NPR, Boys with Sticks, etc....

NPR had a nice report on boys and toy guns. Are we overly reactionary with some of our zero tolerance policies (such as when a boy turned a stick into a gun and pretended to shoot at his friend and then was suspended from school). This report was interesting to me as my son has, in the past five or six months, begun to turn everything into a sword or a gun. It doesn't help that he has the playmobile knight set and they have swords. Or that we let him pick out fake/plastic armor for himself. Or that all the other boys his age (and older) are doing the same thing. As in the report, someone called in (from Hillsboro, OR no less) and mentioned that their son played with sticks as guns, etc. and why wouldn't he? We are in the middle of a war and have been involved in some type of conflict for decades. Pavlos doesn't watch TV or the news, but maybe he picks up on it from children around him who are watching TV or the news. And maybe it's just that he is a boy (I'm also reading Raising Cain right now and they are writing about boys tendency towards violence). I do believe that their is a healthy violence and an unhealthy violence. As was noted in the NPR piece, boys playing war will, many times, go through the "we have to rescue our men who have been hit" and that is a values teaching tool (in a boys way)... values like courage, sacrifice for someone else, etc. Our only rule with Pavlos is he can't "shoot" people. I hope we are doing what's right!

Here is a link to a blog that I lurk around... this blog post regarding boys with sticks (not used as guns in this case) prompted me to write this blog based on hearing that NPR story. BTW... Pavlos is an avid collector of sticks. Everywhere we go he finds a new stick and wants to bring it home. He is also an avid collector of flower petals, too:)

Happy First Birthday, Petros!

May God grant you many, many years:)

Petition (or a note from my father)...

No Independence for Kosovo. Do whatever you feel is right:)

VOTE NO ON HOUSE RESOLUTION 36We, the signatories of this petition urge members of Congress to vote no on House Resolution 36. We do not support the United States position that Kosovo-Metohija, 15% of Serbia's territory should be taken away from her to appease Muslim insurgents who support Al-Qaeda and a thriving criminal element that imports illegal drugs and which also engages in human trafficking.CONSEQUENCESSuch a position will most definitely contribute to instability in the area and in those regions in Europe and Asia that are watching the Kosovo debate very closely. To continue to flagrantly disregard International Law which provides for the respect of the sovereignty of nations and for the right of such nations to non-interference in internal affairs will usher in an era of unprecedented lawlessness between nations states. Therefore, we urge you to respect the constitution of Serbia which the people of Serbia recently approved and which reflects the will of those who voted for it: that Kosovo-Metohija is an integral part of Serbia.HISTORYWe urge you to be mindful of the historical integrity of the Balkan region and the legacy of Josef Tito. Tito encouraged, during and after WWII, state sanctioned oppression of the Serbian peoples. He sought to displace Serbians in 1944 and in 1974 in an effort to create an Greater Albania at the expense of the Serbian peoples. He encourage illegal land grabs, disenfranchising the native Serbian peoples from their homes and their livelihood. It is telling that one of Tito's first acts after becoming the President of Serbia was to execute the Allied Forces greatest supporter against the Nazi regime, Draza Mihailovich. We urge you not to continue Josef Tito's legacy of oppression against the Serbian people with House Resolution 36.COMMIT TO A PRINCIPLED SOLUTIONWe urge you to commit to supporting a principled solution to Kosovo which would be acceptable to both sides. DO NOT RECOGNISE KOSOVO INDEPENDENCEWe urge you to respect the United States commitment to promoting peace in the world. We urge you, therefore to respect the United Nations Security Council votes on Kosovo-Metohija. We expect the United States to behave honourably in behalf of its citizens in this regard and to respect the legacy of both Theodore Roosevelt the first American to win the Nobel Peace prize for his efforts in the Portsmouth Treaty, and Eleanor Roosevelt one of the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The rights of the 100,000 remaining Serbian population is at stake. As a member of the United Nations, you have pledged to be a supporter of the rights of all humans not only of some. Any acts outside of this will mark the United States as a violator of human rights.SUPPORT PRINCIPLED SOLUTION ONLYTherefore, we urge you to support a principled solution that is aligned with International Law and aligned with due respect of Nation Sovereignty.We the signatories therefore urge members of Congress to vote no on House Resolution 36.

Random Tuesday Morning...

So this is one of those rare mornings when I didn't shower until 10:30am. Yes, I am one of those people that sets their alarm clock to get up before her children in order to get in a shower and get dressed (and, on a good day, make coffee, check email, etc. BEFORE kiddos wake up). But, not this morning. Alarm went off, and, rather than hitting snooze, I turned it off. Pavlos woke me up at 8:30 (Mom, may I please have some oatmeal and hot chocolate? My carrots are still there (referring to his pull up... if the carrots disappear, that means he peepeed in his pull up... we are working on having him not pee at night... the reward: hot chocolate with breakfast... but I digress). Petros woke up soon after that. By the time I had breakfast ready, Pavlos and Petros dressed, and had done a few things around the kitchen it was 10:30am and I was unshowered. Today is an easy day for us... no school, just Pavlos' speech for one hour this afternoon. OH, and I am going out to dinner tonight, minus kiddos, with one of my very best friends (she's my other sister). Very happy!!! OK, the above pictures (which I totally suck at posting pics on blogger, by the way) were taken this morning... sorry, no pics of me in my pink flannel:) Have a happy Tuesday!!!

Finished reading: The Historian and Hannibal Rising (which I just realized they have already made into a movie to release this month or next month)