Mom's the Word

Why we love David Shannon

2008-11-17T21:38:20Z

We love David Shannon.

My boys love him because he gets them, the high-energy, toy-loving, let-me-show-you-what's-in-my-mouth, pirate-loving boys that they are.

I love him because he's the kind of funny, cool, but still (dare I say it?) sensible parent I want to be. And his books, from the now-classic "No, David!" and it's follow-ups, to "A Bad Case of Stripes" and "How I Became A Pirate" all ring true and witty and wonderfully creative.

We so enjoyed the book reading and signing he did at Vroman's for his latest, "Too Many Toys," that we might just drop by San Marino Toy and Books when he visits on Wednesday, Nov. 19. I'll get back to you guys about the exact time because he may just be visiting a school there, but if he is going back to the bookstore and signing books, I'll let you know. (I got books signed for my boys, nephews, nieces and assorted godchildren for Christmas.)

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If you can make time to meet and greet with Shannon, great. His book signing and reading, as well as a funny, collaborative art lesson, is entertaining for little ones and even the most grown-up of grown-ups. Shannon is proof a sense of humor can carry you through most anything in life.

Other musings on kid lit, with a bow to David Shannon:

1. What things did your mom or dad say to you then, that you find yourself saying now? (Mine is, "Because I said so!" said with great satisfaction!)

Whenever I used to say "why?" my dad would answer, "Y is a crooked letter!" Very confusing. I use that one.

2. As a kid, what was your first favorite toy?

Hmm... I can't really remember. My uncle gave me a viking helmet that I loved. It's in No, David!.

3. What book did you read as a child that first gave you that "wow" feeling about reading?

I loved Dr. Seuss - still do. If I Ran the Zoo, Bartholamew Cubbins & the 500 Hats, The Cat in the Hat - I loved those books, but it was the pictures that really got me started reading.

4. What is your favorite toy now?

My electric guitar.

5. Do you think there IS such a thing as too many toys?

No, I LOVE toys! Only there seems to be an explosion of sort of useless toys these days. They don't really have any function other than "Here, kid, have a toy!" I've seen some that I don't think are even designed to be played with - just given or received.

6. Can you tell me if you're working on another book now?

Yes, I'm working on a new book with Jon Scieszka.

7. Do you have any favorite haunts in the San Gabriel Valley?

My friends and I have a little private pool room in Pasadena. There are some great restaurants in the area, too - Bistro 45, Schmitty's. I also drop in now and then at a wine store called Le Petit Vendome.

Ode to Arcadia

2008-11-11T03:15:07Z

Congratulations to Arcadia, selected by Business Week as the top place to raise kids in California. Runners-up were Diamond Bar and Monterey Park.
Both groups used the following criteria: school performance; number of schools; household expenditures; crime rates; air quality; job growth; family income; museums, parks, theaters, and other amenities; and diversity. They looked at school performance and safety most heavily, but also gave strong weight to amenities and affordability.

So what's to love about Arcadia? We DO love the schools (our 6-year-old attends Holy Angels Catholic School there) and we know many families who happily send their kids to the public schools there. We love that everything is so close, from the mall (undergoing an expansion to include my beloved JJill!), to Chinese bakeries, grocery stores and of course, the Arboretum and Huntington Library are so close.

Arcadia was my beat for a year or two before Wonder Boy was born and I liked the mayor (Gary Kovacic), who still wrote thank you cards, rode his bike for miles around the community, and once headed up a welcoming committee for a returning serviceman one Christmas.

My sister, who's worked in Arcadia for more than 10 years, can zip through her errands (dry cleaning, newsstand, etc.) in one morning, although, like me, she can do without the traffic on Huntington Drive, Duarte Road or Baldwin Avenue. And I guess the city put a stop to the bank robberies that seem to make the news blotters too often (otherwise, they wouldn't have made the grade!)

Arcadia is lovable for its proximity to Monrovia and Pasadena, which boasts family-friendly venues and Saturday night locales both. And the view of the mountains can't be beat. And yes, we have seen our share of wandering peacocks, sometimes they're hanging at the mall parking lot.

I know Arcadia is a great place to raise kids because some of the parents at my son's school grew up here, and they still love the place.

So there.

