Friends, Fish, & The FutureWritten by Valerie Zilinsky
As a parent, have you ever secretly thought to yourself that maybe it was wrong of you to bring your children into a world like ours? I have had that thought cross my mind fleetingly over years, particularly when I turn on evening news, or read headlines of each day's newspaper. For a brief instant, I wonder if it was selfish of me to give birth to a child who will have to grow up in a world so scary and unpredictable.I have been living in a prolonged version of one of those moments for past few weeks, as our nation recovers from disastrous attacks of September 11th, 2001. In a world where such hatred and evil exists, how can innocence of my children fit in here? My children are responsible for bringing me back to reality just yesterday, as I watched them go on with their lives at a church picnic we attended. I saw my daughter make a new friend, and play arm-in-arm with her for hours. They discovered things together, played side-by-side, sang and ran and laughed together, and learned from each other. Those two could have taught world a lesson about importance of making new friends, and enjoying uniqueness of each individual. My son also had something to teach our world yesterday - if you don't see a solution to a problem, don't give up! Frustration won't help, and neither will anger. Instead, use your imagination to explore new ideas and find a way to make it work. All this came from watching him progress from being bored, to moping around in frustration, to catching a fish with a contraption he pieced together from a styrofoam cup and a branch he found on ground. He was so proud of himself and showed everyone what he did, even those he didn't know.
| | It Won't Grow Back TomorrowWritten by Valerie Zilinsky
I remember clearly day that I had my ultrasound, and technician informed my husband and I that we had a baby girl on her way to join us in this world. That very day, my husband made clear that our daughter would not get a haircut until she was at least five years old. Now, this was one of many many discussions we had that day, about our future as parents of a little girl. And it was based on fact that his sister didn't get her haircut for first five years of her life either. And, he simply has a love of long hair. Time flies when you're having fun, and our little girl turns six in a few short months. She has decided it's time to cut her hair. She takes after her daddy with her personality - strong-willed and stubborn as an ox, very independent. She will be one to set fashion trends in her later years, as she will look how she wants to, and doesn't care what anyone else likes or dislikes. And SHE dislikes her hair. Or, at least, daily ritual of sitting still while tangles are being combed out. Her hair is beautiful, down to her waist and pretty straight, light brown or dark blonde (whichever you prefer). She has never had more than ends trimmed so far. I thought I was ready to let her get it cut, but as we browsed through books at hair salon together, I became very sentimental. She is beautiful, of course, and would look just as nice with any of hairstyles she pointed to in pictures. But both my husband and I agree - we don't think she really grasps idea that once she gets it cut, she can't change her mind. She has asked to get her bangs cut... What if she hates having bangs? It would take years for her to grow it back. And we truly think she dislikes inconvenience, not hair itself.
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