Protect the Children

My heart is particularly heavy today due to the horrible massacre of children  in Pakistan. How Taliban terrorists could purposely target children in a school is beyond comprehension. Who can stand behind a gun and look at a child and pull the trigger? The death toll is 141, most of them children, and another 120 were wounded. 

When I went looking for an older post to share today, I found this one that had been written by a former contributor to the online magazine I managed.  Imelda Tatsch is the Executive Director at the Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center (NETCAC) located in Winnsboro, and her "Caring For Kids" columns   appears in their bi-monthly newsletter. This essay first ran in December 2009, and what a contrast it is to the horror in Pakistan. This is how children should be protected and treasured. 

Now here's Imelda. She also makes the best cookies for my drama camp, so I thought we could all have one while we read. Enjoy...

 

Christmas is HERE! We just finished off the last of the turkey leftovers and here we are just days from the big day….Where time goes I do not know, but it sure seems to be going there faster every year.

This year we have rarely heard any good news on television or read anything hopeful in the newspapers. With all that being said, I would expect very little in the way of help for those in need. This is certainly not the case here in Northeast Texas. At least not that I have seen in recent weeks.

If you are a regular reader of these articles, you know that I work at the Child Advocacy Center. Each year we see several hundred children from the eight counties we serve. The children have possibly suffered either severe physical or sexual abuse, or may have witnessed a violent crime. Abuse is no respecter of age, gender, or social class. Many of our families are put in desperate situations due to the obvious interruptions to life when something like abuse takes place. The entire family is affected.

This can take a toll on the finances of an already struggling family. To ease some of this stress during the Christmas season, we offer our Angel Tree Program to the families of children that have been through the center during the year. Families are given the opportunity to place their children on the angel tree and while many decline the offer, many more feel the need to accept. This offer is not limited to only the child or children that come through the center but for their siblings as well. Our angel tree list includes families of one child to often as many as seven or more. This is where my favorite word for the month comes into play…. GENEROSITY!!!!

In a time when we only hear of the negative economic conditions, we have been extremely blessed by an outpouring of love for these children.

We know that the economy has brought several to the edge of desperation. The need is there and just as the need has risen, so have those with the heart of love. They feel such gratefulness for their own blessings that they have shared with generosity beyond measure. Because of this many children will have something for Christmas this year. Those caring for these children; parents’ grand parents or other extended family members are very grateful. They often tell us that without what they receive from the Angel Tree Program the children would have nothing at all. We are forever grateful to all of you who have opened your hearts to our little angels this year.

I realize this space is allotted to me to write something more specific to parenting or raising children. So, this is my two cents worth of advice for this month! If you are so blessed to have your children with you and your family, though you may struggle at times is functioning and remains “intact” then you are greatly blessed. Share that blessing with others and teach your children to be generous. This does not have to cost you a dime. Be GENEROUS with your time, your words of kindness, and a friendly smile. A few years ago someone started a challenge to counter the reports of “random acts of violence” with “random acts of kindness”.

Maybe we can revive this practice.

If children really are our future, what kind of future do we want? They will only know from what we teach them…Their eyes are always on you, so when you think of what kind of person you want your child to be, look in the mirror, do you see that person? Children learn what they live and as you know they don’t always do what you tell them but they will do what you teach them through your actions.

Monday Morning Musings

This will be a short post as I still have company today. My daughter, Dany, came to go to the art fair with me yesterday. We had a grand time visiting with artists we'd met back in October and meeting new friends. Two ladies who are just beginning to write stories stopped by my table and it was so energizing to share in their excitement of becoming writers. Sometimes we get so caught up in the business of books and publishing, we forget about that excitement. It was so nice to be reminded.

I do hope you will come back Wednesday, when Margo Collins will be my guest. I reviewed her book, Waking Up Dead a couple of weeks ago here on It's Not All Gravy, and she is going to introduce us to some of her favorite urban fantasy series.  I was surprised at how much I enjoyed her book, even though I am not fond of paranormal, so maybe I might venture out of my reading comfort zone.

