Toddle Towne

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From Ms Peggy: Parental Love

When I was a child, my sisters and I would begin preparations for Valentine’s Day by rummaging in the buffet to check the years’ accumulation of crepe paper, then, with a dime between us we would troop uptown to select two packages of crepe paper. We would empty available boxes of anything from shoes to cereal. We cut, placed and pasted until the whole dining room was adrift with paste and paper. The creation of our valentine box would take a whole deliciously satisfying afternoon.

Celebrations of Valentine’s Day have been streamlined over the years. Homemade valentine boxes are a thing of the past, crepe paper is hard to find, and ten cents won’t buy very much.

Love was not a topic I considered much as a youngster, but it surrounded me in abundance. The love of my parents for my sisters and me did not keep them from setting limits with a firm hand. I had no illusions about my status … I was the child and they were the parents! There wasn’t much money for gifts or indulgences, but I was secure and I knew that I was loved.

Celebration rituals for Valentine’s Day have changed and so have the ways that parents demonstrate love for their children. Today’s parents are no less loving but in a busier and more affluent environment, they sometimes feel pressure to express their love in less appropriate ways. They have been sold on the idea that establishing their children as the first priority in their lives is an expression of powerful love. The wants and wishes of children are expected to be given supreme consideration. Parents deny themselves to guarantee that their children suffer no disappointment, face no frustrations, and never have their desires thwarted.

Is this admirable? Is it an expression of love? Does it make children feel loved and secure? NO! These indulgences only produce selfish, defiant children convinced that they deserve to have everything they want. Contrary to this popular notion, parents who really love their children should carefully consider their priorities.

Necessities, of course, are not open for question. Any parent who brings a child into this world has an obligation to provide them with food, shelter, and affection. But if it were possible to choose for every child the most lasting expression of love for Valentine’s Day, it would be the gift of living in a secure home with happy loving parents.

HOW DO YOU GIVE THIS GIFT?

If you love your child — consider your own needs for fulfillment. Allow yourself the time to be the best person you can be. Go to college, go to the beauty shop, buy a new dress, and take time for solitude. Without this personal satisfaction and achievement, you will have little to contribute to your child or other personal relationships.

If you love your child — take time for your marriage and your spouse. Children may protest being left with a sitter, but if it helps preserve your marriage, it is an indulgence for your child, not yourself. No loving parent would want their child to grow up in an atmosphere of tension and disagreement. A strong marriage cannot be constructed by two people who are not in tune with themselves or who are focused exclusively on their children.

Children are a gift and a tremendous responsibility. No parent should ever lose sight of their importance, but if you really love your child — carefully examine your priorities. A little parental selfishness may give children what they need the most — confident, successful parents and a happy home surrounded by love.

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Family Fun: February

Are you tired of cold and snowy Midwest winters?

Take a trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens at 2101 Tower Grove Ave. St. Louis Mo., and bask in the warm steamy rain forest climate of the Climatron, the hot dry desert, or the sunny Mediterranean climate, The Botanical Garden, a National Historic Landmark, was founded in 1859 by Henry Shaw. During February, Orchids will be featured and the Camellias will reach full winter bloom. The Gardens are open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm throughout the winter. Admission is only $8.00 for adults, children 12 and under are free.

The Garden Gate restaurant has sandwiches and meals… a little more than McDonalds but still reasonable. You can call 314-577-9400 for more information or visit their website at www.mobot.org.

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In The Kitchen: February

A birthday treat for George Washington that even the little ones can help make. Let the child roll or press out a canned biscuit and put a tablespoon of cherry pie filling in the middle. Fold the biscuit over, seal edges with a fork, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Put them on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 -10 minutes until golden brown. Being mindful of safety of course, don’t help too much! this is all about the experience and remember — they should help with the clean-up before they eat their treat!

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Important Bits & Pieces: February

Sick Kids

Please help us to provide a healthy environment for all children at TTLC. If your child has a fever, vomiting or diarrhea please do not return to school until symptoms are gone for 24 hours without medication. Make arrangements for supplementary care in advance, before your child becomes sick and you have no other options but to mask symptoms and send them on to school. With your cooperation we are better able to protect all of the children our care.

Child Abuse

We are required, by law, to report injuries which are consistent with abusive treatment. Our sole responsibility is to factually report the presence of an injury, with no presumption of parental guilt.

Toddle Towne Learning Center, and every individual teacher in the center, is a mandated reporter of “suspected child abuse.” We are required, by law, to report injuries which are consistent with abusive treatment. It is not our job to investigate, make judgments, or assign guilt. Our sole responsibility is to factually report the presence of an injury, with no presumption of parental guilt. Some of the injuries which we are specifically required to report include: hand print marks, adult human bite marks, pattern bruises, “glove” burns, and cigarette burns. Other circumstances which would indicate our responsibility for reporting would be inconsistencies between the reported cause of the injury and the actual injury, conflicting stories from the child and other family members, similar and repeated injuries, or a pattern of injuries.

Do not be concerned about normal bumps and bruises, or scrapes and scratches. Healthy, active children will acquire a variety of minor injuries on knees, shins, foreheads, and chins. If there is an unusual birthmark or serious injury, please discuss it with us when you bring the child in, this will allow us to be more accurate in assessing our responsibility to report. We have no desire to embarrass or upset our parents. If a report is made, the family will be contacted, if a reasonable explanation is given, there will be no further contact or interference. We are not allowed to keep any records of unfounded reports. Stresses of today’s fast-paced life can push any parent into inappropriate parenting. For these parents, relief is offered in the form of auxiliary child care, counseling, or even financial resources. It is not the aim of the Department of Children and Family Services or Toddle Towne to punish the parents but rather to protect the child.

Fulfilling our role as mandated reporter is not easy or comfortable for us, however if we do not report, Toddle Towne may be denied a license to operate, and individual teachers may lose their certification and the right to work with young children. We ask your cooperation and understanding as we carry out our responsibilities as advocates for young children.

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In The Kitchen: DECEMBER

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without CUT OUT COOKIES!   

CREAM TOGETHER: 1/2 C shortening, 1 C sugar, & 1 t vanilla.
ADD 1 egg and beat.
DISSOLVE 1 t baking soda in 1/2 C sour milk (a few drops of vinegar will sour sweet milk)
SIFT together 2 t baking powder & 3 1/2 C flour.
ADD milk and dry ingredients alternately mixing well.
ROLL OUT fairly thick, sprinkle with colored sugar, cut with Christmas cutters.
PLACE on greased cookie sheet
BAKE in 350 – 400 degree oven until lightly brown on edges.