By Liz Gordon-Hancock
When is it appropriate to lie to your children?
The reason I'm even asking myself that question is because my father-in-law has severe dementia/Alzheimer's and there are scenarios where lying to him is actually the best thing to do for him, in that moment.
When my father-in-law first went into the nursing home, he was perpetually panicky about the cost of his care and would demand my husband tell him how much was in his bank account. In this case, lying to him was the best thing to do.
So, when is it appropriate to lie to your children?
Amongst these papers was a sheet of practical activities to do at home to encourage literacy, logic, character-building and math skills. Under the language section, it suggested counting how many idioms my first grader could think of, as a sort of game.
You're pulling my leg, right?
First off, I think today's first graders are learning far more than I was taught at that grade level. For example, my first grader was learning to spell advanced words such as special, barbecue, and rhythm. She just turned seven. So - today's first graders have the potential to know far more than I did at that age.
I am a creature of routine. I cannot tell if I have always been this way or if I were driven to it by having children.
I find my children thrive in routine - regular meal times, set bedtimes, a structured pattern to the rest and play of their day. My own children are so driven by routine that even on vacation, far from home, my daughter will ask "Where will we have quiet time after lunch today, Mommy?"
If my two-year-old doesn't nap, my eye starts twitching. And if we don't go to the library on Tuesdays, then the whole day is off-kilter.
I don't deal well with changes in my structured routine.
LOTS OF PHOTOS AND A WORLD-RECORD VIDEO AT BOTTOM OF THE STORY -
It was a community event with participants forming the third largest community in Hardin County, after Kenton and Ada.
The community, an estimated village on its own, totaled 1,700 or so, and assembled on the Ada War Memorial Stadium football field on Friday.
Their goal was to set a Guinness World Record of the number of people tossing footballs at the same time.
In other words, if setting a world record was on your bucket list, as Dan Lee, Ada HS principal and mastermind behind the event, announced to the crowd, over the PA system, then you succeeded.
By Liz Gordon-Hancock
"Mommy, are you going to jail?"
This is what my daughter asked me, as I was being pulled over by the police for speeding. All three of my children were in the car at the time, and I had been speeding in town because I was late to a lunch date with some friends.
"No, mommy's not going to jail. Mommy is getting a speeding ticket," I explained to my worried 7 and 6 year-old daughters. "That means I have to pay a fine."
Oh the shame of sitting there, waiting to be handed my speeding ticket, under the watchful eyes of my children, who've never seen mommy get in trouble before.