In closing, I want to share a quote that a friend sent to me today:  Since this is the season of PEACE on EARTH  and love one another...I found this Pablo Casals quote quite appropriate......

Say to your children, "Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the world, there never has been a child like you. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is like you, a marvel? You must cherish one another. You must work...we must ALL work...to make this world worthy of its children."

Amen to that. 

Just Having Some Fun

Since I didn't want the Halloween post to just sit there for days, I decided to resurrect an older post that I did four years ago that is just a bit of fun. Keep in mind that those grandchildren are now older, as are my children, and, gasp, so am I. Enjoy....

On a recent visit with my grandchildren, I noticed a pattern of behavior that is apparently passed from generation to generation like the balding gene. My oldest granddaughter had been given a chore to do, as was her younger brother, and she spent more time policing him than folding the clothes.

Watching the push-pull between them, I was instantly transported back to when the same kinds of scenes played out between my children.

Courtesy of www.momlogic.com

If I told Anjanette to empty the dishwasher, she would feel this compulsion to hound David to take care of the trash. Then if I'd tell David to clean up his room, he'd waste more time trying to recruit Michael's help than he actually spent in his room.

And I can remember being so frustrated when I'd tell one kid to do something, then hear him in the other room telling the other kids, "Mom told us to clean up the den."

Usually I tried to rise above some infantile level of response, but sometimes their behavior was contagious. I'd run into the den screaming, "I did not!"

Another common occurrence was for one of the kids to rush through his job and instead of making sure it was done right, he'd run to check on the other guy. Then he'd come to me with a smug expression to report that so-and-so didn't clean the bathroom right. He was crushed when my response was, "Well, you didn't do such a hot job in the kitchen, either."

I'm sure he expected nothing less than the total annihilation of that brother.

According to psychologists, this behavior is very normal among family members, and it does carry some fancy label. But we mothers recognize it as "pecking order." If you pay real close attention, it goes from older to younger much more often than from younger to older. And I've always felt a little sorry for the youngest in a family. There's no one left to "peck" on.

My grandson solved that problem by ordering the dog around for a while. It did seem to give him some satisfaction to "make" Arthur pick up his ball, and I wonder what kids do if they don't have a pet?

Wednesday's Guest - Little Pickle Press

Please welcome Rana DiOrio and Dani Greer, who are on a tour letting people know about a wonderful new book.

What Does It Mean To Be Safe?  By Rana DiOrio - Illustrated by Sandra Salsbury 

What a lovely book with a terrific message delivered in a straight-forward manner with delightful illustrations. Kids will love the book just for the engaging characters portrayed in the pictures, and the messages of safety will connect with them through these illustrations. Even though I no longer have very young grandchildren, I may still get a copy or two of the book just to share with daughters and granddaughters who appreciate the art, and I would certainly recommend the book to others. It is our responsibility to keep children safe, and they are more apt to pay attention to the lessons that come via a book than another lecture from mommy or grandma.

I first became acquainted with Little Pickle Press when a colleague, Dani Greer, sent me a copy of Your Fantastic Elastic Brain for review. I immediately fell in love with the engaging illustrations by Sarah Ackerley  but was also intrigued by the whole concept of Little Pickle Press, which is producing quality, innovative books while keeping one eye on the environment. It is a very green company.

As part of the blog tour, Rana and Dani answered a few questions about the press and the books for me.

Q. I love the name of the company, Little Pickle Press. Who chose it and why?

Rana: I have always referred to my children as pickles. When it came time to name the company, incorporating the word "pickle" was a logical place to start. With a little brainstorming on the part of our early team, we came up with Little Pickle Press.

Q.Dani, how did you connect with Little Pickle Press and why? What were the main things that attracted you to the company?

