Happy New Year! (with a surprise!)

With much enthusiasm, it is my pleasure to announce that I have finally finished a long-term project of mine– my first book! 

"From the Mouths of Babes: Pint-Sized Quotes and Essays on Life, Parenting, and Joy" is now available on sale through amazon.com for $5. I wrote the book in hopes that it will encourage parents as they go through the daily grind of diapers, laundry and disciplining. To give you a taste, here is one of my favorite chapters from the book. And then, if you're interested, just click on the picture of the book on the right!

Friday evening, at the dinner table

“Mom, do you put nose goblins in the food?”

‘Nose goblins’ is our family’s codeword for ‘boogers’. I looked to see if Tadhg was asking his question just to be silly (because that boy can be very silly at times) but his face showed only signs of seriousness. His eyes searched mine earnestly as he waited for an answer.

“I always put nose goblins in the food when I cook,” I said. “It adds spice.”

Tadhg’s eyes grew as big as dinner plates. “Really? You do?”

I cracked a smile. “No, of course not. I was joking.” 

At that instant, I recalled another conversation I had with Tadhg, just a few weeks prior...

Wednesday afternoon, by the piano

“Mom, the toilet won’t flush.”

“Did you use too much paper again?” I groaned.

“No, I didn’t!” he replied with a wide grin. “It’s okay! That was just a joke!”

“Tadhg, that’s not what a joke is. Saying that the toilet won’t flush is telling a lie.”

Back to Friday evening, at the dinner table

My face burned. Tadhg had unknowingly caught me red-handed doing the very thing I had told him not to do. At the time, I didn’t know that Tadhg’s “That was just a joke!” was his way of saying “I was joking” or “Just kidding!” Now the realization hit me. I was basically lying to my son, and even in the best light, I was blurring the line between joking and lying. The confused look on my five-year-old’s face clearly told me that I had made a big parenting mistake.

There was only one way to fix this: admit wrong-doing and apologize.

“I’m sorry, Tadhg. I told you before that saying things that weren’t true is telling a lie. I just lied to you. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Tadhg was quiet for a second. “So you don’t put nose goblins in the food?” he asked.

“No, I don’t,” I assured him.

“Well, maybe you should!” he replied. And with that declaration, he returned to his meal.

The lesson here? Stick to puns and knock-knock jokes. And remember that for boys, nose goblins are no joking matter.