colormyloom.com Blog

Today I told my 9 year old daughter that next year, in 4th grade she could walk part of the way to school. We live 1/4 mile from her elementary school and most mornings we walk to and from school. I won’t walk when its bitter cold or raining but try to do it most days. It’s been a lot of fun and a special time for me to get to know her a little more. And as a bonus we have gotten to know some of the folks in our neighborhood. There is the super nice guy who has grandchildren around my daughter’s age. A few days ago my daughter tried to express just how nice she thought he was..basically she thinks of him as a step grandpa just cuz he is so nice! She only has one grandpa left and he doesnt do much but watch TV and complain so this wasnt as much of a jump as one would think. I think what she was trying to say was “I wish I had a grandpa that nice and fun.” And then there is Oscer and Yogi; two fabulous dogs who live in a house on our walk. Their mom is pretty super nice too. My daughter goes right up and rings the doorbell in the afternoon if Oscer and Yogi arent out. This woman loves it. Just another super nice person we have met on our walks to and from school. But now, now my daughter is pushing for more independence. I just read a review of a speech the author, Richard Louv who wrote ‘Last Child in the Woods’. Basically he said folks can blame all the electronic games etc on kids not getting outside but the key is getting the parents outside and letting their kids outside to play. He said that its never going to go back to the way it was when we were young. You know, leaving home in the morning and not coming back until dinnertime. Kids just playing with other kids outside all day. Not going to happen he said because moms today cite safety concerns as the top reason they wont let their children outside unattended. So…I thought about that for awhile because i definately have those concerns. I personally know a number of people who were sexually assaulted as children. Of course they were all molested by close family friends or family members so I also know the odds are slim my child will be molested by a stranger walking to school. And she is tall and pretty assertive for her age so she isnt the type of kid a predator would choose to snatch. Actually my biggest fear is she will get hit by a car. Lot of folks out there not paying to their driving even while they are driving past a school. And I wont even mention how many of them are parents dropping their kids off AT school! So, i have devised a way to slowly get us into a new pattern of walking to school that will get my daughter more independent without totally stressing me out. I will walk her most of the way and then let her walk the final part by herself. Of course she will not be out of my sight. Same thing on the walk home. She will meet me at the same spot we parted in the morning. Then in 5th grade I will let her walk to and from school by herself. But that’s another year away and I dont have to think about that now. :)

So I have been working at a local museum for the past 2 weeks. They run a field trip called Sheep to Shawl and I run the weaving station. Its a lot of fun and neat to introduce kids to weaving. Something i noticed this year has me pretty bummed though. the past years nearly every teacher would have their kids say thank you before they left and moved onto the next station. this year maybe two or three teachers had their students say thank you. At the same time, its been hard to tell who is the teacher in the room if there is more than 3 parent chaperones! And its not because the parents are taking charge either! I would love to say its because the teachers are getting younger or older or male or female but I think its something else entirely. A lack of empathy and consideration for others is running rampant throughout our society. OK that was quite a jump; they dont say thank you and now society is running amok. but the kids do a lot of pushing and shoving and their teachers arent teaching the tools to resolve the issues. “I cant see” was a common theme the past 2 weeks. Now it would seem to me that if I had a roomful of kindergarteners or 1st graders I would have already taught them that the tall kids go in back and the shorter ones go in front when we gather around something. I mean DUH! nope these kids are forced to push and shove their way to sight range and i know cuz i got pushed by a few of these little darlings. of course its not just the teachers fault…going back to that loss of empathy train of thought…My husband, daughter and i were up at an outdoor expo in Saratoga recently and we were waiting in line for her to have a turn in the kayak pool. And this Dad pushes his son in front of my daughter so he snags the last life vest available that turn and then pushes him in front of all the kids waiting to enter the pool so he’s first. THEN the Dad turns around and high fives his wife. I didnt say anything because seriously what do you say to someone that ignorant and so full of himself that he and his family is more important than anyone else? Dont worry i have advocated for my daughter plenty of times…i just pick my battles and this wasnt worth my time or aggravation. He wasnt going to get it. So, long and short of it.. there’s a lot of pushing and shoving going on out there among both the young and old. try and make sure you’re not doing the pushing and shoving and if you do see it happen turn it in to a lesson. tall folks in back and short ones in front THen EVERYONE sees! We’re all in this together and its way more fun if we’re nice to each other!