Tag: parenting

Will this be cute in 10 years?

Thanksgiving 2015As the kids were growing up, when they’d do something slightly naughty or disrespectful we often asked ourselves, “Will this be cute in ten years?”

It wasn’t hard to guess. Emily was the assistant house mother for around 40 teenage girls. And there were a couple hundred teenagers at the boarding school. We could easily imagine our kid’s behavior in “teenage clothes” and realize that it wasn’t something we wanted to encourage.

And it has paid off. Big time.

Our kids are now 16, 13, and “almost 11.” And they are a blast.

Take our dinner conversations for example. Yesterday was my birthday. Our conversation ranged from:

  • Different forms of birth control – I shared my mother’s womb with a Dalkon shield so that tends to come up on my birthday
  • To a quote from the IT crowd – Moss’ “My ears are not a toilet!”
  • To lines from “The Banana Song – “Guac-amole, Gauc, Guac-a-mo-oh-oh-le”

Sure they’re human. But they are nice humans

In thinking about our dinner last night, I remembered that “Will this be cute in 10 years” question. Sure, our kids are human. Like the rest of us so they have good days and bad days. But I’m really glad we asked that question all those years ago. Because our kids are a delight.

And if you’re interested in that last song…here it is. You can’t un-hear it.

Jesus isn’t a misogynist; neither should we be

Happy International Women’s Day!

21 years ago today, I remember exhorting an audience at my prep school that the Bible advocates for treating men and women equally. That the rampant paternalistic misogyny in the world is one of the boldest proofs of the Fall talked about in Genesis. (Eve wasn’t to blame; Adam was. He stayed silent.)

As I see it, women are such a threat to the evil one, he keeps up an incessant attack on them in a vain attempt to keep them under his thumb. But they keep overcoming!

Jesus isn’t misogynistic

Jesus didn’t attack women, demean them, or try to keep them down. Despite His culture, he treated women with as much respect as men. He had a habit of lifting them up. He was a Jewish rabbi that had women disciples.

The first apostles were even women. (Matthew 28) An apostle is defined as one who has seen the risen Jesus and tells others about Him. Peter and the boys quickly took credit, but it was women who were the first “sent ones.”

Jesus still isn’t misogynistic. I want to be a man like Jesus.

Oddly, just last week I got an irate review on one of my books because I almost exclusively used “she” and “her” in talking about a donor prospect. The guy was really ticked. “Your book is way out of wack (sic) with reality…it’s poorly written with your constant referral to She (sic) as if Men (sic) don’t do this. I guess your secretary must be handling things while you promote your special skills.”

Shocking. Even with the bad grammar, we see this attitude all over. I figure we’ve used “he,” “his,” and “men” to describe all people for enough millennia, it’s now time to use “she” and “her.”

Equality is biblical; misogyny is evil

For those of us who follow Jesus, it has to go. Check out Galatians 3:25-28.

Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Can’t get much clearer than that.

Raise a glass

So today, I raise a glass to all of you with the two X chromosomes. Thank you for making our world a much better place. We’ve come along way in equality. Let’s celebrate that.

But we still have a long way to go. For those of us in the USA, let’s recommit to the ideal that “all [people] are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…” (modification mine).

Songs for new parents and their baby girl

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are having a baby girl. So my job at their shower on Sunday was to get song suggestions from people and make two CDs: one for the baby, one for the new parents. (My wife has lots of cool ideas like that.)

Here’s what we came up with. Some songs were suggested by family and friends. Some are just songs that I love. And on the parent CD, some are songs that they can sing and think of each other.

Songs for Baby

Songs for New Parents

What songs would you add?

Prayer around the dinner table at the Pitmans

Our kids crack us up.

Here’s how our grace went tonight.

9 year old son: Can I say grace?

My wife, knowing he was going to literally say the word “grace”: Only if you’ll pray, not just say “grace.”

Son: Ok, I’ll pray a real prayer.

We all bow our heads solemnly.

Son: Help.

[Pause]

Me, leaning over toward him: Would you care to expand on that?

Our 6 year old daughter, not missing a beat: Help…everybody!

We all busted out laughing.

And laughter is really the best prayer, isn’t it? 🙂

My son’s ear muscles

I love parenting. It’s the toughest job in the world. But then you get gems like the conversation we had today.

My 9 year-old son: I wasn’t cold today. I think it’s my new ipod. The ear phones were in my ears so they were working harder.

Me (a bit incredulously): Do you mean to say your “ear muscles” were working harder? And that muscle work made your head warmer?

Son: Yeah.

My wife (matter-of-factly): Ah…do you suppose it could have been because of the hood you were wearing?