Pink Bunny Catches Surf in San Diego

One of the delightful pastimes I enjoy with Coco-Meister (age 5) and her sister, Bea (age 7) is painting our imaginations with the antics of Bun-Bun, formally Pink-Bunny, and Carrots, Bun-Bun's partner in fun. Both of them are known to have pizza parties with the other stuffed animals between the time we leave for a walk to the market and back.

Today, we enjoyed Bun-Bun catching a surf as we drove along the beautiful coast from Encinitas to La Jolla. Bun-Bun was on a really cool surfboard and shouted, "Cowabunga!" as most bunnies would in all the excitement and ocean mist swirling about on a long wave.

Though Bun-Bun is an expert surfer, is able to host awesome pizza parties for guests of no less than thirty and has all the skills needed for midnight runs out for ice cream when we're all asleep, at times she has to remain incognito if other new seven-year old kids are around, since according to Bea, "They would make fun of me, if they knew I love Pink Bunny!"

Of course, the impulse for peer acceptance overrides any effort to reassure Bea other seven-year old kids have their own loves that are deeply important. So as any Papa would do, I make accommodations and have a nice place for Bun-Bun to sit and read in my blue backpack until all is clear.

I very much enjoy all the little adventures that Bun-Bun and Carrots get into; I particularly like hearing about their mischief before they are off to sleep or at the dinner table.

Research reports what parents know and that is how important it is to encourage and be apart of our children's imaginary lives. One study indicates, "[C]areful attention to children's imaginative endeavors...will empower children to develop an invaluable tool that can be a contributing part of their repertoire for understanding and contributing to their worlds" (Eckhoff, 2008, p. 185).

Maybe what is needed is parents getting together to throw a party for stuffed animals. Sorry, I mean our little family members at the next opportunity? That could be a lot of fun, a bunch of parents with their kids and all their friends who do extraordinary things.

Next time you are traveling along the coast, look out into the water, smile and wave to Bun-Bun. She'll enjoy seeing you and you just may get a "Cowabunga!" to remember.

"Every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination. But just as a muscle grows flabby with disuse, so the bright imagination of a child pales in later years if he ceases to exercise it." - Walt Disney

Reference

Eckhoff, A., et. al., Understanding Imaginative Thinking During Childhood: Sociocultural Conceptions of Creativity and Imaginative Thought. Early Childhood Education Journal v. 36 no. 2 (October 2008) p. 179-85

Timeless Gifts

My grandmother died in my early twenties, and grandfather shortly thereafter. During this time of year, I miss them both and appreciate the many timeless gifts they gave me and my sister. My grandmother had a candle of a Saint always burning in her bedroom at night, where my sister and I slept as children when we visited; near the illumination was a rosary, the shadow of which flickered in the cool of the night. My grandfather wasn't a “spiritual” man, and wasn't even Catholic, didn't attend church, but was committed to the family and without fail enjoyed putting up Christmas lights every year. I can still hear the clatter of an aluminum ladder stretching for the trim of the roof of their home on the corner.

Each one in their own way modeled for me a way of life I didn't know I would one day greatly appreciate. Each, by living their principles, passed along to me invaluable and timeless gifts. My grandmother gave me the gift of affection, sense of value, consistency, dependability, and demonstration of faith in the intangible. My grandfather gave me the gift of warmth, joy, protection, reliability and skill to take on and finish a project without accepting less than the best I had to offer. Each in their own way formed the foundation of my beliefs about being a person, a member of a family and community, and each filled the gap where my parents could not (Family life wasn't perfect, sometimes troubling, but the true and nurturing aspects of family life can surface if permitted). Their respective faith in God and family proves to revisit me often.

Last night, I gave the gift of imagination, by taking my daughters to the library to checkout some delightful audio-books which they each were captivated by as we drove to our next destination (Had I known this would keep them from throwing stuff at each other earlier, I would have used my library membership a long time ago). At Home Depot, I gave the gifts of competence and partnership by showing my oldest, who is four, how to choose the proper wood-screws for my office shelves by instructing: “Find isle sixteen, which has a one and a six..look for a screw about this long.” The hunt for the wood-screws took us down many isles and to many stops, but it was worth every extra minute of time spent (even though I spent quite a bit of that time re-shelving product). Both enjoyed the self-serve checkout stand. The youngest, who is two, enjoyed being a part of our team, as she explored the many things see and tried to discern which was touchable and which was “Oh no, not that!” After Home Depot, we shared in the gift of God's joy, as we listened to Night of Silence: Music for Advent and Christmas (Marty Haugen, published by GIA Publications, Inc.), had our “bible reading time”at the table, enjoyed hot chocolate and chatted about the “beautiful music” (I love these little chats so I keep a digital recording on to capture these special moments). Afterward, we shared the gift of humility before God in prayer with our rosaries (two Our Fathers and three Hail Marys) before they went fast asleep.I miss my grandmother and grandfather, but I have faith we will one day be reunited in the presence of our Lord. Until then, God's gift to them, in turn given to me, I now pass along to my little ones. Timeless.