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Book Review: The Male Gift Giving Survival Guide
This extraordinary book was recommended to me by a colleague after he visited my new web site, Gift Ideas For Women. The Male Gift Giving Survival Guide compliments my website perfectly, untangling for men the web of gifts for women. It deciphers the ...
Hunter and Gatherer
Deep down, we haven't evolved as much as we would like to believe. Like the caveman, we still want to curl up next to someone during the dark of night so that we aren't so alone in the cold survival game. We want to feel safe, warm, and loved inside ...
Parenting - The Irrational Vocation
There are some grounds to assume that a cognitive dissonance is involved in feeling that children are more a satisfaction than a nuisance. Why do people bother with parenting? It is time consuming, exhausting, strains otherwise pleasurable and tranquil ...
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I had the privilege of treating her to her first concert experience, to see her favorite group, *NSYNC. Perhaps you are thinking she is a little too young for that... but, even after the fact, I know it was the best birthday present we could have given her.
I do not believe in sheltering my children. By this, I do not mean that I will be taking a preschooler to rated-R movies, or anything extreme like that. But what I do mean is that I can't be with my children around the clock every day of the week, and therefore they will see and experience things that I have no control over. For this reason, I would rather be by their side as they experience the world, than try to shut the door to the world, and leave them unprepared for when someone opens it. If I teach them their morals and values, that their choices and opinions matter, then they will be better prepared to experience the world. It is this parenting philosophy which leads me to let my children develop tastes for music outside of Raffi and Sesame Street, as they grow into their individuality.
My daughter has an honest appreciation for musical talent of all types, which I can see in her eyes and read in her face whenever she watches anyone perform. Attending this
concert, allowing her to see something of this proportion in person, was a truly magical experience for her. There were moments that I thought she might explode with excitement!
It's quite possible that I needed this night just as much as she did. Lately, I've felt every bit as old as each new gray hair that emerges on my head. My energy is zapped, and I can't seem to remember how to have fun. But I had fun that night! My daughter's happiness and excitement overflowed right onto me, and her youthfulness found it's way into my soul. She helped me find my way back to the part of me that had been trapped inside for so long.
Of course, I have to give credit to the boys of 'NSync, also. Their energy and excitement, their humor, the lively music and neat dance routines... I enjoyed the show itself almost as much as I enjoyed my daughter's delight in it!
We were both lost that night, but it was perfectly alright, because we were lost together. And together, we found our way back to reality when the lights went out and the crowds went home.
Together, I hope to take many more trips to that magical place that we shared that evening. As parents, not only do we need to be the responsible adults, but it is also important to hang on to our youthfulness, and enjoy it with our children while they are still young.
About the Author
Valerie Zilinsky is a married mother of two young children, and 'WebMom' of http://www.RaisingOurKids.com
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'Happiness Is a Chemical in the Brain': reviewSan Francisco ChronicleThis story is exclusive to the Chronicle's Sunday print edition and will not appear on SFGate.com until 3:00 AM on Monday, May 28. To read this and other exclusive print stories today, subscribe to The Chronicle's iPad app by visiting ...and more » |
Bloomberg |
World's Happiest CountriesBloombergBy Andy Reinhardt - 2012-05-25T15:21:49Z People all over the world are fascinated by happiness rankings and how their own countries fare in global league tables. In some places, such as Britain, ratings of national well-being aren't just a matter for ... |
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Olympics-Happiness for Bhutan Olympians is not goldenReutersNeither Sherab nor Kunzang expect to win medals for Bhutan, an impoverished, largely Buddhist country between India and China which only opened up to foreigners in 1974, banned television until 1999, and uses happiness to measure its success. |
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