Summer Good-byes

So summer is coming in waves at our house. Will graduated from pre-K last week, Evan finishes his morning out program tomorrow, and Anna has 2.5 weeks left (which she insists is not fair).

I hate the end of things - routines, good times, the familiar.

I feel the worst for Will. He is moving on from the school he has attended for three years, although he is looking forward to going to Anna's school. He is saying good-bye to beloved teachers, three best friends who will be moving away, and dear cousins who will be moving sometime.

Will dislikes change more than I. So far, he has only cried about missing his teachers. But we could hardly get him to go to sleep the night he graduated - he was so upset. I had to promise visits and keeping in touch and all.

It's a crazy, mobile world we have today, and I wish somehow I could insulate my kids from all the change that lurks about.

When I was in 6th grade, my family moved away from our neighborhood, relatives, and state - where I had always lived... Home. (It seemed strange to me to move away from home.) Prior to that, I can only recall maybe two other kids who had moved away from my school. People didn't move. There was a sense of continuity, community, history, roots. Sure, you can still find that in some small towns these days, but not so much in the population at large.

My kids already don't even have that nostalgia about our house. They see other pretty houses and ask if we can move there, or when we are going to move again (we moved across town three years ago).

So whatever. Things are different now, and it's both good and bad. "It is what it is," as Jon likes to say.

But it kinda gives me that homesick feeling that I had at the end of my college years, faced with the prospect of all my dearest friends scattering in different directions. Wouldn't it be great if we could all just move to the same place and always be together?

But we all follow our dreams or desires or plans. We go our separate ways. We move. We keep in touch. Things change. Life goes on. We fill our lives with Good-byes and Hellos.

The Family Brand

Lately I've been thinking about the concept of branding. Typically applied to the marketing of products and businesses, branding can really be applied to almost anything, including yourself and your family.

Family branding is related to the idea of leaving a legacy. What do you want to be known for? What is your theme, your vibe, your reputation? I've met some families known for their thriftiness, or their indulgence of their kids, or their generous and helpful spirit.

To a certain extent, your family character develops on its own, an extension of members' personalities and opportunities. But I think it's good to at least be conscious of the brand idea... to think about it, maybe determine where you want to be heading and how to steer in that direction.

If we want our kids to be passionate and compassionate, to care about the bigger world, and so on, what steps do we need to take now in order to head that way? What activities, attitudes, priorities do we engage in, and do they support or undermine our ultimate goals?

In our family, we try to emphasize the biblical ideas of "love one another" and "do to others as you would have them do to you." It may sound rather generic, but these values, when emphasized consistently, can build the foundation of the strong, godly character that we desire. I think at this stage, with little kids, those two ideas will lead us in the right direction, and hopefully develop a family brand worth having.

Let Me Eat Cake - But Make it Yummy, Please!

Is it just me or do cakes not taste as good as they used to? I used to love birthday cakes - sweet and simple - with a side of ice cream! More recently, though, I have been disappointed over and over.

Perhaps I've become too finicky, prefering the finer cakes. Or perhaps the bakeries are cutting corners and offering lower quality fare.

A couple weeks ago we had a cake from Kroger that had practically no taste whatsoever. It was pretty, and looked like it would taste good. But really, it was just a waste of calories. Upon careful inspection of the lid, Jon noticed the expiration date was for July! There is nothing natural about an April cake being good until July. It was surely made of plastic or something. I threw it away, less than half-eaten. How sad.

I guess I will have to resort to either ordering from higher quality bakeries or just making cakes myself.