We had a great time at our neighbor’s annual July 4th party last night. I enjoyed chatting with an eclectic mix of neighborhood women (one is a 67-year-old grandmother who is still working at a private university here in town and one mom, 50, has been battling breast cancer) and the conversation quickly turned to our lovely hostess and how she had gone all out on the patriotic red, white, and blue theme. The tables were covered with red, white and blue quilts and tablecloths. The dessert table had quite a spread including a big bowl of red, white, and blue M&Ms and cupcakes decorated with red, white, and blue sprinkles. When I led Caitlin into their hall bathroom to change her into her bathing suit she was delighted to see the tiny red floating candles decorating the tub. Really, if there had been red, white, and blue toilet paper, patriotic hand towels, and an Uncle Sam soap dispenser I wouldn’t have been surprised. Our fabulous hostess even handed out patriotic theme party treat bags to all the kids and cued the patriotic music once everyone carried their lawn chairs and ice cold beers out to the front yard and the fireworks bonanza started. The party was fun and festive, without being stuffy or pretentious. I’m not sure I’ll ever pull myself together enough to be one of those hostesses who has floating candles in the tub. I’m just happy if the toilet is clean. I have come a long way, however, from the college apartment parties: salsa straight from the jar, chips from the bag, and beer out of a can!
Never Say Never
The hubby e-mailed me this video clip . It’s about a 4-year-old little boy in a California Mayberry-esque town who supposedly flips off a crowd (he was just crowned Little Mr. Apricot…I think I’d be ticked off, too…I mean will he ever live it down when his high school buddies uncover that dark secret?) Finger flippage aside, I was disturbed at the end of the news clip because they show him playing a game on his Xbox in his bedroom on his own personal TV. Oy! What are his parents thinking?! But then we went to a July 4th shindig last night and our neighbor’s 5-year-old daughter has a TV in her bedroom so maybe I’m just an old finger waggin’ fogey.
I’ll admit I’ve done my share of finger wagging and tsk tsking other parents. The skinny young kid swigging a 16 ounce Mountain Dew outside the Circuit City. Do his parents know just how much caffeine and sugar he is consuming The tween girls at the mall dressed like they are 21 and headed out for a night clubbing. How can their mamas let them out of the house like that
The little girl in Caitlin’s preschool class who still pops a paci in her mouth as soon as her mom picks her up. She’s ruining her teeth!! (OK, OK Caitlin had her pacifier until she was 2.)
But at the same time I have lot of empathy for parents now that I’m a mama. I want to hug the new mom in the daycare parking lot whose son cries at dropoff. I go out of my way to hold doors open for moms struggling with squirmy kids and shopping bags and strollers. I gaze sympathetically at the frazzled mom attempting to grocery shop while her kids are apparently auditioning for a new TV series called “My Kids Are Brattier Than Yours!” Ditto for the chicken finger slinging kids at restaurants whose shrieks are one decibel away from shattering glass. I have learned to never say never at things I would have scoffed at pre-kids. Poptarts for breakfast? An occasional one won’t hurt. Staying up until almost 10 to watch fireworks? Oh, it’s a national holiday, why not?
I had a TV in my bedroom when I was in junior high and high school. We didn’t have cable because we lived in the boonies so my TV viewing was limited…Knot’s Landing, Dallas, Fantasy Island and Friday Night Videos. But I was 14, not 4. OY!
So where do you stand on the TVs in kids’ bedrooms issue? We have generally frowned upon the idea of TVs in our kids’ rooms (and definitely no computer access.) Of course if a TV in her room would help Caitlin go to bed at a reasonable hour I might be up for buying her a swank flat panel TV. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
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