Pondering Beets

Everyone has heard, and probably spoken, the phrase "I have too much on my plate right now".  I know I've probably said it hundreds of times in my life, but for some reason it's really resonated with me lately.  I was talking with a friend...(okay, by "friend" I mean "my therapist" but I'm starting to get worried that I'm becoming "that girl".  The one who talks too much about her therapist, annoying everyone she speaks to. So from now on, I'll be referring to "my therapist" as "my friend" so you won't know for sure either way and thus will hopefully not want to kill me every time we have a conversation)... about the concept a few weeks ago and that conversation helped me finally and completely understand what it means.  Not only that, but I now see how you can use the visualization in a helpful way.  Ever since this conversation with my friend...(ahem), I've been trying to evaluate what exactly is on my plate right now because I know for sure that it's completely full...I'm talking no room for even one scrawny string bean.

So, I started thinking about all of these things on my plate, hoping that I could find some wiggle room:  kids, husband, job, Raising Little Heroes, marathon training (did I tell you about that?  October 13th, baby!), friends, household chores...Grey's Anatomy (sort of kidding) and before I could finish the inventory, I started feeling overwhelmed because I realized that not one of these things is something I want to or can pass on or even get a smaller helping of.  They are all vital to my life and happiness in this moment.  I felt frustrated because while I  know all of these things are important to me, I couldn't help thinking about the beets growing in my garden....

...our little community garden is doing really well this year.  I feel proud of it because over the last 3 years of experimenting I finally feel like I have a handle on it enough to keep it looking nice and to actually harvest and eat the stuff I'm growing.  I found a good time to go out and water/weed and I'm enjoying salads and green smoothies made from the stuff I've grown and picked myself.  Very gratifying.  One of the things that's thriving in that little plot are my beets.  I hadn't  planned on planting them, but a friend (no, a different one...but that's the last hint I'll give) gave me some seeds and I found some room for them.  They were one of the first things to start sprouting and I've been watering them, weeding around them and watching them grow and grow.  The greens are lush and they are fun to pick, but they also kind of stress me out.  I know you can eat the greens but I haven't had time to experiment with different ways to prepare them.  I throw some in salads and smoothies but really want to try cooking them too.  I want time to think on it...to ponder...to lovingly soak and wash them 3 times like one website I came across suggested...but I can't find the head space to do it.  I finally got around to boiling the actual beets and feel like I have a handle on that part, but I've had to accept the fact that it works best for me right now to just cut off the greens and throw them away.  While partly liberating it's also kind of a bummer because I don't want to waste them.  I want to figure out what to do with all of them...the whole beet.

The beets have become a symbol of why I am stressed out about how full my plate is.  I started thinking to myself:  "I just want to find room on the plate for the beets!!".  At first I was telling myself it's because I'm too busy and I don't have the time, but then one day I found myself sitting on the lawn behind our apartment with my feet in the kiddie pool, sangria in my hand, good friend by my side sharing a lovely conversation.  It looks like I have the time after all, so what is the problem here?

Then I started thinking all I want to do is take my plate, walk over to the garbage, scrape it, wash it and start putting things back on one by one.  Thinking about each one, contemplating...before adding the next thing.  Not surprisingly I quickly got frustrated with this approach as well because I couldn't choose the first thing--they all wanted to jump right back on at the same time.

Life is hard.  I get that.  It's hard for everyone and thinking about this stuff isn't going to magically give me a bigger plate (aka: more hours in the day) but I'm hoping being aware of it and thinking on it will help me prioritize a little better and create more head space.  Mostly, I'm realizing that what I want most of all is to start with one beet.  One beet on an empty, clean plate......I want to see how that feels before figuring out what to add next.

What would you put on your plate first?

What you do for a friend.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom called to tell me that my very first friend ever has breast cancer.  Kaitlin and I have stayed close ever since we were kids but we have that kind of a friendship where you don't talk for a really long time and then when you finally do, it's like no time has passed.  We both feel strongly that ours is one of the best kinds of friendships because we can accept that we are busy in our own separate lives and don't always have time to keep up to date with each other.  Neither one of us feels any ounce of guilt or resentment towards the other...only love, support and forever sisterhood.  I know this to be true because we frequently check in with each other on the matter to be sure the other person still feels the same way. 

