The preschooler has just been churning them out lately. This chuckle requires some backstory.

The preschooler likes to print pictures off the Internet websites that she is allowed to access. Recently, she printed out two pictures, wrote the words "I love you Mom" on both of them and placed them neatly on my pillow. She did the same thing for her sister.

Now, lest you think the preschooler is all sweetness and light, this is also the same child who, when she is mad at you, will draw a picture of your face, draw a circle around it, and then put a big, black line right through the center of it. She will then tape that picture somewhere around the house where you will be sure to see it and know the force of her wrath.

So, anyway, the spouse comes home, notices the pictures on my pillow, and, in a voice that is a tad too casual, remarks that there is no picture for "Dad" on his side of the bed.

Later, I pull the preschooler aside and say, "Maybe you should make a picture for Dad too. He might feel sad if he doesn't have one." That evening, the spouse came into our bedroom with a strange but amused look on his face.

Spouse: Did you tell her that I wanted a picture?

Me: Well, I mentioned that you might want one. Why?

Spouse:  I was tucking her in, and she looked up and said, "Dad, there are two pictures in the garbage.  If you want one, you can go get it and put your name on it."

The season of giving -- preschooler style.
 

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Humorous Quote of the Day: 

"Anything you bring a monkey to is instantly 30 percent better.  Family reunions, labor negotiations, the DMV."

-- Jack Ferraiolo, Head Writer for the PBS show "WordGirl"

(I gotta admit that this quote just cracked me up when I read it, not sure why.  The spouse thinks it's just weird.)

"It comes at you quickly; it requires alertness and skill; the outcome is unpredictable; the weak can sometimes overcome the strong; it involves elimination and has both winners and losers." (Rule 10)

The above quote is an excerpt from the book, 50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School (Real World Antidotes to Feel-Good Education), by Charles J. Sykes.  On Monday, September 17, 2007, Mr. Sykes will be appearing at the Harry W. Schwartz Bookstore in Brookfield to promote and speak about his book.  The event begins at 7:00 p.m.

I don't listen to his radio show, and I am not familiar with his other work.  However, after reading a short newspaper review of this latest book by Mr. Sykes, I was compelled to buy it because the quoted "rules" were bitingly funny and at the same time had a serious edge.  Coming from the perspective that real-world perspectives and basic common sense are being lost in a world of touchy-feely parenting, Mr. Sykes has expanded what were originally 14 Rules into 50 Rules, some that I agree with and some that I don't.

Each rule is given its own chapter.  Although you may not want to use it as your main parenting tome, the topics covered, the counsel given, and the anecdotes described do make you think. 

Here are a few of the other rules:

Rule 7:  If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.  He won't have tenure, so he'll tend to be a bit edgier.  When you screw up, he's not going to ask how you FEEL about it.

Rule 18: Life is not divided into semesters. And you don't get summers off. 

Rule 33: Be nice to nerds.  You may end up working for them.  We all could.

Rule 48: Tell yourself the story of your life.  Have a point.