Thank you for your presents/presence

When I was growing up, the birthday child was served the last piece of cake. In fact, the birthday child served the cake to their guests. On pin the tail on the donkey and other games, we went last when it was our birthday. At our birthday parties, we opened presents, said thank you and then followed up with a written thank you note.

I've noticed a growing trend these days at birthday parties. People don't open presents anymore. They are piled on a table somewhere and then, I guess, piled in the trunk of the car (if the party was other than at the house) to be opened later at home. Why is this? I'm sure it is to save time, and people think that kids don't want to sit through that. They are there to have fun! But what is it teaching our children? That it is ok to open a gift in private, stew about whether or not you want to return or exchange it? Regift it? Tacky.

As I try to teach my kids the "gift of giving", it involves bringing them to Target to pick out the gift. This is hard with anyone over the age of two. They want if for themselves. They want one just like it. They ask why we are getting it for someone else and not them. This torture must be endured as one step in teaching the gift of giving. Step two is actually giving the gift to the birthday child, seeing them open it, and seeing their joy at recieving the gift. Seeing them like the gift when they open it brings the lesson home. Its fun to give someone somthing they like and see them like it. I consider the thank you note to be lagniappe.

At the end of the parties, my kids then take time to find the birthday child, say "Happy Birthday, thank you for inviting me, I had fun". Then they find the parents (hard to do sometimes) and repeat the process. The sentiments are genuine and this is not done out of some formula for manners. Truly, thank you for having my child. Thanks for providing a fun Saturday afternoon. The expression of these sentiments out loud is what separates humans from the animals.

So the next time I attend a party where step two is not fulfilled and the presents are not opened, I have half a mind to take that present home with me...to regift it. If you can't beat em...

On deck

Since I'm finishing up Pope Joan soon for book club, I will allow myself another fluff book to compliment my new favorite show True Blood (HBO). Its just too weird to even describe, but of course I love it. Its all about naughty love with a Southern Gentleman Vampire (and I thought the Thorn Birds was naughty!) Anyway, I'm so hooked on the show, the music on the show and the whole story, I thought I would go backwards and read the book series upon which the show was based. I just have to get through this long-winded, depressing account of the fictionalized life of the Catholic Church's only woman pope (not that they acknowledge her at the Vatican) because dumb me had to suggest it for book club. The rebel soldier vampire will just have to wait...

Why do I care?

that Madonna and Guy Richie are getting a divorce? Its not like I thought she found her soul mate after the failed marriage to Sean Penn, and the tryst with her trainer that produced Lourdes. So why do I care? Why was I really bummed out when I read that all those rumors for the past few months really did have some truth to them? Why am I worried about how Gwynneth and Chris are handling it? And Apple and Moses -cause they are such good family friends and compadres on the whole "lets marry Brits and live in London and think that America sucks while we make gobs of money off of them!"

Here is why I might be bummed. And I came to the same conclusion when Brad and Jennifer split. If the super beautiful, fabulous and overall kabala spouting, peace loving, tree hugging, genetic jackpot hitting fountains of awesomeness (according to their fans) can't find enough good about each other to stay, then what the hell hope is there for us normal people? With mortgages and kids who interrupt and cars that break, and families that are kooky (that would be mine) and bodies that have taken a beating (mine again) and all of the yuckiness that comes along with children who vomit in our hands as we get them to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and dogs that stink and lick themselves all night, why do we stay? But we do.

Maybe BECAUSE of all that stuff. Because its real. And it may be yucky sometimes but you know if the world turns upside town one day, I'm sticking it out with the one who lets his children vomit in his hands:) That is romance in the suburbs.

Ok, I feel better.

Interesting Commercial

See what the Catholics have done to encourage their 67 million people on election day. They don't tell us how to vote but they sure do get their message across. It got my attention.