Sense cannot be made, it is something that must be sensed.

As a parent I struggle.  I struggle with how to discipline by little boy when he doesn't listen. I struggle with getting him to eat something other than a hotdog. I struggle with not becoming my parents. One of my struggles is with consciously trying not to be an overbearing, hovering, over-protective parent. I want my child to learn at a young age to be independent. I want him to learn how the world works and to enjoy himself.

I usually think about this when I see the 5 or 6 cars parked at the middle school bus stop in my cul-de-sacish suburban neighborhood. I think about the fact that I stood at the bus stop without adult supervision starting the 2nd day of kindergarten and how ridiculous it is that the mini-van brigade is hovering over their children for the 10-15 minute wait for the bus to come.  But today I am struggling with this because a man recently entered an elementary school and popped off 100 rounds mostly in a kindergarten classroom killing 26, 20 of which were children before turning the gun on himself.

Usually I cannot relate to those parents, hovering over their children like sheep herders. Usually I dismiss their actions as over-protective parents who want to shield their children from everything. But today as I type this all I want to do is hold my son close and tell him that nothing will ever hurt him. I want nothing more than to shield him from everything, lock him in a room and snuggle and read books all day. But I know I can't.

I cannot imagine what the parents of those 20 dead children in Connecticut are going through. I can't imagine what I would feel if I got that phone call that my little boy was killed at school today. I'm sure this will be one more scenario that whizzes through my head when my mind wanders. Along with I hope he doesn't choke on that cereal he's eating while I'm taking a shower, or he knows to stop at the light at the end of the sidewalk, right?

Today I will struggle just a bit more with not being that over protective parent. Today I will struggle a little bit more letting him ride his bike ahead of me while I run, letting him play in the front yard by himself, and generally learning to be independent. My condolences go out to the parents of those children in Connecticut.

Alumni vs. Alumnus (Alum)

Can someone tell me why every college sticker or license plate uses the word "alumni"? As I understand it alumni is plural, so it refers to the graduates of the university. Why then do we use this term to indicate that we graduated from university A? I have a sticker from the Alumni Association on my car. That seems to make sense "The Alumni Association" encompassing all the graduates of the school. My question I guess is what do the stickers and plates mean. Are they expressing "I am an alumni" or is it "I am a member of the alumni"? What do you think?

Driver's Education

Today I had the privilege of watching a young couple spend 35 minutes today changing a tire. After someone pointed out the damsel in distress, a 20 something female in a cute little dress, I went over and offered to help her out. The front drivers side tire is flat, and she is on her cell phone frantically talking with someone. I was told "no, someone is on their way, thanks." Hey I'm not going to insist, but I was interested in watching who would show up and what would happen.

The "someone" showed up in a large Chevy truck. I thought, "ok, she'll be fine." That didn't stop me from starting my stopwatch the second he opened the trunk. I was amazed when I looked over 20 minutes later and realized that they hadn't even gotten the wheel off yet. What I did see was that the girl had changed clothes and was doing it herself, while the "someone" stood over her with his hands in his pockets. I wanted to think that maybe he was teaching her how to change her own tire. Alas it wasn't what ws going on at all. The "someone" apparently had no clue and the girl had read the instructions in the owner's manual and began yelling at the "someone" that he ws doing it all wrong. Thats how she ended up struggling with the jack under the car while sitting on the pavement in the parking lot next to the pool. After 35 minutes and a little help from a passing jogger to loosen one of the lug nuts the spare doughnut was on and they were on their way.

This made me think...

What do we teach our kids? I'm sure some of you know how to change your own tire, but how did you learn that? Most of us learn the first time you get a flat tire. I remember my dad telling me that the special wrench to remove the hubcaps was in the glove box, and good luck. But shouldn't this be taught as one of those life lessons? Those things you WILL use later in life, unlike the Pythagorean theorem, or that Queen Elizabeth I was a Tudor.

So please as I know this will never be a practical test on the FCAT, spend a little time with your young drivers and teach them this life skill. This is something everyone should be taught before they started driving. At least for the reason of not having to rely on someone else to help them.