: kid storiespoetryribbon bear
How my mom inspired me to be a writer
She fostered a love of reading and writing through her diary
Photo: Freeimages.com – Sue Anna Joe
When I was a kid, Mom encouraged me to keep a journal. "Aw, do I have to write?" I often complained.
She said I'd thank her as an adult.
My mother documented her experiences and viewed things from my kid perspective. The diary, sometimes written in the second person, was like a . . .
Dealing with the stigma surrounding lice
The critters are unsightly, but not a health hazard
Our family dealt with head lice for the first time, back in March. Lice are unsightly but don't carry disease. Other than a bit of scratching, they're harmless and don't pose a health hazard. But there is a stigma attached to them.
When we found the critters in our sons' hair, I admittedly was digusted.
I did a lot of . . .
I was exhausted after volunteering in my son's class
It's challenging to get a bunch of kids on the same page
"Dad, can you come in for our scientists workshop?" second-born asked.
"You want me there?" I queried.
"Yeah," he answered, with that smile of his, eyes scrunched.
"You know I can't come in all the time," I said, "now that I'm working."
"I know."
"But I can still come in once or twice, maybe."
He smiled.
. . .Posted in: schoolsciencesimple machines
How I'm coping with my sons' sibling rivalry
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
Newton's third law:
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
I use this as a reminder in coping with my sons' sibling rivalry. Usually, it starts over something silly (at least it seems that way to me). Whether it's a water bottle, soccer ball, video game, it doesn't matter. The argument is basically the same. . . .
Posted in: brothersemotionsempathysibling rivalry
Shutdown & Drummer Boy
Two poems
Shutdown
Shutdown
don't talk—
ignore the old man,
he's angry.
I deserve it,
just don't yell
at me anymore,
Dad
I cry cuz it
hurts my feelings
I annoy my brother
cuz it's so fun
I'm just a kid
brain not fully formed
don't expect me
to be an adult—
I'm just a kid,
just a kid
don't kid yourself;
think I'm doin'
pretty . . .
Posted in: poetry
After ten years, I finally reconnected with my long-lost friend
Life is not a good excuse for falling out of touch
I hadn’t seen my good friend in ten years. He moved over 4,000 kilometres away and we lost touch. Life kind of got in the way. So in July, 2016, we flew out to visit and reconnect.
We were greeted warmly at the airport. A pleasant surprise. If I knew they were waiting on us, I wouldn’t have dawdled with the kids . . .
Posted in: friendship