Tag: parenting

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Smart Aleck Kid

We have a nice sheen of ice on the ground now, and as we were walking to the car after ballet class last night, I was carrying Emmy and all our stuff, and I didn’t have a free hand to hold on to Lily. So here she is, jumping and hopping and running along as usual, and I’m yelling at her to walk carefully so she doesn’t slip and fall. On one hand, I’m terrified that she’ll fall and hurt herself, but on the other hand, she’s telling me the whole time that she’s not going to fall so I think, if she does fall, it serves her right. Bad mommy! Fortunately, we somehow got to the car without her falling.

This morning, Lily was working at her “workshop,” a little lap desk where she draws and does her crafts, and she shouts, “Where are my stupid scissors?” They were right where they belonged. It’s true; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

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We, the People of Illinois, Are Confused

No, we’re not confused that Gov. Blagojevich was arrested. I’m sure we’re not even surprised. The last poll of approval that I read about had him at 13%. THIRTEEN PERCENT of the people of Illinois approved of our governor. And this was before he was arrested? How did he ever get re-elected?

This is why we’re confused. At the beginning of November, our little part of Illinois was feeling rather good about itself. You see, we were named one of the best places to raise kids, according to BusinessWeek. Mount Prospect “is a middle-class community with low crime, affordable homes, award-winning schools, ethnic restaurants, a major regional mall, and a small-town charm that makes the big city less than an hour away seem much farther away.” We were praised for our neighborliness, such as sharing generators during power outages and bringing meals to neighbors in need. Ed and I love our neighborhood. We chose our house because we have a great backyard and we can walk to the playground and the elementary school. We love the diversity our neighborhood offers; we’ve eaten Filipino foods at our neighbor’s birthday parties, and English is not always the primary language spoken at the park. Not only that, but President Elect Obama is from Illinois. And he’s the cat’s pajamas, don’t ya know?

‘”If it isn’t the most corrupt state in the United States, it’s certainly one hell of a competitor,” said Robert Grant, special agent in charge of Chicago’s FBI office.’ reported the Chicago Tribune yesterday. Wow. Is Gov. Blagojevich the new Al Capone? I’m pretty sure Capone was a lot smarter.

That’s what we get for bragging. We puffed ourselves up, convinced ourselves that this really is the best place to live and raise our kids. And now, I’m embarrassed to be from Illinois.

But wait; our neck of the woods really is rather nice. Our neighbors haven’t changed, and we’re still walking distance from the playground. We have a fresh layer of snow on the ground, which makes everything look clean. Unlike our government seems to be. With this arrest and subsequent charges, we can only hope that Illinois soon does become an even better place to raise kids.