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Basic lives

2008-11-10T22:32:19Z

You know that Far Side cartoon where there's a bird in the sky, with this in its thought balloon: "Up, down, up, down," and below, a dog is looking at a white fence, "bark, don't bark, bark, don't bark," while a man strides on the street: "left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot." On the green grass nearby is a frog, who's thinking, "hop, rest, hop, rest, rest....dang!"

Yup, that's how I feel today.

Bills haven't been paid (I was supposed to do them by noon today), I broke down and ordered pizza for lunch, the boys discovered the joys of washing rocks but trailed dirt and mud into the house and got all wet in this cold day, and Hubby called to say he's not feeling well. Car needs a wash, house is still a mess....

BUT, Hubby's coming home soon and there's a big Hershey bar in the pantry and my boys are now giggling at something funny their cousin said and there's enough light outside to water the rosebushes, which, despite and in spite of me, are blooming yellow and lavender.

And there's enough leftover pizza so I don't have to cook!

There's something to be said for basic lives, lovely routines and the ups and downs, hops and rests of every day.

For everything that's been, thanks. For everything that is to come, yes.

Just as big as chocolate

2008-11-05T03:58:53Z

I let the boys stay up tonight, mainly because I wanted to watch TV and not get caught up with the pre-bedtime whirl. That's how, at 8 p.m., Firstborn Son and Wonder Boy got to see Barack Obama elected on CNN and watch as Mama tried to impart the importance of this day.

"We're watching history?" Joseph asked, even as his little bro asked hopefully if he could now watch his Veggie Tales DVD.

"This is history, baby," I said.

"This day is just as important as the day they invented chocolate!" Joseph proclaimed.

When our 44th president strode onto the stage, Sandro pointed to the TV excitedly and said, "That's the United States of America!"

I think he was pointing to the line of flags on the stage, but pointing to Obama works just as well.

Brothers for life

2008-11-03T19:03:44Z

Grandma's staying with us a bit, so I was able to leave Wonder Boy with her while I picked up Firstborn Son from school. My little one adriotly took command of the situation, charming candy and soda from Grandma and joy of joys, playing his brother's Nintendo DS, knowing he would have to surrender it to its rightful owner when brother got back from school.

We had just parked in the garage when Wonder Boy opened the door and asked me: "Did you pick up Joseph from school, Mama?"

When I said yes, he clutched the DS close to him and wailed, "Noooooo! I don't want him!"

Joseph and I laughed.

"But Sandro," Firstborn Son said, scrambling out of the car. "I have a surprise for you!"

"What?"

"A Slurpee!"

After which Wonder Boy ran to his sibling, arms open wide, proclaiming: "My brother!"

Hear the stomp?

2008-10-21T23:08:15Z

I haven't been blogging lately because the news haven't been good, and I don't mean the national financial crisis. Just the usual things that happen in life but happening one after the other, like the Biblical Job or Charlie Brown.

The biggest challenge has been getting Mom out of the house she's lived in for more than 20 years: boxing, throwing, selling, throwing, and cajoling her into a new life. She's living with us now and that has mostly been fun. (More on that later!)

But didn't want to send out negative vibes to you all, at least not until I've processed everything. Everything that's happening in my life is happening in other people's lives too and when read the news and see the TV stories, it sometimes get TOO depressing, especially if I see Mom trying to be cheerful when she jokes she's homeless or hear her rant about a million little things she should have done before the move.

Choose to be happy, people.

I just finished the Monday column today, but was a bit flustered because my deadline got moved up. I had three hours to write it, that's doable, but then Wonder Boy needed lunch, my sister called and needed to vent about Mom and the move, my Mom called to make sure I could pick her up later tonight, and Firstborn Son needed to get picked up from school.

Needless to say, I was half an hour late, agonizing over the column while my two boys chattered around me.

"Go downstairs and watch TV," I said like the good mother I am.

Joseph was dutifully quiet behind me. Sandro kept coming up to me with minute by minute reports of how well he's eating Pez candy for the very first time.

I let him have it. In one long exhaled breath, I explained how I am doing my work and needed to think and if I kept hearing his voice I would lose my train of thought and have to start over and then it would take me longer to join him in his play.

He looked at me from under impossibly long lashes and whispered penitently, "Sorry."

I turned back to the computer.

A minute later, I hear a soft voice by my elbow.

"Sorry, Mom."

