Friday’s Discussion Topic:

Do you have a favorite and/or least favorite Dr. Seuss book?

I would have to say that one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books to read to my children is The Eye Book. It is such a fun and easy book that always gives my kids the giggles.  I think it is because of the “pink underpants” line.

In terms of a Seuss book with a deeper meaning, I am a big fan of Oh, The Places You’ll Go.

As with any author, there are some of his/her books that are not as great.  I would have to say that I do not enjoy Wacky Wednesday.  For awhile I actually hid the book in the closet so my son would not choose that one.

I don’t mind reading it during the day, but my son would always pick that one right before bed.  This is not a book you can simply read and call it a night.  Oh no, you have to find on each page what is wrong.  This is fine for the first five to ten pages.  Once you are on page eighteen and trying to find eighteen things that are wacky, it is not as fun.

Now it is your turn to share…

What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

Do you have a least favorite Dr. Seuss book?

Friday’s Discussion Topic:

How are birthdays celebrated in your home?

My son recently turned seven and this was the first year that we let him have a friend party.  Typically we do a family party at home.

He was able to invite five other friends over and then we took all six boys bowling.  It went much better than expected.  All the boys were very well behaved and had a lot of fun together.  The best part: I served the cake at the bowling alley which meant there was no crumb clean up for me! WooHoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like I said, we had a great time with the boys.  However having a friend birthday party meant we still had to do a family gathering.  Two parties can get rather expensive and chaotic.  I’m not sure how we will do it next year.

How do you handle birthday parties?

Do you do two separate parties?

Ideas…Comments…Suggestions….

Friday’s Discussion Topic:

Can your children pick out their own outfits?

I love it when I see a child at school or in the store and I know that they picked out their own clothes.  How do I know this?  Usually it is a little girl wearing her rain boots with purple tights, yellow shorts and a lime green shirt.  Once it was the little boy with his pants on backwards, a Halloween cowboy vest and green mittens.

No matter what the combination is, I think it is great.  If they took the time to think about what they wanted to wear and then put themselves in the outfit, I say more power to them.

I will say that on occasion I will “recommend” an outfit to my children.  Or if my daughter tries to wear a summer dress in the middle of winter, I will give her a few other options.  However for the most part, I let them pick their clothes.

I do know some people that do not let their children pick out their own outfits.  The clothes are laid out each morning and there is no discussion on the matter.

What is the outfit policy at your home?

Do you veto an outfit if it is a special occasion?

Friday’s Discussion Topic:

Are parents setting a bad example when it comes to technology?

In the past I have discussed how children today are overloaded with technology.  From watching too much television to playing video games for hours.  But what about parents?  Are we using technology too often and setting a bad example?

This week I went to a carnival at my daughter’s preschool.  Kids and parents were playing bingo, doing crafts and playing musical chairs.  As I stood watching my child march to the music, I started to notice a number of parents playing with their phones.

As my daughter was marching in a circle she would smile or wave each time she passed by me.  I felt sorry for the children who marched by their parent with a smile, only to find their parent not paying attention.

I also feel sad when I see parents talking on the phone when they pick up their children from school.  Shouldn’t they be taking the time to ask about their child’s day?

I admit that I am not perfect.  I admit that at times I am checking email or talking on my cell phone when I could be playing with my children.  However when I volunteer at school or take my children to a school activity, I make sure that they have 100% of my attention.  I make sure that they know I am there for them and that their activities are important.  I also make a point to not talk on the phone when I drop my kids off and pick them up from school.

What are your thoughts on technology in today’s society?

Friday’s Discussion Topic:

Should a preschool discuss death with children, when parents were NOT notified of the discussion?

This situation happened last month in my child’s preschool classroom.  To put it lightly, I was NOT impressed!  Now I am not a confrontational person.  I try to stay positive and look for the good in people.  But this situation, ruffled my feathers!

Here is what happened…Over winter break, one of the children in my daughter’s class lost a parent.  It was an unexpected and tragic loss for the family.  A couple parents heard about the news over break, but the majority of parents had no clue.

When we picked up our children from class on the first day back after break, we were notified of the family’s loss in a letter.  In this same letter, we were told that the teachers had discussed dying and loss with the children.  YES, you read that correctly.  The teachers had ALREADY discussed this in class!

I felt that this was very unprofessional and disrespectful to parents.  I believe that a letter should have been sent home stating what happened and that there would be discussion about it in the NEXT class.  This way parents would have the opportunity to discuss it at home with their child.  They could have also opted out of the the next class if they felt that their child was not emotionally ready to discuss this topic.

One little girl in class now wakes up at night yelling for her mom.  She also asks, “Mommy are you going die?”  This could have been prevented if her parents had the option to talk with her ahead of time.

Do you feel that this was appropriate to discuss in a preschool class?

Do you think that parents should have been notified in advance?