After my mom's call, I had a few days of wrestling with some guilt about being out of touch enough to not have heard the news directly from my friend and uncertainty about how exactly to show my support.  I got it in my head suddenly that I wanted to go and see her before she started her chemo...which was coming up the next week...in Vermont....I looked up the price of plane tickets and laughed out loud when I saw the cheapest flight.  I immediately started brainstorming about how to show my support from afar, but I couldn't get the thought out of my head that I wanted to show up on her doorstep, give her a huge hug and chat the day away like the old days.  One day, I was reading to Zoe while Owen napped and was fighting sleep as I read aloud (as happens every single day in the afternoon while reading books to Zoe).  At one point, I realized I was still talking/reading out loud even though I had dozed off for a second but instead of saying the words from the book, I heard myself saying "....because that's what you do for a friend".

I decided to put myself out there and email my cousin Kelly, a pilot for jetBlue.  Kelly and I keep up with each other on Facebook and shared a rich childhood but I was afraid that he would be put off by my randomly writing for a favor.  When we first moved out here to Colorado, Kelly had told me that if I ever found myself in a pinch, needing to get back to the East Coast, he might be able to help me by sharing one of the limited amount of very affordable passes he gets as an employee.  He'd warned me that I'd have to be willing to be a flexible traveler, something I'm far from being, especially since having kids. At that time I felt grateful for the offer but sure I'd never take him up on  it, so had put it out of my head....until now.  So, I sent a somewhat rambling, apologetic message to Kelly explaining the situation and my "pipe dream" and said that I knew it probably wasn't possible but that I would have kicked myself if I didn't at least ask.  Kelly almost immediately wrote back saying he would be happy to help and we spent the next week or so calling, messaging and texting each other to work out the details.  All this while, Kelly was first on vacation with his family and then traveling for work so he went out of his way big time and I'm so touched, I can't even put how grateful I am into words. 

To make a long story short, the formation of this crazy plan went from "there's no way I can pull this off, I don't even know why I'm entertaining the thought" to "wow this is really happening" within a week or so.  I was on standby for a red eye flight (11:30pm MT-5:30am EST) Sunday night/Monday morning (which I barely made it onto...if the "Cook Family" hadn't been a no show, I would have had to turn around and go home) and had a car rental reservation waiting for me (thanks to my brother Ike) so I could drive the 3 hours up to Vermont immediately after landing.  The plan was to surprise Kaitlin by showing up at her house, hang out with her for the day until my mom got off work at 5pm, go to my mom's to have dinner with her and my sisters, brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews then drive to Ike's house in the Boston area to sleep a bit before heading back to the airport to try and get on a Tuesday morning (8:50am departure) flight.  The Tuesday morning flight had me nervous because the next flight out wasn't until that evening.  This would mean that I'd have to call on a team of friends/neighbors who were all willing and ready to help with the kids if need be.  I knew they were all happy to help but it felt like such a huge favor...luckily I ended up making that flight, after having a near heart attack when the customer service rep there said "Hmmmm...I don't think I have much for you.......I'm sorry......all I have are middle seats."  Woohoo!!

Somehow though, this crazy plan actually unfolded exactly as planned.  The only thing that didn't play out the way I'd pictured was that Kaitlin ended up finding out I was on my way before I got there.  Her mom Dianne had been forced to let the cat out of the bag only when she was left with no other choice.  She kept the secret as long as humanly possible and let it out when it was perfectly clear that if she didn't, Kaitlin would not be home when I got there.  It didn't matter though--she was still surprised and we were able to spend a really great day together yesterday.

So, thanks again to Kelly for making this possible and for the team (literally) of friends and family who supported the idea and helped make it happen:  Nathan, Ike, Wally, Jill, Mom, Rach, Ess, Dianne, Kristi, Clancy, Emily, Gretchen, Rosemary, Charrie and Patty.  Kaitlin and I had a really wonderful visit and although I'm still worried about her and wishing I could shower her with casseroles and hand holding during these next weeks of chemo, I feel like I was able to give her some love to carry with her for a bit.  Kaitlin blows my mind.  She is brave, she is strong, she is honest, she is funny, she is supportive, she is beautiful....you don't want to mess with her honestly because she'll kick your ass if she decides to.  So, honestly I'm feeling a little bad for the cancer--it made it's way into the wrong body and she's about to show it who's boss.  Go Kaitlin.  XOXOXO

