when i'm a sister

most kids say, 'when i'm older,...' as a reference point for all the cool things they'll get to do when they grow up.  (for example, 'when i'm older, i'll get to go to school.' )  but not dalia.  dalia references time as, 'when i'm a sister,...'  and remains entirely unconvinced that she is already a sister.

a 'watch dog' like no other

there's few things more endearing than seeing your husband do crosswalk duty at the school.

and few things funnier than hearing that your kids playful father himself got into trouble twice during playground duty.  

the great extracurricular debate

one of my greatest unexpected parenting dilemmas has been extracurricular involvement.

i remember my first struggle with 'extras' being guilt for dragging a sleepy, napless #3 to #1's extras.  then, it was putting my foot down about keeping the kindergarten year free of extracurricular pursuits.  next, i found myself purposefully steering my child away from yet another dance class which i didn't feel was a good fit for her talents.  now, it just seems like there is an endless amount of 'extras' i'm saying 'NO' to because i value time for old fashioned play dates, chores, plenty of sleep, and even boredom.  (however, that doesn't seem to be the way everyone else sees it.)  in the near future, i anticipate the struggle to be a financial one- how do you keep extracurricular pursuits reasonably affordable?  as i interact with teenagers, extracurricular pursuits at their age can become a very difficult question of priorities- what do you do when extras interfere with church priorities?  and a little down the line, the debate will be about when obtaining employment and practicing hard work trumps the extras.  

i absolutely believe that kids need 'extras' to find talents, build confidence, and have a place to fit in.  i'm just surprised it can be so debatable.