The Talk, a Date with Bear, Lent and Other Stories from the Zoo

As I write this I am unable to think of an appropriate title. By the time I get to the end of this post hopefully I will have thought of a good title.

Yesterday I was out of the house all day long and away from my computer. Usually I spend the whole day at home. Yesterday was an exception. I dropped Monkey and Kitty off at school at 8 o’clock. When I got back home I had to gather a few items and then rush off with Little Bear in tow.

Our first stop was the local Wal-Mart. Yesterday was Fat Tuesday. Catholic tradition on Fat Tuesday is to fill up on sweets and treats because most of us give them up during lent. It was my table’s turn to bring a dish to pass for breakfast at the local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) chapter that I am a member of. So I decided to bring donuts, the perfect Fat Tuesday treat.

I picked them up and made sure to get an extra one for Bear. Of course he made a big mess in his car seat with chocolate frosting from his doughnut. Over the years I have learned to tolerate my kids messes. In the winter time they tend to leave their papers and projects from school and religious education scattered in our van. When it is cold I get lazy and just leave the mess instead of bringing it into the house. This year our van is the messiest that it has ever been. I’ve nicknamed it the “Junkmobile,” and have vowed to clean it out as soon as the weather warms up. It hit 50 degrees today, so maybe today is the day to finally clean out the Junkmobile.

The speaker at the MOPS meeting yesterday was a Christian sex therapist. I know Christian and sex don’t sound like they should belong in the same sentence. I learned so much from her talk. She discussed the appropriate way parents should talk to their kids about sex. This is a sensitive issue to me and I’ll admit I still haven’t had the sex talk with Goose.

This is what I got out of her talk yesterday.

Parents can start talking to their kids about sex as young as infancy.
Boys who dress up in girls clothing need to be taught that behavior is inappropriate because boys do not wear pink dresses, they wear blue, brown etc, and play with cars and trucks not dolls and dress up clothes. (Monkey loves his sister Kitty and often dresses up in her dress up clothes. We are planning on putting a stop to this right away.)
Kids usually get curious about sex around the age of 4. If they ask questions it is important to answer them right away.
It is important for girls between the age of 8-12 to hear from their fathers that they are beautiful. In order for girls to have a good self image they need to hear that they are beautiful and loved by a male.

She also recommended a book series, The Story of Me (God’s Design for Sex, Book 1). Each book is age appropriate and teaches you how to talk to your kids about that sensitive subject in a Biblical way. I am planning on ordering the whole series.

After the MOPS meeting Little Bear and I drove into downtown Cheney and stopped at the Dollar Tree and then went out to lunch at McDonald’s. I don’t recommend taking your kids to fast food restaurants that often, but when Grandma sends a bunch of gift cards for Valentine’s Day then it is okay to spend them.

After our lunch date, we went to the Parks and Rec Department to sign Monkey and Kitty up for spring soccer. It cost over $100 for both of them, but I tried not to dwell on how expensive it is. I know they will be getting great exercise, socialize with their peers, learn about teamwork and have fun. So I guess it is worth the money.

Then we went back to Walmart to pick up a few groceries for the rest of the week. Bear even went potty at Walmart. When we were done shopping it was time to pick up Monkey, Parrot and Kitty up from school. The day flew by so fast and I was so proud of my little boy. He behaved extremely well and did not throw a single fit.

Last night I made Tacos for dinner. I also made chocolate brownies for dessert.

Today is Ash Wednesday. Catholic tradition for adults is to fast on Ash Wednesday. I will only have one meal this evening. I also gave up sweets, alcohol and eating in between meals during Lent. The first day is always the hardest for me. Directly behind me sits a pan of half eaten brownies and my box of white wine. My stomach has been growling all day because I haven’t had a single bite to eat. But that is making me look more forward to the pancake dinner I am fixing for tonight. Instead of syrup I will be putting sugar-free jelly on my pancakes.

Do you celebrate Lent and Easter?