Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the US, a federal holiday. That means that the kids don’t have school so, because I don’t have to get them up and out the door, I get an extra hour of sleep while still heading off to work at the usual time. But I worry about that. I worry that, for most people, that is the extent of the meaning of this day off — a holiday in honor of some dead guy that did something at some point in history. Is that enough, however, or do we, as parents, have a responsibility to our children to make it something more than that?
Posts Tagged ‘holidays’
Dreaming a Dream
Monday, January 17th, 2011Martin Luther King Jr. Versus The Snow Day
Sunday, January 16th, 2011
On the one hand, it is important to recognize the life and accomplishments of the great Martin Luther King, Jr. On the other hand, educating our children is just about the most important task we have as a society. So what do we do when a school district needs to make up for snow days and the only option available seems to be the reverend doctor’s holiday?
A Parent’s New Year’s Resolutions For 2011
Sunday, January 2nd, 2011
At the start of the New Year, it’s traditional for people to make sweeping statements about how they plan to improve themselves or their situation in the coming year. I could certainly do that — I definitely need to lose weight, I’d like to yell at the kids a little less, I really ought to work more on getting my book published — but that would only benefit me or, at most, my family. So I thought I’d take a look at the big picture and come up with some resolutions that will help kids all over.
So with that in mind, here is A Parent’s New Year’s Resolutions for 2011:
Surprise Boy To Surprise Troops
Monday, December 27th, 2010
Did your kids make you a holiday card? Did they perhaps make cards for their best friends too? If they were really industrious, they might have made one for each of their classmates. No matter what, however, if Stephen Goodman reaches his goal, your kids will look like real slackers in comparison. His plan is to send a holiday card to members of the U.S. Military actively deployed overseas. All of them.
Happy Year-End-Holiday-Of-Your-Choice!
Saturday, December 25th, 2010
Whatever you celebrate this time of year, we at Safari Dad wish for the best for you. May your wishes be joyous, your loved ones close, and your gifts as plentiful as they are meaningful.
Happy holidays to you and yours!
Kids’ Christmas Shopping
Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010
Many years ago, before I had kids of my own, I used to take my niece, then about 6 or 7 years old, Christmas shopping. I gave her a modest budget and let her pick out gifts for her brother, her parents and grandparents, and my wife. We’d get half a dozen presents and spend about twenty dollars or so. Fast forward about ten years and she’s quite capable of doing her own holiday shopping.
Teaching Children The Reason For The Season
Friday, December 10th, 2010
As we gather with friends, exchanging gifts and good tidings, sharing a communal meal, and basking in the warm comfort of holiday lights and decorations, it’s important to make sure that kids understand the “reason for the season.” If you’re not sure how to best explain it to your kids, there is help available.
Should Toy Donation Programs Censor Toys?
Thursday, December 9th, 2010
When I was growing up, toy guns were strictly forbidden in our house and we were not even supposed to play with them elsewhere. While I didn’t like that policy as a kid, now that I am a parent myself, I have the same rule in place for my children. I don’t think guns are an appropriate toy for kids to play with and I don’t think I’m alone. So what sort of donated toys do you suppose the Salvation Army destroys rather than see end up in the hands of children?
Gingerbread, Disney Style
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010
One of the reasons people go back to Disneyland and Disney World over and over again is that they’re always changing. There is always something new to see, especially around various holidays. This year, in the Grand Canyon Concourse of Disney World’s Contemporary Resort in Florida there is a 17-foot tall gingerbread tree. Not a wooden tree that just kinda looks like it’s made of gingerbread but a real, honest-to-yummy-goodness gingerbread tree.
The Internet Christmas Tree
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
I remember, from my childhood, going out into the woods with my parents, finding the perfect tree, and cutting it down to bring home. We did that once. That was far too rough and rugged for my parents — their idea of roughing it was Opera in the Park. So they bought a plastic tree with little plastic bunches of green pine needles that kept falling off the brown plastic branches and we never had a real tree again.
; we earn a small referral fee from purchases made via links on this site.