A cool auntie never curses in front of the kids.Byline: WRITE ON By Gaye-Lynne Brogan For The Register-Guard Now that we are in 2006, I've formulated my standard resolutions: get fit, get organized, clean out the storage room, etc. Though I'm not looking forward to the grueling routine of accomplishing these tasks, fulfilling those resolutions would set me up for 2007's resolution of not cursing so much. I don't have kids, and this bad habit bad habit Unhealthy habit Clinical medicine A patterned behavior regarded as detrimental to physical or mental health, which is often linked to a lack of self-control. Cf Good habit. of cursing can creep up Verb 1. creep up - advance stealthily or unnoticed; "Age creeps up on you" sneak up advance, march on, move on, progress, pass on, go on - move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; "Time marches on" on me, which can be worrisome as I spend time caretaking some of my close friends' children and grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. . I don't want to have to explain where, or rather from whom, their child learned an undesirable new word. I can just imagine the disapproving dis·ap·prove v. dis·ap·proved, dis·ap·prov·ing, dis·ap·proves v.tr. 1. To have an unfavorable opinion of; condemn. 2. To refuse to approve; reject. v.intr. looks, the weary, "Don't you know the kids look up to you and want to be like you?" Just the thought of winning the Bad Baby Sitter of the Year award strengthens my resolve to watch my language around my 11 kiddlings. The kids' ages range from 5 to 18 and, through my close association with these families, I go to volleyball games, basketball games, birthday parties, graduations and, once, an orthodontist orthodontist /or·tho·don·tist/ (-don´tist) a dentist who specializes in orthodontics. or·tho·don·tist n. A person who specializes in orthodontics. appointment. I'm willing and able to supply fun and moral support to any major life event. Then again, sometimes the most fun any one of the kids and I have is the ordinary errand er·rand n. 1. a. A short trip taken to perform a specified task, usually for another. b. The purpose or object of such a trip: Your errand was to mail the letter. 2. day. I'm convinced that what makes the ordinary errand day special is that one kid gets the entire attention of one adult all to him- or herself. Except for being safe, staying together and balancing healthy meals with a treat, the kids and I have no goals or real plans for the day. And we always have fun. My dog, Tiberius, rides in the dog deck of my two-seater and one of the kids rides shotgun. After the doors and seatbelts are locked and loaded, we head out. Radio off, spirits up, hearts open. It's odd. I'm not a parent, but I never feel more centered and spiritually connected than when I am caretaking, coaching and mentoring my friends' kids. Every adventure becomes a learning experience. To quote Maya Angelou  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled until (UTC) due to vandalism. , "Each one, reach one. Each one,
teaches me."
On this day, I'm with my friend's 8-year-old son, Joseph (pronounced "Yo-sef'). He's a delightful, smart little boy. Latino by heritage, soulful soul·ful adj. Full of or expressing deep feeling; profoundly emotional. soul  ful·ly adv. by nature. We drive by a bank with a
sign. My little friend says to me, `That word is like `library,'
only there's no `T' in `library.' '
"You're right," I say. `That word is `liberty.' ' "What does it mean?" he asks. "It's another word for freedom." `You mean `to be free?' ' he asks, for clarification. `Exactly. Good job! It means `to be free,' ' I say, proud of our learning moment. `That word starts with `F,' ' he announces. `I know a lot of `F-words.' ' "Really?" I brace for impact. What am I going to have to tell his parents? `And what `F-words' are those?' I ask him cautiously. He thinks for a moment. `Let's see Let's See was a Canadian television series broadcast on CBC Television between September 6, 1952 to July 4, 1953. The segment, which had a running time of 15 minutes, was a puppet show with a character named Uncle Chichimus (voice of John Conway), which presented each ... there's `fair' ... and ... `funny,' ' he says cheerfully. "You're right!" I say, with silent relief. `Those are g-r-e-a-t `F-words.' ' Close one. Things could have gone very differently. Not a learning moment I would have relished. "Free, fair, funny," he chirps, then adds wisely, "Be free, be fair, be funny." He smiles at me proudly, and we laugh. Instinctively, he knows he's said something cool, but he's not yet able to imagine how sage, how marvelous. Now I look forward to my new New Year's resolutions A New Year's Resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until the set : Be Free, Be Fair, Be Funny! And spend more time being a cool auntie to some of my close friends' children and grandchildren. Gaye-Lynne Brogan of Eugene is a computer troubleshooter who writes a humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was column for a local company's newsletter. To submit columns Mail your typed, double-spaced, 500- to 800-word manuscript to Write On, The Register-Guard, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440. Attach a cover letter with your age, address, phone number and occupation. There is no payment for a published column. |
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