Praising Kids for Disobeying Orders?

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(From three years ago . . .)

I've told David a million times not to try to climb the kitchen garbage can as it can easily topple over. And yet again yesterday I once again caught him trying to climb it. This time, however, he succeeded. I watched as he stood on top, carefully balanced himself, extended himself on his tippy toes and reached up to claim his prize in the cabinet high above.

I was angry that David disobeyed my orders and was scared that he put himself at risk in this manner. Yet I also got nachas watching him tap into unknown physical prowess and at the same time exhibit that he could overcome his fear of daunting tasks. I wasn't sure how to react. A long time ago I read about a German military decoration awarded to soldiers for actions committed while disobeying orders. Now it made complete sense to me.

Pacifiers

Unlike David, Ora needs her pacifier. Once she was even walking around with two of them stuffed in her mouth.

A few weeks she met up with a cousin of the same age who also had a pacifier in her mouth. Someone told them to give each other a hug and kiss. They embraced but every time they brought their heads together they were stymied in their effort to kiss by the obstacle of pacifiers bumping against each other.

Thank God for America

There was an article today on VIN (here) about a Jewish diabetic from Brooklyn who was in a car accident in Sierre Leone. Apparently he died while being treated in a hospital there because insulin was unavailable.

Later in the day at work I opened the fridge and I just stood there gazing at the stock of insulin supplies. Who would think that in the twenty-first century someone could have trouble getting insulin? And in a hospital, no less?

God bless America.

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On the other hand, even in bountiful America there is a great dearth of organ donors. 3,000 Americans die every year while waiting for a bone marrow donation (and many more die from complications due to partially matched donations). Click here to register with the bone marrow donor registry and you can be the one who lowers it to 2,999.