To top this awesome trip off, while in Vermont, we found out that our pregnant sister-in-law Katie (coincidence!) was being induced that day and that the baby would be coming soon (they also live in the Boston area).  As I drove back to Boston late Monday night I secretly hoped that the baby would magically enter the world as I was on my way so that I could go straight to the hospital to hold him or her for at least a few minutes before heading back to Colorado.  I pictured this kooky crazy ending to this kooky crazy trip and admitted that I was now officially pushing my luck.  I told Ike about it the next morning and he and I laughed as we talked about how it would have been a perfect "season finale"....all of us ending up in a hospital room together, passing the baby around, being too loud, crowding Katie and Wally, etc.  Sure enough though, there was no word about any magical births during my drive.  While at the airport in the morning, I looked at my phone at exactly 8:15am and thought "okay, this is it--we'll be boarding in 5 minutes" and knew I'd have to wait until I was home in Colorado to hear the announcement.  As soon as we landed, I turned on my cell phone and was greeted with a perfect picture of my picture perfect new little nephew Nicholas Anthony Grabowski, born at 8:16am.  Welcome to the world, little guy!

Raising Little Heroes: Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

When I woke up this morning I was really, really excited because I'd been looking forward to our Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (Longmont, CO) event for about 6 months and today was the day we were able to finally get together and enjoy it.  When I initially contacted the center back in December, the volunteer and outreach coordinator was immediately very helpful and excited about our group so she made it easy to set a date and envision what we would be doing on the day of the event (translation if you are me: "no stress").  On top of that, I knew that our RLH kids would be into it since it seems like every kid I meet is head over heels about animals.

The rehab center has many options for ways in which people can help, including a handful of great options for kids.  Any of these things can be done at any time by anyone so you don't have to have a group like ours to do it, and you don't have to make it an official event.  You or you and your kids can do these things on your own and deliver them to the center at any time, so if you are interested take a look at this link for ideas.

Our group took on the building of a few squirrel nest boxes and grass picking for the rabbits at the center.  I thought it would be a good pairing so that if the boxes were too involved for the younger kids, it would be easy enough to hand the little kiddos some buckets and let them go to town picking grass.  This combination proved successful as almost everyone there found a job to do and seemed to have fun doing it.

Leading up to the event, I worked along with fellow RLH moms Michele Novosad and Deanna Petersen to procure the materials for the boxes and hatch a game plan for the actual building of the boxes.  Thankfully, Michele is talented and knowledgeable in the carpentry department and was able to tell Deanna and I what we would need to actually ask for at the hardware stores and Deanna was brave enough to start getting our feet in doors around town.  After Deanna made initial contact with a few stores, I followed up and was lucky enough to walk into Home Depot here in Boulder (on Arapahoe).  The staff there could not have been more kind, friendly, helpful and generous with their time and made sure we got enough donated materials from their store to make 3 squirrel nest boxes.  I want to officially and publicly thank Derrick and Garrisen (store managers), Chuck (lumber department--Chuck spent so much time with us and never once gave me the impression that he was anything less than happy to help out), Pat (checkout--we hit a few snags but she too stuck with us happily until we got it figured out) and Aaron (helped us load the car.  With two small kids in tow, I can't tell you how grateful I was for that).

I then got the materials to Michele who prepped them by doing some of the things that were either impossible to do without an electrical outlet (we held the event at our adopted park) and/or too dangerous for the kids to do themselves.  Michele also built a prototype so participants would have an example to look to while working.  So thankful for your hard work, Michele thank you!

Today went as smoothly as I was expecting it to and the volunteers from the center who came to give a presentation were very kind and knowledgeable.  Thank you Mary, Amy and Jeff!  The kids all asked a lot of really sweet and thoughtful questions and then worked very hard on the projects.  The weather was perfect to boot so, all in all, an exceptional morning.  We built and decorated 3 boxes (4 counting Michele's prototype) and picked enough grass to feed about 5 rabbits for a whole day!

Thank you to all of the families who came this morning--it was so nice to see you all!

Birds nest

Showing us a Great Blue Heron wing

Passing the heron wing (and leg!) around

Owl wing

Raccoon skull

The kids decorated the boxes too!

Me and my peeps

How To Be A Parent

My brother Wally and sister-in-law Katie are expecting their first baby this summer, and they had their baby shower today.  We are too far away to make it to events like that unfortunately, but I sent along this little gift to them.  A few months ago, I asked as many parents as possible to ask their kids some questions about parenting/babies/kids and put the answers that were sent back to me together in a little book for Katie and Wally.  Thank you to all of the parents who took the time to ask their kids these questions--hope you enjoy it!

