Tagged again

Okay, after this post it's going to be less opining and more cute baby-ness, I promise. And no, this is not a political post. I have been SO tempted lately, but decided to refrain. Okay, yes it is: one thing: thanks, Laura, for informing we ex-pats about Act One in Arkansas. Sheesh. I'm a social worker, and that's an obscenely bad piece of legislation that will HURT CHILDREN. So there.

Anyway, what I meant to say was: here are seven things my parents did that I want to pass down to Anneke and her future sibling.
1. Supper time: we always sat down to dinner, every night. Sometimes we were all mad at each other, but there we were, around the table. When I remember day-to-day family life, this is one of the first images that comes to mind. And no eating in front of the TV. One thing Dave maintains with us is no fighting at the dinner table. So if there is an issue we are working through we don't work on it over Gill's curry.
2. Church: We went to church almost every Sunday, and to Family Night Supper once a month, and to Bible School in the summer. We Presbyterians were not a preachy lot, and Love God/Love your neighbor was not a preachy affair. This kind of quiet example is what brought me back to the faith. I want Anneke to have a church family, and for the love in that community to lead her to pay it forward, as it were.
3. Boundaries: my parents did a good job of keeping us away from grownup business. When hard things happened--job losses, illness, money problems--as the oldest I knew what was going on, but I didn't know EVERYTHING. As an adult I can look back and realize, "oh, THAT's what was happening" and even "oh, it was THAT bad," but as a kid I was protected from that knowledge. When I entered adulthood I had what I think was a healthy naivete about a lot of grownup stuff. I don't feel naive about much anymore, but I learned hard lessons when I was old enough to handle them.
4. Reading: every day I saw my dad reading the paper, and book shelves were a prominent feature in the den. My mother used to read to me from "One Hundred and One Famous Poems," and when I was seven she started bringing me these orange-cloth-covered biographies with titles like "Clara Barton, Girl Nurse." I don't know how much of a reader Anneke will be--I'm voracious; Dave, not so much. I won't force it on her, but she'll have plenty of opportunities for curling up with a good book.
5. Music: When I was four my dad introduced me to The Beatles, and mom and a friend started a children's choir at church around the same time. We all did our stint in piano lessons and band. I want music to be a source of discovery and pleasure for Anneke. No matter what kind of voice she has, I want her to sing her heart out and know how good that feels. Dave is excited about taking piano lessons alongside her; I can't wait for that.
6. Back to boundaries: there were SO MANY shows we weren't allowed to watch. And I was not allowed to date until I was sixteen. SO LAME. Except Dave and I are going to be just as mean. Maybe meaner.
7. Trips: some family vacations were fancier than others, but we got along so famously when we got on the road. That's what I remember more than anything. Dave and I both have grouchy streaks a mile wide, but we are great travel companions. I try to rein in the grouchiness as much as I can, but sometimes you just need to get out and about and be together outside the proverbial daily grind.

Whew. where did I get my long-windedness? Thanks, Mom and Daddy. I tag all you other blogging mommies!