What Still Grows

In my garden, in the dead of summer

with no rain and no time to tend to them?

This little swallowtail caterpillar is happy living

in my parsley pot on the patio.

The cactus is getting ready to bloom.

And this guy is sprouting a headdress!

The Conversation Today...

went like this...

Son: "Mom, do you have an old laptop from when you were a kid, that I could have to play with?"

Me: "I didn't have a laptop when I was a child. We didn't even have computers in our homes then."

Son: "If you didn't have a computer, how did you learn things?"

Me: "We had books and teachers."

Son: "What did you do all day before you had a computer?"

Me: "I had a job and a time card to punch."

Son: "What's a time card?"

Me: "A time card is something that if you find your passion in life, and can earn a living doing it, hopefully you will never have to punch."

Son: "Punch?" "I don't get it."

Me: "Why don't you Google it", and then he went merrily trotting away to the computer.

The End

Are You Listening?

It annoys me to no end when adults ask a child a question and then don't wait for an answer.
We were at the pediatrician's office yesterday for a routine checkup and a vaccine discussion.
The visit was fine and my son is as healthy as a horse.

I suppose it's because they are very busy but if you ask my son a question, please have the courtesy to wait for him to answer before you either finish his sentence or ignore him an address me. My child has a brain and an opinion on his world. He would appreciate it if you treated him like a human being, rather than an inanimate object who is in the room to look cute and nod his head.

This is not the first time he has felt like he is being ignored by adults. I realize that some adults don't have experience interacting with children, but the pediatrician's staff should know it's important to acknowledge a child and listen to him.

Every time he tried to answer a question (most of them, silly questions at that), he barely got three words out before they cut him off. It was obvious to him that they were not really interested in his answers.

When we got back in the car, he said he was sorry he didn't speak up loud enough to be heard.
I felt so bad for him, that I apologized for the doctor and nurses being rude.

So please, doctors, dentists, nurses and anyone who works with children, realize that the child wants to speak and be heard. To do this, sometimes you have to wait for the words and listen to that soft voice with more attentive ears. You never know what you might learn or what you might be missing!

The Shadow Dancing...

...superhero in a paisley cape.
Talk about a nonconformist, that's my boy!

Move over Dr. Oz!

My son has always loved drawing maps, mazes, diagrams, charts etc. Whenever he develops a new interest or has mastered a concept, he wants to teach (show) it to me. He also loves Dr. Oz.
He will stop whatever he's doing and come watch if he hears him speaking.

After a recent show on the brain and strokes, this is what he drew on the whiteboard. The drawing shows a brain with a clot, neurons sending messages throughout the body and the position of the brain in the skull.

I'm amazed how much he learns from Dr. Oz and his show! My son quotes him when we go grocery shopping and tells me what's healthy to buy. I think I may have a doctor in the making. Lookout Dr. Oz, someone I know is shooting for your time slot!

What We Learned This Summer

So many new things happening this summer. While we have taken a break from formal lessons, due to the very nature of life itself, my son continues to learn.

In June we learned:

• You can't plant Cucumbers after May because the worms get to them first.
• Our house is wrapped in a blanket (Tyvek) before the siding is put on.
• Carpenters make a lot of mess.
• You have to use a chalk line to make things level.
• Spirit (our dog) will eat anything, including cigarettes, nails and caulking tubes.
• Mom doesn't have a favorite color or the house would be painted already.
• Power tools are better (and cooler) than hand tools.
• Mosquitoes are impossible to escape from.

In July so far:

• The neighbors barbecue a lot!
• Dogs don't like fireworks!
• Mom does not like fireworks!
• Trees have to be trimmed before the hurricanes come.
• How to play Monopoly.
• How to use the microwave.

Looks like it's going to be an un-schooling summer around here. Life's lessons don't stop for Summer, no matter how hard you try.