HoW tO bE a PAreNt

-bY kIdS

What's the most important thing a new parent needs to know?

“Take good care of the baby” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Treat the baby nicely and take care of it” (William from UT, age 6)

“How to feed a baby. Parents need to decide if they want to breastfeed or nurse them with a bottle.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“The most important thing a new parent needs to know is that the child will always love you no matter what.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“To feed it.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Give them the binky.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“To take care of their baby.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“How to take care of their children and how to keep their house safe.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“I don't know, what?” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“That their kids are safe,” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“That they need to buy Legos when their kids ask them to.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“They need to know about superheroes.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“To be married.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“They need to know about kissing and hugging.” (James from Germany, age 3)

 “Poop…Baby has poop….Change her diaper….I feed her a little bit too. I put her bottle too. I warm it up…. I need to know Mommy and Daddy change her diaper…. My baby is pooping right now…She has no teeth….My baby is crying too…Blue pants with stars. They pee and poop. That is all about babies…No. There is more about babies….She poop.” (Sagan from NJ, 27 months)

“To say please & don't forget food” (Will from GA, age 4)

What should you do if your kid is having trouble in school?

“Call somebody or go pick them up.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Try to teach them math and reading at home.” (William from UT, age 6)

“Tell the teacher.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“I would tell the teacher and say, 'Please help my child with the hard stuff'” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“If your child is having trouble in school you should first find out what they are struggling with and talk with the teacher to see if maybe they could help. You should also help at their school to see if you can help with anything.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Help you.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Go back home.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Help  him or her.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Watch the teacher nothing's so you will remember.” (Lilah from , age 5)

“Ask a teacher to help.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“You should just help them.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“Tell them to be nice.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“Give a spanking.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Clean the fish tank.” (Owen from CO, age 2)

“Talk to them about it.” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“Help them.” (Will from GA, age 4)
       

What should you do if your kid isn't getting along with a friend?

“Pick them up and say, ‘You have to be nice to your friend!’” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Teach them how to make friends better.” (William from UT, age 4)

“I would say, let’s figure something out or let’s play something else.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“I would tell their Mom or a teacher and they would help them stop fighting.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“If your child isn't making friends with anyone else you could talk with them about why are their friends troubling them or ask them why they feel left out and give them advice.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Ask an adult.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Ask them what their name is.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Talk with your kid.” ( Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Get along with others tell them they are sorry.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Tell him to find another friend to play with.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“Say, ‘You don't have to play with that friend, you can play with another one.’" (Colin from PA, age 4)

“To go along with them.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“Discipline them.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Ask them not to do that.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What should you do if your kid has a messy room?

“Help them clean it up.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Tell them to clean it up and talk nicely to them to tell them.” (William from UT, age 6)

“I would make them clean it up all by themselves.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“I would tell them to clean their room and not to come down until they are done.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“I would tell my kids to go clean their rooms and give them three examples of why they need to. For example: 1) because if there was ever an emergency the emergency people couldn't get to you fast 2) because they sleep in there and it’s like their house they would want to keep their house clean 3) because it would be easier to find their stuff when its organized and put away.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Ask us to clean it.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Clean it up.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Help him or her pick it up or, if they want to do it by themselves, let them do it by themselves.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Have them tidy it up.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Sit him on the step until they are ready to clean up.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“Play fast music so I clean up my room faster.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“Clean them up.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“Clean it up.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Clean up. They go in here. Toy box. My bears do not go in my toy box.” (Sagan from NJ, 27 months)

“Make them clean up.” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“Clean it.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What should you do if your kid is throwing a tantrum?

“Help cheer them or do balloon breathing (deep breaths)” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Try to talk to them about it and ask them what is the matter.” (William from UT, age 6)

“I would put him in timeout for a cool down.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“I would tell them to cool down.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“If my kid was having a tantrum I would ask them why there were having a tantrum and I would work something out with them, like make a deal.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Tell us to stop.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Take a nap.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Try to calm them down, but if they are already calming down just talk about why they were throwing the fit or tell them why they can’t buy that for them.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Send them to time out, try to calm them down, or just give them what they want.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“I not having a tantrum.” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Calm down.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Ask another Mom or Dad for help.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“Say, ‘Hey, I don't like that, can you please stop?’" –Colin from PA, age 4)

“Spank them.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“Spank them.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“You pick your baby up.” (Sagan from NJ, 27 months)

“Throw a ball at them.” (Owen from CO, age 2)

“Tell them to stop.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What should you do if your kid won’t eat their supper?

