Life is a buffet of diverse environments and experiences. It is the job of a good parent to carefully select those that are most conducive for healthy growth. Becoming a great parent is a process of learning the delicate balance between corrupting your children and overprotecting them. For example, every parent wants to expose their infant to the great musical arts while they are still tender. Of course you would never corrupt your 4 month old at a Marilyn Manson concert, and many first time parents think Kenny G. is perfectly safe. But a great parent seeks the perfect middle ground, like Chaka Khan at the Hollywood Bowl (Angie). In my position as a Family and Youth Minister, I often get the question from parents of young children about what constitutes a great fall activity for preschoolers, and why. Personally, I think the county fair is an annual activity children of any age should enjoy. For you parents, here are the seven values I used to determine why.
#1: Exercise. It's a great opportunity to get out of the house stretch.
#2: Nutrition. There is always an abundance of healthy food to sample.
#3: Culture. The county fair provides a wonderfully rich and diverse experience.
#4: Safety. I can trust the county fair to find employees who value my children as much as I do.
#5: Education: Where else will my children have the chance to see Johnboy massage a cow tit.
#6: Community. The fair draws out the wonderful members of the area that normally come out at night.
#7: Spiritual Focus. The fair is a place where you don't have to speak vaguely about the invisible spiritual realities. Look kids there's Satan!
I know great parenting can be difficult, but hang in there. Chances are that the carnival is coming to a town near you. God bless!
6 comments:
This is excellent. How did you get all of those great pictures? You will definitely someday write a book.
by the way - love the two-seater stroller.
You really think so? Coincidentally, my dad said I should write a pamphlet. While I'm not sure what he meant, my professors always said that I should strive for a complete thought, and that's a big enough struggle.
Yes, the Great Frederick Fair can be very educational! Great pictures....
I think this would be a great pamphlet. "Raised By Carnies: Life Lessons at the State Fair"
Yeah. That's really what I meant to write - "Brandon, you will definitely someday write a pamphlet." Sorry about that.
I explained to Emma what a publisher is. She said that she makes books and I can just email her and she will staple it in a book. All I have to do now is find out how many sheets my publisher can staple at one time.
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