He heard it from me

Today I taught my son the s-word. Here's how it went.
J: Mom, what's the s-word?
A: There's lots of words that start with S...sunshine...super. (Ever so casually) In what context did you hear that?
J: Well Charlie said that his little sister said the s-word and he didn't even tell me what the s-word is!
A: Oh well, in that case he was just saying the first letter because the word is impolite in itself. I think he was referring to 'Shit' which is a rude word people use sometimes.
J: Oh. Well, what does 'Schut' mean anyway? (Isn't that cute he's so unfamiliar that he mispronounces it with a German accent and everything?)
A: I think it means poop.
J: Oh.

So, that's the day I taught my son a curse word. For a moment I thought "I guess it's best that he hear it from me." But then that sounded wrong. It would be best to hear it from some bad older kid who shows us all the examples of ways NOT to behave. There are some things my kids are missing out on by not being in school with a large group of peers for 40 hours a week. Maybe I should start organizing playdates with more bad kids...pretty soon we'll be doing a lesson on how to make spitballs. What would it be like to grow up without knowing that, if you throw a wad of wet TP on the ceiling it will stick there? I guess we'll see.

virtual friends

Today I caught up with old friends. What a lovely day I had, peeking in on people I love, seeing their children grow, guffawing myself silly over their hilarious stories of what happens during ordinary days at home. Does it sound wrong to thank God for blogs?
One thing I'm good at: making friends. Bill has pointed out that I keep making friends with female versions of him. It's true, I have all these strong, determined, passionate friends. They have all these amazing skills, they're organized and changing the world and Mothers and struggling and creative and wise and selfish and warm and sometimes I agree with them. They even keep up with current events. Imagine! Here's the thing about having wonderful friends...I am HORRIBLE about keeping up with my friends. I'm not one of those people who loses friends. (Certainly not as often as I lose cameras.) There are a few who've fallen between the couch cushions, I'm sure. For the most part they're still here...around here...somewhere (as, I'm sure the camera is.) I'll find time to send out an email and a Christmas letter at least once a year.
I'm weary about much of the 21st century stuff- gave up Nutrasweet just last week and I do run a whole house without dryer sheets in the laundry. But I do loves me some blogs! Thank goodness for the women who write them. I'm sure they'll be fun and horrifying when I'm old and look at them as records of life but for now they're just this incredible connection to my friends all over the world. Thanks, girls. I love you. It's nice to hear from people who aren't making popcorn and string cheese for dinner tonight.

family fun

Nannou and Boppy came for a visit. They were up for all kinds of adventure. So much fun taking walks, playing chase in the parks, spending 3 nights in a Cappadocia castle and playing Chess with Jackson.
Jackson is a true kindness-to-all-creatures sort. He attracts stray cats and dogs everywhere we go.