The other adult in our household teaches school. She happens to work in a community where many families are intimate with poverty and some of its associated experiences, including a poor diet, lack of access to regular medical care, limited opportunities for exercise because of generally dangerous surroundings, and the health consequences that come along with all that. But thank goodness someone is looking out for these people. Scholastic, the publisher of youth literature, is distributing child-rearing advice from a beloved and widely respected source:
“Rice Krispies Treats® is pleased to offer a few practical tips for fostering those moments with your child when he or she has a flash of brilliance, laughs out loud (LOL), or creates something new and original while relaxing and enjoying the warm and comforting feeling of time with family.”
LOL? I’m so touched at the generosity of Rice Krispies Treats® and so tickled by its warm yet cool concern for family togetherness that I’m WIMC (weeping in my cappuccino). One hardly notices all the reminders that Rice Krispies Treats® is sponsoring the message (my favorite subtle reference: the “you’re the best” message written on the Rice Krispies Treats® package).
Elsewhere this morning, I encountered this: