tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18971425.post114719780868482424..comments2023-10-20T07:41:40.436-04:00Comments on Wayfarer Journal: These are SOOOO my children!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18070909646327061524noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18971425.post-1147352883263324402006-05-11T09:08:00.000-04:002006-05-11T09:08:00.000-04:00I'm very much looking forward to seeing how my gir...I'm very much looking forward to seeing how my girls change as they get older, and I know better than to try and predict how they'll turn out. In truth, really I don't want to know. It would sort of ruin the surprise.<BR/><BR/>I have the conversation about loving equally a lot more with my students than with my kids right now. I tell my students all the time, "Have I told you you're my FAVORITE student?" They, of course, say, "Pfft! You say that to all of your students!" and then they accuse me of being a liar. It takes some time to explain (and be understood) that the term "favorite" need not be considered an exclusive term. It can be used inclusively, as well. I can't tell them I love them (well, I do, but that carries its own caveats), but the concept is the same. They don't get it at first, either, but the positive effect is unequivocal, whether they do or not.Wayfarerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00763136440121937574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18971425.post-1147307337454227392006-05-10T20:28:00.000-04:002006-05-10T20:28:00.000-04:00You know what, though? For me, it was a deeply sp...You know what, though? For me, it was a deeply spiritual thing. The nurses handed me PunkinPie, and I said "WOW! Would you just LOOK at this gorgeous, amazing creature!" They handed me Beanie and I said "OH! It's YOU!" I just KNOW this child - she and I have been together before and we just fell into step as though we'd never been apart. <BR/><BR/>That is not to say that I love PunkinPie less than I love Beanie, though. PP called me on it once when she was about four: "Mommy," she complained, "you love Beanie more than me." <BR/><BR/>"No, I don't," I explained, "I love you the same, but different."<BR/><BR/>"Huh?"<BR/><BR/>So I went to the pantry and got out a couple of cans of tuna. One Starkist, one Chicken of the Sea (or something like that). Same size, same contents, different labels, and I asked her, "are these the same?"<BR/><BR/>"No."<BR/><BR/>"Are you sure, sure, sure? Look - they both say 'solid white tuna', right?"<BR/><BR/>"Yeah"<BR/><BR/>"And they both have 10.5 ounces in them, and they're both packed in water, right?"<BR/><BR/>"Yeah"<BR/><BR/>"So are they the same?" At this point, she was starting to get where I was going.<BR/><BR/>"OH!" she says, "They're the SAME, but DIFFERENT!"<BR/><BR/>Exactly. And now, whenever PunkinPie is feeling left out of that connection that Beanie and I have, all I have to say is "I love you like tuna" and she feels better, because it's true.Mrs. Chilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09814787474739856911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18971425.post-1147280877694770572006-05-10T13:07:00.000-04:002006-05-10T13:07:00.000-04:00Trust me, you have no clues as to what those two g...Trust me, you have no clues as to what those two girls are going to be like as 10 year-olds, much less as adults. We watched two boy children through their early years and if we could have done so would have bet big money on who they would be when they reached different ages. In some few cases we were close. In no case did we hit the nail square on the head...though we did occassionally hit the two boys on the head because they didn't add up to what we thought they should on a daily basis. In adulthood are they exact opposites to what they were at the ages of your two? Pretty close. Close enough to opposite so that I'm very glad I didn't bet any money on my expectations. Are they both good people? Yes, they truly are. One eats too much ice cream and one doesn't communicate well long distance, but hey, how big a deal is that?!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com