Just as I was feeling guilty about losing my temper, my little man looks at me, works his eyebrows into a frown and intones: "Why don't you just work somewhere else?"

Oy.

At this point, his older brother takes him by the hand and says authoritatively, "Sandro, you need to leave Mama alone. You're only making her angry. Did you hear the stomp?"

It seems my son has learned that when Mama stomps her foot, she means business. Hubby thought that was so endearing when I did it during our dating days. Doubt our kids think the same today.

Namely, kids

2008-09-29T22:52:10Z

Not even born and already we're thinking resumes.

I was seven months pregnant with Firstborn Son and Hubby and I were batting around names, charting each choice with pros and cons: what name will leave our baby free from teasing, look good on the top of a resume, lead him to a destiny full of success and happiness?

]]> I wanted something Italian-sounding like Giuseppe or Franco. No, we're not Italian, but I thought "Antonio" or "Rafael" went well with our last name. Hubby recoiled. He suggested mainstream favorites like Michael or Christopher. A humorous relative threw in "Pico," so he can say he has a whole city named after him. And though we love them so, we discarded naming baby after his grandfathers: it would be hard to tag a little boy with the names Aniano, Benigno and Eleuterio.
       We settled on Joseph, solid, strong and close enough to Giuseppe to make Mama happy.
       What's in a name?
        A whole lot of history and a healthy heaping of hope.
In Catholic countries, most girls born in the '60s through the '70s had "Maria" in their names, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Maria Therese, Anna Maria and yes, even yours truly, Maria Anissa. I can so relate to that scene in "West Side Story" when Bernardo teases his Puerto Rican girlfriend by reciting her name: "Anita Josephina," and wait, we're not done yet, "Beatriz del Carmen Margarita."
       By the time I was born, Mom and Dad already had four daughters, all with Maria in their names followed by one that started with the letter "A" (just like Dad's.) They got Anissa from the television show "A Family Affair." "Buffy," the adorable little blond girl in pigtails on that show was named Anissa Jones. (She later died of a drug overdose, age 18.)
       Growing up, I constantly had to spell and pronounce my name. (It's An-ee-sa, thanks.) And I sympathize with all the little ones saddles with apostrophe'd, uniquely-spelled monikers (not to mention all the Apples and Peaches and yes, Carrots out there.)
       Names identify our kids, usually for life. I think celebrities bestow outlandish names on their progeny to be trailblazers of sorts. Why else would actor Jason Lee of "My Name is Earl" fame name his son Pilot Inspektor? Pilot, he later revealed, comes from a song by the indie/rock/pop group Grandaddy titled, "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot." Not many years from now, Lee will have to explain about the "simple, d-u-m-b" part. (I have to spell that one out, we don't use that word at our house.)
        But thankfully, most parents think a bit more carefully, according to the Social Security Administration, which has compiled most popular name lists since 1997. Last year's top winners were Emily, Isabelle, Emma, Ava and Madison for girls and Jacob, Ethan, Daniel, Christopher, and Anthony for boys.
       The only downside to choosing from this list is having your child be one of three Williams or four Jennifers, but that's better than the mom who named her daughter Jezebel. ("Doesn't she read the Bible?" I ranted. I think Mom eventually did because she now calls their 5-year-old Bella.)
        Names do have power and names tell people what parents value, at least at the time their child was born. And lest you lose sleep over the little girl named Carrot, last I heard, she was accepted at Caltech, so our children can forge a future whatever they're called.
   Just one less thing to feel guilty about.

P.S. Thanks to Bruce McPherson for pointing out that Anissa Jones starred in "A Family Affair" and not "All in the Family." Apologies!

Happy Good Neighbor Day

2008-09-03T05:42:58Z

The day we moved into our home in 2000, the neighbors to the right and left of us came to welcome us, newlyweds brimming with excitement about owning our own home. Neighbor to the left later retired, but the family that moved in after them were just as gracious and nice. I have seen their daughter grow up (she's now taller than me) and we have gotten to know our neighbors across the street, in the corner and even a couple of doors down.

Today is Good Neighbor Day and Flowers by Robert Taylor continues its heartwarming tradition of giving away a dozen roses free to anyone who promises to give 11 of those roses away to neighbors, teachers, friends, co-workers and even complete strangers.
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It's a great idea, and thanks to Robert Bryant for continuing this tradition. Flowers by Robert Taylor is at 2616 E. Garvey Ave., West Covina. For more information, call (626) 331-5359.

