One, please

OK, this may sound snarky, but here goes.

I get an e-mail newsletter from WhattoExpect.com, including toddler tips, articles, etc. Today's e-mail included this:

No matter what age your firstborn is, you may be feeling nostalgic for those early infancy days and thinking dreamy thoughts about baby number two.

Clearly, I am atypical because I never feel nostalgic for those early infancy days. I am sorry, but that's just the way it is. I find this a tough concept for many people to understand, hence the odd looks I get when people ask if we're having another child and I say, "No." If you want to have more than one child, that is wonderful for you and I'm thrilled you're happy. Some of us are just one-child kind of people and that's perfectly OK.

OK, end of snarky.

Sweet lessons

As parents, we spend a lot of time teaching our children important life lessons - kindness, generosity, honesty, work ethic. But sometimes - like last night - we have the chance to teach our children about the simple pleasures of life: enjoying the taste of summer corn on the cob.

Having a Wild Hair

My child's hair fits her so well - wild just like she is. She talks nonstop, is fearless and independent - most of that she gets from her Daddy. The hair, well, that's a combination of what my hair looked like when I was that age and the Charleston humidity.

May 3

Here we are again, old friend. We’ve been meeting up for 34 years now. Isn’t it hard to believe? Doesn’t it seem we’ve been doing this for only 25 years or so? I swear, every year your visit comes faster. Sometimes, I welcome it as a time to celebrate, reflect and look ahead. Some years, I review my accomplishments, my friends, my family, my life and feel blessed. Other years, I spend two weeks dreading your arrival, like a house guest whose visit is awkward and embarrassing. I worry I didn’t get enough done since our last visit and vow to check off more to-dos before you come again.

This year, my feelings are mixed. I couldn’t keep you from coming, so I accept your visit and hope it’s a pleasant one. I don’t roll out the red carpet, but I don’t barricade the front door either. I simply welcome you with a cordial smile, a familiarity and a hope we’ll sit together for a few brief hours on this date for many years to come.

Slip into my mind

Wouldn't it be great if we could let another person into our heads for a just a little bit? I know it sure would make it easier to explain why I feel the way I do.

I hate a conversation that ends with:
Person A: Does that make sense?
Person B: Well, not really.

Nothing beats reading

It's Read Across America Day -- and Dr. Suess' birthday. So, in honor, I post this quote from "I Can Read with my Eyes Shut!"

The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.

Truer words have never been written. There's nothing like the power of books.

Do You Have a Left-Handed Club?

As a lefty, I had to take a moment to read this New York Times article about how more Canadian hockey players are lefty shooters on the ice and more Americans are right-handed shooters.

Here’s one quote from the article: “It’s probably a cultural quirk,” offered Brian Tran, a hockey-playing sales clerk at Cyclone Taylor Sports, a Vancouver hockey store. “Everybody’s doing it one way, so you follow along.”

Interesting.

I’ve been paying attention to my daughter’s holding of Crayons and forks lately to see if she’ll be a righty or a lefty. So far, she tends to favor her right hand. While I hold fast to the fabulous notion left-handed people are incredibly intelligent and creative (it’s totally true!), I have to admit it’s tough being a lefty in a right-handed world.

For those of you who have never had to think about this, here are few examples to help you appreciate the challenges we lefties face:

• Scissors. As a child, I had a pair of lefty scissors, but as I got older, finding adult-sized left-handed scissors was near impossible. I’ve learned to cut with my right hand, which probably explains why I couldn’t cut a straight piece of wrapping paper if my life depended on it.

• Credit card machines. The pens are typically on the right, although now I am pleased to see more with the pen at the top of the machine.

• Doctor’s office clip boards. These are always positioned to the right and often those little pens that are secured to a desk are on the right-hand side. This also applies to a delivery person who hands you a clip board to sign – it’s positioned to the right and you have a help them turn it to the left.

• Notebooks. When you write with your left hand, you bump into the spiral ring on the left-hand side. This is why notepads that open from the top – or legal pads – are a good option for lefties.

• Video cameras. The strap you use when filming is on the right side and the view finder opens on the left. It would really be great if the strap were on the left side so I could hold it in my left hand and be a little more controlled in my shooting.

• Sports. Think golf, shooting a gun, buying a baseball glove (your selection is going to be limited).

• Dining with others. People always want you to sit on the outside of the booth or table so you don’t bump elbows.

• Computers. Like most people, I use a computer mouse with my right hand because as you learn to use a computer, the mouse is always on the right side so you just go with it.

Whether it’s playing hockey or everyday living, we lefties do face some challenges that right-handed people never think about. But, we don’t really mind that much – we’re too busy basking in the glow of our superior creativity and intelligence.