Unconventional Parenting

This is where our daughter would like to be fed:

 

 

And this is where she wishes she could be bathed:

 

 



If You Give a Mom a Steam Mop

If you give a mom a steam mop,

She'll remember that it has been so long

That she can't remember when she last mopped.

So that mom will go into the kitchen to get the mopping started.

But when she's in the kitchen,

The mom will notice that the dishwasher needs unloading.

So, she'll put her daughter in the high chair with an ice cream cone,

Sans the ice cream.

Then the mom will unload the dishwasher.

When she's done unloading the dishwasher,

 She'll notice that the sink is full of dirty dishes.

So she'll need to crank up the Glee on the CD player

and fill the dishwasher with all the dirty dishes.

When the dishwasher is full,

The mom will notice that not everything fits.

So she'll take her daughter out of the high chair

and put on her long purple gloves.

While the daughter dances to the music,

The mom will wash the non-dishwasher-safe pans

and the other stuff that didn't fit.

When the mom has placed all the clean dishes on a dish towel to dry,

She'll notice that floor needs sweeping.

So she'll move all the chairs out of the kitchen, and sweep that floor.

Sweeping the floor will remind her that the floor needs mopping.

She will use the steam mop you gave her to clean and then sanitize the floor.

And chances are, if you give a mom a steam mop,

She'll have a clean kitchen to go with it.

Wonder

"When given the choice between being right and being kind,
choose kind."  -Dr. Wayne Dyer

That quote is the theme running through the book, Wonder, by RJ Palacio, and is introduced to us by August's new teacher in school. I hope you took the time to read this moving piece of literature. It's a book that will make you take time to look at how you treat others, even when their differences aren't quite as glaring as her character, August Pullman.

 

August is an ordinary kid. He likes video games and hanging out with his friends. Inside, he is ordinary. Most of the time, he feels ordinary. But on the first glance, August isn't ordinary. He was born with a facial deformity. It may be described as grotesque; his skin looks as though it might have been melted like candle wax and he doesn't have outer ears. Because of this, he has had many major surgeries to help reconstruct some of the major issues. His parents thought it best to home school him so he would be able to have the recovery time he needed between surgeries without falling behind in his classes.

 

But now, August is 10 years old. His parents have decided that 5th grade is the time to start going to school. His parents enroll him at Beecher Prep, a private school in their neighborhood. August has seen the school, but he's still reasonably nervous. He takes an early tour of the school, guided by three students who will be in his home room class. He's not sure what to expect. Julian shows a nice face to the principal, but when the kids are alone, he acts like a jerk.  ____ is nice enough, but doesn't seem like she'll go out of her way to be friends with August. Jack Will, the third student, decides to take on this friendship, and since August and Jack are in several classes together, that makes it easier for them to get to know each other.

 

Palacio has taken the story and given us the voices of many of her characters. Rather than telling it in omniscient voice, knowing all thoughts and movements of each character, she has selected several characters that further August's story, and has given them each their own chapter, written in first person. I enjoyed this writing style because we could see the motivations behind some of the pivotal events in the story.

 

It may have surprised you that Julian does not have his own chapter. Palacio has said that she couldn't give a bully a platform or a chance to justify his dislike. I agree with this, because there is already enough hate and anger coming from Julian without allowing us to hear all the motivation behind his poisonous attitude.

 

One of the best chapters is Jack Will's chapter. He is a boy who was asked to do a favor for a stranger. This isn't an easy favor. The person he has to help is easily mocked, and people are afraid. I am glad we got to see the Jack work his way through the why behind his behavior. Why did he choose to help August? Why did he say mean things on Halloween when he didn't know August could hear him? Why did it hurt when August refused to talk to him? Why did he seek to regain that friendship?

 

I think we all have treated someone in an unkind manner. Jack was tired of being outcasted for making friends with someone who is different. But when he discovered how badly his words hurt, he realized that a friendship with someone like Julian is not worth the heartache it caused the friend who has always been genuine.

 

If you haven't already, read Wonder. Share it with your kids and then go explore R.J. Palacio's website about the book. You will be glad you did.

 

 

Return to the Book Club

I can't believe that it has honestly been three full months plus a little since my last post. Summer zoomed by almost faster than I've ever seen and we just had so much going on that I hardly sat at the computer. It's funny, though, I checked on a few of the blogs that I like to read, and was disappointed to find there were no new posts (and yet mine was sitting idle, too). I had so many written in my head. It's like my sister has said, too bad I don't have a USB port in my head. I could just plug a flash drive into my head, download all of my blog posts and plug it into the computer. Sadly, that's not a reality (although it would be really frightening if that could really happen.... reminds me of a Doctor Who episode...), so the blog posts that I wrote in my head remain there and not here. I have a running list, though, and if time allows it, I'll sit down and compose a few of them.

I am actually writing in a rare moment during nap time. My lovely daughter (the one you saw holding the banana for 3 months) rarely naps outside of my arms during the day (unless I can get her to fall asleep in the stroller, but now-a-days, stroller rides are much too exciting to sleep). But today, she allowed the transfer from my arms to her bed with nary a sigh. And so instead of sitting selfishly on the couch to watch TV read, I cleared out the kitchen and mopped. Then I finished loading the dishwasher and started it. And the little darling was still sleeping! So, I decided it was time for a return.

I am issuing a call out to my informal Book Club. Come one, come all (two of you), and join me in reading Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. This is a book about a boy named August, who simply cannot blend in, no matter how hard he tries. He was  born with a facial deformity, and even after multiple surgeries, he will never look "normal." He is ten years old, and he is starting school for the first time.

The book is broken up into sections, and each section is narrated by a different character. I love a book like this because you get all perspectives and you really get to know all the characters. It is an easy read, and I will be finished in a day or so. I'd love to have many of you read it and then comment along with me on my post next week.