I’m it!
David tagged me for the Five Things My Children Should Know meme. This comes at a wonderful time – just as I finish up a summer of spending oodles of time with the kiddos. So here it is – The Five Things My Children Should Know:
- Nothing Can Separate Us From the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. OK, this topped David’s list, too, but it is my favorite verse in the Bible and just about covers everything we need to know about our relationship to God. OK, maybe not everything, but the most important part – we can’t get away from God.
- Look left. Look right. Look left again. These are the directions I give my daughter when she crosses the street on foot or on her new training-wheels-equipped bicycle. I want my children to know how to be safe, how to watch out for danger, and how to cross the streets of life safely and confidently.
- Love and respect others. We have so much to learn from other people. I want my children to be interested in and respectful of other people and other cultures. I want them to expect to learn something from their neighbor, their teacher, their friend, a complete stranger, a bum on the street . . . and to find something in that person that is admirable, loveable, even holy.
- Yet at the same time, I want my children to know when to defiantly say "Screw ’em!" Excuse the language, but I want my kids to know when it’s time to buck the system and reject peer pressure or societal expectations or unhealthy family dynamics or anything else that will try to put them down or minimize their God-given gifts and opportunities. I want them to be strong enough to go out on a limb for the sake of justice, integrity, honesty, truth, sanity or most any liberal cause.
- The Infield Fly Rule; what a 6-4-3 Double Play is; and, the Designated Hitter is a Satanic Ploy. OK, so I’m trying to fit alot into #5. But I want my children to know about baseball and, more importantly, by seeing the fun my wife and I derive from our love of baseball I hope our children can develop their own hobbies, passions and interests. As long those hobbies, passions and interests include green pastures, bats, balls and gloves.
I’m not sure they’re all reading at this late juncture in the summer, but I’d love to read what Derek, LutherPunk, RevHRod, my lovely wife, and Nathan want their kids to know . . .
The Lutheran Zephyr 
I like yours. Re: “Screw ’em” I’d like my children, (if I had them) to be more confident and self-assured than I was — know when to let the criticism just slide off their backs.
So, I played and I tagged! Interesting list, kiddo. Baseball, hmm… it didn’t make my list.
I like your list and I’ll play if I get a chance. In any case, I think it is a good thing to have a “parenting philosophy” and actually be able to state it and then, see if you and the spouse are on the same page. Which this writer neglected to do. Ahhhemmm.
I saw a PBS program on the DH which said that the concept goes way back to the beginning of baseball and because the Philly’s owner and the Pirates owner neglected to vote at a certain time, the concept didn’t establish the DH back then.
It also said that most teams that have the DH have a very well paid, older player in that position. {Yes, I know you wouldn’t call it a position.} In contrast, the Twins use a regular bench player, which rotates between several people. For example, the 2nd catcher is a great DH, but when he catches, the regular catcher might DH. Or the Outfielders rotate into the DH position. Interesting way to do things. Way to too too many injuries this year for the Twins to pull off play off, however.
I like them all, but #5 is obviously the most important. *nods*
A satanic ploy? A satanic ploy to let us enjoy watching a player like Edgar Martinez, whose career would have been over before it started without the DH rule? A satanic ploy to spare us the pain of watching Randy Johnson try to swing the bat? … I wanted to continue ranting, but I can’t think of any more arguments in favor of the DH rule. Maybe it is a satanic ploy after all.
Why is there all this excitement about baseball and no concern about Statement Two?!?! These are bright young women. They come from good stock! Look at their mother! What if they decide to study abroad. You would have them look left, right, left. Well I’m here to tell you that a girl could get run over that way if she’s studying at Oxford in the UK! I think if you’re going to worry so much about teaching them about the designated hitter rule, you should at least teach them the “right, left, right” rule for when they are over to meet the Queen! Hmmph!
Ok–give me a couple… Things are kinda hectic at the moment…