We love our neighbors. Hubby does the mayoral walkabout most weekends and catches up on family news with the other dads around. Our boys play with the neighbor boys across the street, and we invite each other to birthday parties. Hey, I can even call up one neighbor and borrow a can of tomato sauce! Having good neighbors is a blessing we don't take lightly.

All Olympics, all the time

2008-08-19T23:19:23Z

Well, with the Michael Phelps saga done, I thought the whole family would be able to sleep earlier than midnight, but the Olympics is truly keeping us up! The boys enjoy watching most of the sports, anything with water being a major draw, and they loved the gymnastics competition. Of course, we don't miss anything about Kobe and the Redeem Team, and I am right there preaching about attitude and good sportsmanship and how hard the athletes work to get to this one day of competition.

On opening night, we allowed the boys to stay up and watch and we were wowed as well as anyone. One world, one dream, indeed! Wonder Boy's comment at the end of it all? "What a wonderful world!" like a mini-Louis Armstrong!

Last night, we watched the interview Bob Costas did with Michael Phelps and his mom, who, it turns out, is a principal back in Baltimore, Md. She was also a single mom with three kids who her son proudly says, lives her passion (teaching and changing childrens' lives.) That's the example he points out as a major factor in his success.

After the "aww" moment, I turned to my boys on the couch and asked, "Boys, what sport are YOU going to compete in in the Olympics?"

"What sport do you want me to join, Mama?" Joseph blithely replied.

Ahh, would that it was all so easy! But I did resolve to be truly conscious of what kind of example I am setting for my kids: when I grumble about housework, will they connect work to drudgery and not something noble? When I complain about the drivers on the road, or raise my voice to them when I'm tired, will they do the same when they're grown-up? And do they see me doing things I love? (Reading, scrapbooking, cherishing family?)

Debbie Phelps said it was hard to see her gangly, awkward son get teased at school for his big ears or to hear his teachers tell her his ADHD will get in the way of his success. Still, they found a way to channel his energy into something positive. (But I noticed she still remembers the bullies and tormentors of her only boy! I think I will be a fiercely protective!) D

Debbie also underlines the stress and nerves every parent feels when they watch their kids compete or do anything, really, where they can get hurt (physically or emotionally).

My sons don't have to win an Olympic medal for me to be proud of them. (I don''t think their Asian genes will allow them entrance into the NBA and the U.S. Olympic basketball team!) But I hope, hope, hope we will enjoy the same, easy, loving relationship Debbie Phelps has fostered with her son. And I pray that at 23, my boys will be as optimistic, hard-working, and humble as Phelps.

I'll always be on the sidelines cheering.

Bedtime story

2008-08-18T23:05:52Z

Today's column on co-sleeping is going to give me a good night's sleep.

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with comments and support, even those who don't co-sleep. I know us parents are apt to judge and compare ("Is he a good sleeper yet?" "Does she still use a sippy cup?") but I truly haven't met a parent in the San Gabriel Valley who put down the way I'm raising my boys. We're wonderfully polite! Either that, or their shocked looks or raised eyebrows just go over my head!

Anyway, Hugh from CoSleepingSurvey.com also e-mailed:

"Hi Anissa,

Thank you for your wonderful story about co-sleeping with your son. It is not always easy to talk about. Many parents do feel the pressure from family, friends, and professionals. It's an odd sort of thing...parenting recommendations...it seems that co-sleeping gets a lot of harsh scrutiny, especially from parents who themselves have chosen not to do it. Rarely do you find successful co-sleeping parents talking out against it. My wife and I developed a website to help count these successful co-sleeping/bed-sharing families and help end the discrimination. Mothering magazine is going to do a small post about it in their next issue. Right now it's at about 7700 people and could use many more.

Here's a link to the site and other co-sleeping links, too, including my favorite Ask Dr. Sears. (askdrsears.com) I use him mostly for making sure I am giving the right dose of medicines to the little ones. As the daughter of two doctors, I have a healthy (harhar) respect for meds, unlike Hubby, who will NOT take a Tylenol for a headache if he can help it.)

