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Archive for August, 2011

2Q's: from the 6th grade homework

August 29th, 2011 at 07:27 pm

After writing a short answer of their own in class, my 6th grader's class was assigned to ask parents:
1. What was the best about your adolescence?
2. What was the worst about your adolescence?

As always, I try to make situations like these into teaching moments. Sometimes I try too hard and it backfires (for example, the kid stubbornly reject whatever I'm trying to convey). But this time I thought how to answer without coming across heavy handed.

What were yours? The past few weeks my youngest started middle school with all its academic challenges, change in social dynamics, not to mention personal growth of herself.

I also read 'Queen Bees and Wannabees' on the recommendation of our very well rounded Girl Scout leader. Horrors! The book plainly and completely lays out teen psychology whether or not you are ready for it. Y'know topics like makeup/clothes/tattoos and boys/date/parties and gossip/texting etc etc etc. Perhaps it is a bit extreme, but it's all true to a degree.

My kid has an awareness of these issues, some have already come up lightly, others are on the horizon. And of course, it brings back loads of WHERE WAS I AT THIS AGE?!

Ugh, bleh, Frown So how did I answer the homework questions?

1. My overall best recollection of middle school is that I belonged to a very large happy group of friends. There must have been 20 ~ 25 of us. Several have become lifelong friends to this day, and I know others who remained in the original area are life long friends still as well (I am not in the area and probably moved away for some of the very reasons discussed in the book!!).

2. The worst thing I remember is that my family of 4 kids and 2 parents just didn't have lots of money. Certainly we had a pretty solid middle class life; we had a separate phone line for the kids for example. But there was none of the after school sports and hobby indulgences, ie figure skating, horseback riding, football teams that are part of my own kid's life. I don't feel deprived, but definitely had a sense that money was tight.

Thanks for reading, it's been a while since posting. In fact, I didn't write anything all summer and used the time off work to renovate the home (on a dime of course!), get outside and get the kids active, and make jewelry and accessories for my small biz.

Here's a (lousy) picture of 3 very original rings now on sale in a little shop. What do you think is the 'circle' part of each ring? That is the piece I started with and which inspired the design. (Hint: the title contains a clue)

One More Time Rings


Nicely asymmetrically balanced mix of pearls and crystals fit inside perfect circles in these one-of-a-kind rings. Three colors only: White/Navy on a sterling silver shank, Red/peach on a copper shank, Gold/champagne on a goldtone shank.

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