“Tell them they will be hungry.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Try to give them something and tell them you will give them something if they eat their food.” (William from UT, age 6)

“I would let them starve.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“I would say, 'Eat your supper or you're grounded.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“If my child wouldn't eat supper I'd make a game out of it, like if they like trains I would pretend that the food was a choo-choo train and it was going into their mouth like a tunnel.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Eat your supper or no treat.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“The mommy and daddy should eat it with them.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Say, ‘If you eat your supper you will grow big and strong, like us’” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Nothing!” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“To have them try it and see if they like it and maybe they will eat it all up.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Clear their plate if they don't eat more than one thing.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“Just eat it, because you won't get hungry in the night and wake up mommy and daddy asking for bananas.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“NO dessert!!” (Nell from PA, age 3)

“Spank them.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“The parents should eat it.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“You go upstairs.” (Sagan from NJ, 27 months)

“Tell them they won't get desert.” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“Say please.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What should you do if your kid had a bad day?

 “Help cheer them up.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Talk to them about it.” (William from UT, age 6)

“I would give them ice cream!” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“I would buy them something that they wanted.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“If they had a bad day I'd give them some advice about making tomorrow a better day.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Talk to us.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Ask a teacher or go in time out.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Say that we’ll try to make it a better day tomorrow.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Try to figure out what happened. Give them hugs and kisses. Try to soothe them and help them feel better.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“Go to sleep.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Read a book to them. I like when my Mom does that.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“Cuddle. It makes everything feel better.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“Help them.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“Discipline the other kids (the ones that made it a bad day)” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Help.” (Will from GA, age 4)
 

What do kids like to do for fun?

 “Shoot foxes and rabbits- actually that's a bad thing to do and I never do that and I would never go out in the woods by myself because something might try to eat me and it’s not nice to do either.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Play Wii and play in their room.” (William from UT, age 6)

“Go to playdates.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“Kids like to play on their electronics, have friends over and go with their Mom and Dad to different places and visit their cousins.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“Kids like to go to amusement parks for fun-like six flags!” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Go to Dad’s basketball games, practices and play basketball.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Go to the children’s museum.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“PLAY!” (Ellie from NY, age 3)

“Go to the carousel.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Ummmmm GO ON THE CAROUSEL!” (Owen from CO, age 2)

“Go places and play at recess with their friends.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“Play. With toys. And watch TV.” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Play.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Play with new friends.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“For fun, I like to go to the playground.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“I like to go to the Please Touch Museum (Children's museum in Philadelphia)” (Nell from PA, age 3)

“Play games.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“Have alone time.” (James from Germany, age 3)

-I like to hold my baby Ellis (her doll) and (play with) doctor toys.” (Sagan from NJ, 27 months)

“Ride bikes and play with friends.” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“Play.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What's the one thing you think kids like to do the least?

 “Sitting around doing homework.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Have my mom tell me I can't play Wii.” (William from UT, age 6)

“CLEAN.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“Kids don't like to clean their room or the family room.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“Kids don't like to eat their vegetables on their plates at dinner time!” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Doing math.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Go outside when it’s cold.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Rain, rain go away (stay inside when it’s raining) and when Mommy says ‘No’” (Ellie from NY, age 3)

“Having a fight.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“C’ean my p’ayin’ stuff up!” (Owen from CO, age 2)

“Be by themselves in dark places.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“Go to their beds without mommies and daddies.” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Play fairy and princesses.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“I don't like to sit around.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“I don't like to hide in caves, because those are dark places.” (Nell from PA, age 3)

“Not ride on someone’s foot.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“Singing songs.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Clean their room.” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“Go to school. “ (Will from GA, age 4)

What should parents do if THEY are having a bad day?

