Pressure

Mary's Science Fair Experiment involved heating up marshmallows in the microwave. I think that sums her personality up pretty well. She is delighted with her display which involved marshmallows in ziploc bags attached to the board, her observation journal, her report about pressure and the photographs she took of the marshmallows before and after.

Popcorn does not expand when heated like marshmallows do. She attached her popcorn samples to the board too.

She has two big bowls of samples - marshmallows in one and popcorn in the other. She is delighted that she can hand out something to the kids that go by her booth. I tried to encourage her to take dixie cups and a set of tongs for the marshmallows. I know that little elementary school kids are just going to shove their hands in the bowl of popcorn. I am trying not to imagine the germ growth. Then again, maybe that can be next year's experiment.

Watermelon and Swimming

"What are you giving up for Lent, mom?" asked Anna.

"I don't know," I said, a bit surprised by the question. We were driving home from CCD over the icy roads.

"We learned about Lent tonight and what it means and I want to give something up besides meat on Fridays."

"Your Grandma used to give up candy for Lent," I said.

"Really?!" Anna said, imagining a world without candy.

"I used to just give up chocolate. That way I could still have candy, just no chocolate."

"Chocolate is the only candy I can eat with my braces," Anna said reflectively. "I think I can do that."

"Maybe I'll give up Diet Coke," I said.

"No way you can do that!" Anna said.

"If you give up chocolate for Lent then I will give up Diet Coke."

"It's a deal!" she said. "Mary? What are you giving up for Lent?"

"Onions. Onions and latkes," she said without hesitation.

"Onions and latkes?! You don't even like those! And nobody gives up latkes for Lent."

Mary smiled serenely and looked out the car window.

I remembered CCD in the frozen Sandhills in a ranch house living room with Father Mike having us pray the Hail Mary until I thought I would fall asleep and then he spent the rest of the time telling us his WWII war stories. We did talk about Lenten sacrifice at least once, because I remember him teasing us about giving up watermelon and swimming for Lent. Giving up onions and latkes makes as much sense as anything, I guess.

Can I Offer You a Light?

The American Medical Association wants to change the movie rating system so that movies with cigarette smoking would be rated "R."

I am shocked about what gets only a PG-13 rating these days. My kids know my triggers and they are quick to tell me that the movie is rated PG-13 for "strong language" which they know doesn't bother me. Sex and nudity bother me, but not as much as violence. The most recent Star Wars and Harry Potter movies were PG-13 and the kids had to beg me to see them. I went with them and I was left cringing at the violence in both of them. My kids have friends who can't watch The Simpson's, due to the language, but can go to a violent movie (melting faces and dying children) with no concerns.

I feel like things are all off-kilter and I am somehow out of touch. I think about "Casablanca" with the suggested sex and the suggested violence and I try to imagine it with more graphic sex and violence added and the cigarette smoking deleted. They could add a lot and it would probably only be rated PG-13. You could see someone's head blown off or blood and guts and Ingrid Bergman's body and all of that's ok as long as you don't see someone smoke a cigarette.

"Ingrid Bergman was a wonderful actress, and yet she kept all of her clothes on," I said to Anna while we were listening to a report about this suggested movie rating change on the radio.

"Mo-om!" said Anna. "You're so old fashioned. Cigarette smoking is a drug like wine or cocaine."

"It's not a drug like cocaine," I said. "And I thought we were talking about nudity in movies?"

She sighed. I sighed.

This parenting stuff is enough to make me take up smoking.

Girl Scout Sisters

"Ok, so we have Don't Put Your Fingers in Electrical Outlets and Don't Play with Matches. What are some other ideas for safety posters?" I asked the group of Girl Scouts.

They sat cross legged in front of me waving their little hands.

"Yes?" I said to the odd child in the group. Neglected and in foster care with a foster mom that seems strangely detached.

"I know more about my friends than I do my own sister," she said.

My hand paused over the chalk board. What the hell do I say in response to that? I drew upon all of my group facilitation skills and came up empty.

"Kind of off topic, but ok," said the girl next to her, and then she sidled over to put her arm around her.

"We're kind of your sisters. We're your Girl Scout Sisters!" said another.

And before I knew it there was a pile of 10 year olds on the floor in front of me as they hugged their Girl Scout Sister.

Grown ups think they know so much more than kids. Go lead a Girl Scout Meeting of 4th graders. They'll set you right. Because I wish that the grown ups I deal with were half as smart and compassionate as these girls.