Mommathon

This is not a place you want to take the kids, but if you are ever in Tulsa, eat at the Garlic Rose. We went with a group of about 15-20 people last weekend, so there was a lot of food sharing. We ordered several different appetizers, the baked brie was yummers as was the domestic and imported cheese plate which had a lot more to it than just cheese. We had some great wine, too. I had salmon for dinner and it was done just right and Sean really liked his pasta as well. I don’t know if I will ever have a reason to go back to Tulsa, but if I do, I want to eat there again.

I just have to sound off about something that really bothers me. Now before I begin, let me state that my children watch TV. They know there are rules about how much and what they can watch and that includes computer time, too. However, when I see a mom pushing her preschooler in a stroller and he has a portable DVD player with him I have to say something. Come on, now. Is it really necessary to watch TV while you are on a walk? Is it too much to ask to maybe talk to your child while you are on a walk? Or maybe just let them be alone with their thoughts for a while. The same goes for TV in the car. Now I can understand if you are traveling across the country or something, but do the kids really need to watch TV while they are on their way to preschool or the grocery store? I don’t care how educational the TV is, kids need time to just sit and think, stare out the window, or look at books, maybe even color. They don’t need to have a screen in their face everywhere they go. Oh, and that reminds me. Yesterday the boys and I went to go tour a local healthclub to see what they had to offer as far as swim lessons go. They make you go on the complete tour, however, even if you just want some info. Anyways, that was fine. They have an awesome pool-inside and out. We also went into the childcare center where parents can drop off their kids so they can go get fit and trim. Do you know what most of those kids were doing while their parents were exercising? Yep, they were sitting on their bums watching TV. They were all lined up in a row, maybe about twelve of them. There was one kid playing basketball maybe three or four kids playing on the play structure and one little girl coloring. Turn off the TV for a while, folks, just for a little bit.

This is a really well-written book that tells a very difficult story. It is fiction, but as I was reading it I saw so much of a former student of mine in the main character it was scary. The boy in this book has horrendous things happen to him. I had a student once who, sadly, lived through a very similar situation. The emotions, personality and anger this boy exhibited were almost identical to some of the things I witnessed my former student going through. It was scary. I never really knew exactly what happened to my student, but I knew it was bad and that he and his siblings weren’t allowed to live at home anymore. I wish I would have had this book to read then. I think it would have helped me to understand him and what he was going through a little bit more.