They Really Do Love Each Other

They Really Do Love Each Other, a photo by Davies Fam on Flickr.

For those days when we foget:

I saw this on another blog and couldn't resist not re-posting


21 Memos From Your Child


1. Don’t spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not have all I ask for. I am only testing you.
2. Don’t be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it, it makes me feel secure.
3. Don’t let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.
4. Don’t make me feel smaller than I am. It only makes me behave stupidly “big”.

5. Don’t correct me in front of people if you can help it. I’ll take much more notice if you talk quietly with me in private.
6. Don’t make me feel all of my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.
7. Don’t protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way, sometimes.
8. Don’t be upset when I say “I hate you”. It isn’t you I hate, but your power to thwart me.
9. Don’t take too much notice of my small ailments. Sometimes they get me the attention I need.
10. Don’t nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by appearing deaf.
11. Don’t forget that I can’t explain myself as well as I should like. This is why I’m not always very accurate.
12. Don’t make rash promises. Remember that I feel badly let down when promises are broken.
13. Don’t tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.
14. Don’t be inconsistent. That completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you.
15. Don’t tell me my fears are silly. They are terribly real to me and you can do much to reassure me if you try to understand.
16. Don’t put me off when I ask questions. If you do, you will find that I stop asking and seek my information elsewhere.
17. Don’t ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible. It gives me too great a shock when I discover that you are neither.
18. Don’t ever think it is beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm toward you.
19. Don’t forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be very difficult to keep pace with me, but please try.
20. Don’t forget I love experimenting. I couldn’t do without it, so please be patient with it.
21. Don’t forget that I can’t thrive without lots of understanding and unconditional love, but I don’t need to tell you that, do I?

original author unknown

A Picture Walk

Just two weeks ago we lost my grandmother after her battle with pancreatic cancer. Almost one year ago this month, we lost my grandfather just six months after his 90th birthday. My cousin Alicia took on the task of putting together an amazing tribute of their marriage and our family through a slideshow of the images my grandmother treasured. As you educators know, when teaching young children to read, you often have them take a picture walk of the book to help them gain meaning about the story through the pictures. In some ways the pictures in that slideshow were like taking a picture walk of our lives. They brought back so many memories I had buried somewhere deep inside or forgotten. I remember dreading summer because it meant being stuck at grandma and grandpa's all day with nothing to do. What I wouldn't give now to spend the afternoon engrossed in a book laying in their backyard hammock, or to have my grandpa take us on a ride, which might end in Yosemite or Sequoia. What I wouldn't give to spend the day on Millerton Lake eating cold KFC and swimming the day away. Those were the "good ole days" as they say. I realize now what fun we had back then and how easy it is to let the stress of life make you forget how simple and fun the little things are. I hope that Nathan and Kira grow up with many similar memories. I hope they always know the importance of family.