Sherry and Karen also emailed and I had to tell them that while I love co-sleeping with my boys, I have to admit my non-co-sleeping sister can get a whole lot of stuff done in the evenings when her three are in their separate beds. (Each child actually has their own room!) Anna can e-mail, gab on the phone, clean up a bit, watch "Lost" and work on stuff she volunteers for. I have to be more efficient, as when I lay my kids to sleep, 90 percent of the time I'm down for the night too!

But Hubby and I love it!

Here's the link to the column: Mom's the Word

The hot seat

2008-08-11T17:34:46Z

After two kids, I know my parenting style leans more toward the relaxed mode. Sweetened breakfast cereal is now allowed in the pantry. I don't hyperventilate when my kids bike around the block. Even Spongebob Squarepants is now praised for the solid half-hour he gives me to do non-mommy stuff.

Hubby's the more vigilant one. He will choose lemonade instead of soda for their Happy Meals. He will remember to push veggies just one more time during dinner. And he's the one who will turn a deaf ear to the boys when they complain their seatbelts are too tight.

He's saving our boys' lives.
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"In 2006, five children age 14 and younger were killed and 568 injured every day in motor vehicle crashes," Kate said. "This is a great opportunity for Whittier families to learn how to protect their kids. Car crashes kill many children, and the sad fact is that most of the deaths could be prevented if the kids had been in properly used car seats."

And considering that the nonprofit SafetyBeltSafe has found that more than 90 percent of seats aren't used correctly and 80 percent of kids who need them also aren't using a booster, this event is a must-attend for every family.

The safety seat checkup event will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the rear lower parking lot of the Quad, by Burlington Coat Factory, at Whittier Boulevard and Painter Avenue, in Whittier. Enter the lot from Laurel Avenue.

Admission is free. To make an appointment, call (310) 222-6860.

The boys and I will be there. I already know I buckle my boys in more loosely than I should. "One finger's width," Hubby admonishes every time he sees Wonder Boy in his restraints. In my head I know I should make it tighter, but I think my boys should be comfy too, and not wriggling and complaining about how tight their seatbelts are. What can it hurt, right?

Thanks to Kate, I am renewing my commitment to safety over comfort. I know Wonder Boy will get used to the right way to be buckled in, if only his mama would endure his initial complaints. And I'm looking forward to asking about Firstborn's booster seat (6 and 60 or 8 years and 80 lbs.?) And I don't know how high the headrest should be in these things!

Yup, we are SO going to Whittier on Wednesday. Everyone is welcome, just call (310) 222-6860 or visit www.carseat.org

Then we can all be easy riders.

P.S. Thanks to SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., Whittier Police Department, the folks from the Quad and the California Office of Traffic Safety for holding this event. See you there!

New babies

2008-08-08T22:26:24Z

Congratulations to the new babies in our family, born on 08-08-08.

Hubby's first cousin gave birth to Kailyn de Jesus in San Dimas this morning and my sister's second child, Ethan Thomas Carreon, was born at 1 p.m. in Arcadia. Ethan weighed in at 9 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 inches! He's the champion baby in our family! And my sister sounded so well and rested when I talked to her a while ago, eager to have visitors come see her little boy.

When I gave birth (both times) I was exhausted and didn't really want to see anyone. It didn't help that I retained water so "attractively!" I cringe when I see the pictures still!

But new life is always cause for celebration, especially on such an auspiscious day as today! May both babies always be surrounded by love.

Friday's Feast 196

2008-08-08T22:21:30Z

Appetizer

When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?

A month ago at Tantrum Salon in Covina. Of course I loved it into the next day, but couldn't quite replicate the straight style after my own attempts at blow-drying and applying all sorts of great-smelling products. So now I'm back to the ol' ponytail!

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child.

Not having a lot to worry about. My parents really sheltered us six girls and I remember long, languid afternoons roaming the house, reading, playing out in the garden and not needing or wanting much at all!

Salad

Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.

Ummm, olive oil! With freshmade bread.

Main Course

If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?

Spanish, because it would be SO useful! And I love the way it sounds!

Dessert

Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be...

Working outside the home again, with the boys in school full-time. I have daydreams of what I could do around the house if I still worked from home and the boys were in school from 8 a.m. to 2 or 3 p..m., how immaculate it would be! But that's all it is for now!

Perchance to sleep

2008-08-05T21:19:33Z

One of the things I missed most as a newbie parent was sleep.