“Have a mighty eagle step in to help them (angry bird reference)” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“A child could help try to cheer them up.“ (William from UT, age 6)

“They should do something fun like maybe ask one of their friends if they want to go out.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“If parents are having a bad day try to keep it inside of you and not yell at your children and take it out on your children. Try to be calm. Maybe they should put the children down for a nap and watch a movie.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Ask another adult to help.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Take a nap.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Count to 4.  If you’re so mad and you’re so ANGRY. If you feel MAD, take a deep breath and count to 4: 1…2…3…4” (Ellie from NY, age 3)

“Put the baby down in the crib to rest.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Go outside.” (Owen from CO, age 2)

“They should get a hug and forget about it. Oh, and what happens at work stays at work!” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“I dunno. Be mad?” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Just get hugs” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Calm down and take deep breaths.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“Go back to your bed and go to sleep.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“You should go sit in a corner and talk to no one.” (Colin from PA, age 4 and Nell from PA, age 3)

“Just relax.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“I don't know.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“You go upstairs. Mommy can go upstairs. (to play with toys)” (Sagan from NJ, 27 months)

“Have coffee.” (Will from GA, age 4)

Should kids be allowed to drive cars?  Why or why not?

 “No because they might crash the car and the car would be broken and they would have to pay for it and waste all their money and they wouldn't have enough so the mom and dad would have to waste their money.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“No because they don't know how and they might crash and kill themselves.“ (William from UT, age 6)

“No (haha) because they're too little and they don't have their driving lessons.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“Kids should not be able to drive cars because they could crash because they couldn't reach the pedal or see over the window” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“No kids shouldn't be allowed to drive cars because they're not done growing so they wouldn't be the right height. Kids don't understand as much as grownups and they don't take things as seriously as grownups do so they could crash the car.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“No, because we're not old enough.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“No. Because it is too hard.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Yes!  Cuz I could DO it.  If I get bigger. I have to be bigger like my Daddy and my Mama ‘fore I could drive, and I not big enough.” (Ellie from NY, age 3)

“No because they might get hurt.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“No, because mommies drive cars.” (Owen from CO, age 2)

“No because they are smaller and won't be able to see out by the window and they could crash. It wouldn't be safe.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“No! They would push the wrong button!” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“No because they will bump into something.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“No because they aren't old enough yet.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“No! Because they don't know how! That is silly!” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“Kids should be in carseats and not touch the steering wheel.” (Nell from PA, age 3)

“No. Because they're not big enough to see over the wheel.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“No. Because they're still just little!” (James from Germany, age 3)

“NO. No I cannot drive the car to the park. I can’t drive Mommy’s car. It’s Mommy’s car. Sometimes I drive.” (Sagan from NJ, 27 months)

“No, because they don't have a license and can't drive,” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“No, because they are too little.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What is the hardest thing about having a new baby around?

“It will try eating little legos if you have some so you have to keep the legos in your room so the baby can't get them.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“To try being a bigger brother.” (William from UT, age 6)

“They cry.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“Babies can get in your way. Like they can be right in front of you when you're trying to get there.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“The hardest thing about having a baby around is that they're not old enough to pick up and they make a big mess and you have to pick it up. AND they wake up in the middle of the night and you have to wake up too.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Changing his diaper.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“It’s too hard putting it asleep.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“It’s harder to get around the house and when you’re talking to someone, they make it harder because they’re crying.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“The sibling could get angry because the mother is paying attention to the baby and not to them and they want the mother and the baby wants the mother and then you will have two screaming fests in the house.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“If they cry - boring!” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Not doing anything with the baby.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“They cry.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“I think it is hard to get them to eat pineapple.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“When the baby hits me.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“You have to go the hospital, and then the baby drinks a lot of milkies (nursing), hard.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Buying all the diapers and cleaning their butt.” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“Taking care of it all the time.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What is the best thing about having a new baby around?

“That you can play with him and you can hurt him and he won't even get hurt.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“He kind of plays with you sometimes.” (William from Utah, age 6)

“They are cute and fun to play with.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“The best thing about having a baby around is they are so cute and it’s just fun to teach them things. ya... it’s fun to watch them grow.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“You can swaddle it up in a blankie.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“That you can play with them and have fun.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“They are cute and cuddly and nice to be around. You can teach them things.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“They are fun.” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Playing, feeding, watching it.” (Lilah from FL, age 5)

“Getting to go to McDonald's alone with my Dad and play in the Play Place.  That's what happened when Verity come out of Mom's tummy.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“You can dance with them.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“Playing with her.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“My baby is crying right now.” (Sagan from NJ, 27  months)

“That you get to have a new child.” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“Playing with it.” (Will from GA, age 4)