Dani: I'd been teaching and promoting the use of blog book tours for several years, and Rana noticed a link about my class on Facebook. She asked me about organizing a blog book tour for her latest release. I always had a special interest in children's literature, and this company was a green publisher (recycled papers using soy inks and printed in N. America) so the idea of a virtual tour was exactly right for them.

Q. The Little Pickle Press mission: "Little Pickle Press is dedicated to helping parents and educators cultivate conscious, responsible little people by stimulating explorations of the meaningful topics of their generation through a variety of media, technologies, and techniques." Could you translate that for those of us who get lost in too many words? LOL

Rana: We help parents and teachers nurture conscientious children by catalyzing conversations about stuff that matters through our books and digital media. Better?

Dani: Little Pickle Press products help teach children the important lessons they need to learn to be better people, now and as adults. The books are printed and shipped in an environmentally-conscious way to set a good example, and all the books are available to read on modern gadgets like computers and cell phones and more. It's a must to make reading available in many ways, and LPP has always been on the leading edge of these changes and opportunities.

Q. Anything else you would like to say about the Press and the book?

Dani: Like all the Little Pickle Press titles, this book will soon have an iBook version, an interactive app, and free lesson plans that teachers and parents can download to further explore those conversations we mentioned. Each of the books also has original music created by a wonderful composer and singer, Jasmine Saldate.  And there's a poster we're giving away free with the sale of this book during the tour when you use this LINK and enter coupon code BBTSAFE to get free shipping on your order. You always get lots of extras with Little Pickle Press. I have to say, I wish all the companies I've worked with were so totally cool.

This book would make a nice holiday gift and don't forget to enter the code for free shipping and the SAFE poster made of TerraSkin, the tree-free paper. Just enter BBTSAFE at check-out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Bio:
Rana DiOrio is an investor, investment banker, lawyer, and the mother of three children. She is also the founder and CEO of Little Pickle Press. What Does It Mean To Be Safe? is the fourth in her What Does It Mean To Be… ? picture book series and all are printed in an environmentally-friendly manner using recycled paper, soy inks, and green packaging.


Places you can connect with Little Pickle Press:

Book Trailer: -- Blog: ---  Facebook: --- Twitter:

Family Fun

Another excerpt from my book in progress: A Dead Tomato Plant and a Paycheck. Enjoy....

On a recent visit with my grandchildren, I noticed a pattern of behavior that is apparently passed from generation to generation like the balding gene. My oldest granddaughter had been given a chore to do, as was her younger brother, and she spent more time policing him than folding the clothes.

Watching the push-pull between them, I was instantly transported back to when the same kinds of scenes played out between my children.

If I told Anjanette to empty the dishwasher, she would feel this compulsion to hound David to take care of the trash. Then if I'd tell David to clean up his room, he'd waste more time trying to recruit Michael's help than he actually spent in his room.

And I can remember being so frustrated when I'd tell one kid to do something, then hear him in the other room telling the other kids, "Mom told us to clean up the den."

Usually I tried to rise above some infantile level of response, but sometimes their behavior was contagious. I'd run into the den screaming, "I did not!"

Another common occurrence was for one of the kids to rush through his job and instead of making sure it was done right, he'd run to check on the other guy. Then he'd come to me with a smug expression to report that so-and-so didn't clean the bathroom right. He was crushed when my response was, "Well, you didn't do such a hot job in the kitchen, either."

I'm sure he expected nothing less than the total annihilation of that brother.

According to psychologists, this behavior is very normal among family members, and it does carry some fancy label. But we mothers recognize it as "pecking order." If you pay real close attention, it goes from older to younger much more often than from younger to older. And I've always felt a little sorry for the youngest in a family. There's no one left to "peck" on.

My grandson solved that problem by ordering the dog around for a while. It did seem to give him some satisfaction to "make" Arthur pick up his ball, and I wonder what kids do if they don't have a pet?