Oh, to sleep a straight eight - no, six. Oh, just give me four - hours, with no interruptions, and I will change the baby's diapers with a smile, dance as I mop the pureed spinach slop from the floor, and never complain about anything else.

Oh, I love to sleep, and - upon waking - luxuriating in a tangle of blankets and stretching like a cat, taking my sweet, sweet time. Now that the boys are older, on some weekends, after my morning stretch, I can even go back to sleep. Yes, I know, a miracle.

In my family, sleep is a talent. We can sleep standing in a corner, sitting up, open-mouthed, anytime the car is running. One time my mom even woke herself up when she snored (sleeping in the car, as usual).

"What was that?" she asked with a start. "Was I asleep?"

My sons know to nudge me with an elbow when their bedtime stories start to sound like this: "Jack pointed to the pyramid picture in the Egypt book and the turn left did you see transparent okay."

"Mom!" they will chorus, and the Magic Tree House comes back into focus.

The day Firstborn Son was born, my husband woke up every few hours just to check that Joseph was breathing. He had a whole routine: put face close to baby's, feel the breath, put hand to baby's chest, make sure it's moving.

"Would you like a mirror, make sure it fogs up?" I asked helpfully.

]]> But I was afraid of baby's sleep, too, unsure how this amazing creature could know how to take a breath and cough or yawn and wake up. Every day during those first newborn mornings, my husband and I would look at our baby and then at each other, incredulous at our good luck. Baby's still here. Another new day.

Of course, there were those nights when we spent hours rocking and singing and bouncing him to sleep, begging him to sleep.

We had so many things left undone, and when Firstborn finally nodded off, we spent just as much time standing over him, hushed and admiring this perfect lump snuggled on his side, one fat cheek resting on both chubby hands.

Sleep-addled parents of newborns, take heart. This, too, will pass. You will again take showers and change out of your pajamas before 4 p.m. You will brush your hair again.

What won't change is how you look over your sleeping children at night, before finishing the dishes or checking e-mail, before watching something other than the Disney Channel.

Hubby and I still look at our boys sleeping, their legs splayed outside their blankets, their bodies usually curled up on their sides.

We always marvel at how big they're getting. We spread our arms out silently and shake our heads: "Where did our no-neck, thunder thighs, Jell-O roll baby go?"

We point out how Joseph's nose is exactly like his papa's, how Sandro's big toe is twitching, and how his eyes don't close completely when he sleeps, so when you check on him it feels like you're playing a game. You sway to the right like a boxer and see if he starts: "Boo, Mama! I was awake all along!"

Hubby always looks at me, our two boys in beds between us. He smiles and sweeps his hand over his face in the American Sign Language gesture for "beautiful."

"My boys," he whispers to me, in the same fierce tone his sons use to claim their books or Legos.

And because in the morning I know that our boys will look for Mama first thing when they awake, hair askew, eyes still heavy with sleep, faces swollen with rest, I give them to him for the night. Down for the count. Safe in their beds. OK. Good night.

Kinder angst

2008-08-01T02:29:39Z

Will holding your 5-year-old back a year lead to success in kindergarten, and later, in life?

A study says not really.

But my husband and I did give Firstborn Son an extra year of preschool. Joseph entered kinder at his Arcadia school when he was 5 but he turned 6 three months later. All but 5 of his classmates also turned 6 before the year ended, and his kindergarten teacher said the difference in maturity is noticeable.

I think we made the right decision. When Firstborn Son was one of the youngest in his preschool class, he was easily swayed by the "older boys," who were markedly more assertive and confident. Everything they said was gospel to Joseph. ("Mama, Eric said he saw a sea monster!" and nothing I said could convince him otherwise.)
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I've also spoken to other parents who now regret pushing their sons as "young kinders." Of five boys, three were told they needed to repeat first grade. (Only one actually did, the parents of the other two protested the retention because their sons were keeping up academically, if not socially.) My friend Robert tells me if they had it over to do again, they would have had Josh start kinder later.

I think this matters most with boys. But as always, every child is different. I could see mine would thrive as an older kinder and I believe I was right. Whether this is the edge he needs to uber succeed, I don't think so. As parents, we want to give our kids every advantage. I'll let you know when Firstborn Son graduates from elementary school in 2016.

Meanwhile, with a bow to summer, here's Firstborn Son displaying an ice cream sundae he made on the last day of school. Can the first day be far behind? Egads!