Speaking of pop culture (and in light of my last real post in which I made myself sound like Mom of the Year, when in fact that story was really supposed to be about how I wanted to be the world’s oldest tattle tale), I thought I’d share with you another way to build teachable moments into a family’s structure.
The other day the girls and I were running errands. On the list was a stop at Blockbuster, where I needed to return a movie and quickly check to see if they had another one in. I parked right in front of the store, told the girls I’d be right back, and gave my standard, “Do not unlock this door for any reason, I can see you from the store, and I will be RIGHT BACK” lecture.
Everything was as it should be: I could see them from the store, I was only in there for maybe three minutes, and I came RIGHT BACK. As I unlocked the van and started the ignition, Maddie pointed to the larger than life movie poster plastered directly in front of us and asked what “knocked up” meant.
I looked up at the poster, then immediately hung my head. What kind of mom parks her kids right in front of an ad like that AND DOESN’T EVEN NOTICE?
I raise my hand.
After I apologized for parking them right in front of an inappropriate advertisement, we did have a perfect moment for talking about how God’s best plan for babies is to be born to moms and dads who both love each other and commit to each other in marriage, but that it doesn’t always work out that way. And then I asked, “Do you all want cookies or popsicles when we get home?” Classic redirection by sugar.
And thus concludes this episode of Teachable Moments with Megan. Tune in next week to hear Megan explain why the Barenaked Ladies are neither barenaked nor ladies…
Half-Pint House 
Clay enjoys the music of a group called “The New P*#nographers.” I don’t care how good their music is, I just don’t think I want questions about, well, what their name means after the short people in our house find the CD lying around.
I do like listening to those Barenaked Ladies, though, so I’m looking forward to next week’s teachable moment post. (*grin*)
Happy Monday!
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Hee-hee. Oh dear, we parents *have* to laugh at these moments. 🙂
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Oh yes, ours had that byline as well and two of my kids are really great readers. It was the byline that spurred the question about “knocked up” because otherwise I don’t think she would have wondered…
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Oh yes, ours had that byline as well and two of my kids are really great readers. It was the byline that spurred the question about “knocked up” because otherwise I don’t think she would have wondered…
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Hee hee.
As the kids grow older, the teachable moments grow too. Reading opens up a whole new world, but it can definately cause parental squirming.
We are huge Barenaked Ladies fans. We’ve seen them multiple times in concert—it’s always fun explaining who is singing a particular song or where we are going.
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Hee hee.
As the kids grow older, the teachable moments grow too. Reading opens up a whole new world, but it can definately cause parental squirming.
We are huge Barenaked Ladies fans. We’ve seen them multiple times in concert—it’s always fun explaining who is singing a particular song or where we are going.
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I think it’s called target fixation. If I were in “get in and get out” mode, I’m not sure I’d notice any of the posters in the windows, either.
But yes, those teachable moments… gotta love ’em. 😛
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I think it’s called target fixation. If I were in “get in and get out” mode, I’m not sure I’d notice any of the posters in the windows, either.
But yes, those teachable moments… gotta love ’em. 😛
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We parked in front of the Knocked Up poster last night, too. Of course, my 3 year old can’t read so there weren’t any questions about its meaning. However she did think Seth Rogen looked like a good friend of ours. I’m curious, did your girls only wonder about the phrase “knocked up” or did they also question the byline (our poster had one)?
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We parked in front of the Knocked Up poster last night, too. Of course, my 3 year old can’t read so there weren’t any questions about its meaning. However she did think Seth Rogen looked like a good friend of ours. I’m curious, did your girls only wonder about the phrase “knocked up” or did they also question the byline (our poster had one)?
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i totally identify with rose. if i were running in fast and leaving the kids in the car, i would be so focused on my task, i would not notice my surroundings except for safety factors.
a major consideration in these discussions is age appropriateness, so it sounds like you did great! could we pick at you and find SOMETHING you did wrong. probably, but we want you to come back and talk to us b/c we like you…no we love you and want the very best for you.
so just come back and talke to us when you can, tell us about your life and we will love you back. that’s what community is all about.
(we’re studying exodus-deuteronomy–the content of the covenant (of grace) in the context of covenant community culminating in covenant compassion. how is that for a world view?) m
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i totally identify with rose. if i were running in fast and leaving the kids in the car, i would be so focused on my task, i would not notice my surroundings except for safety factors.
a major consideration in these discussions is age appropriateness, so it sounds like you did great! could we pick at you and find SOMETHING you did wrong. probably, but we want you to come back and talk to us b/c we like you…no we love you and want the very best for you.
so just come back and talke to us when you can, tell us about your life and we will love you back. that’s what community is all about.
(we’re studying exodus-deuteronomy–the content of the covenant (of grace) in the context of covenant community culminating in covenant compassion. how is that for a world view?) m
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Oh that is rich! Almost as good as my 3 year old who knows the words to ‘Put a ring on it” because I bought them the Chipmonks 2 movie.
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Oh that is rich! Almost as good as my 3 year old who knows the words to ‘Put a ring on it” because I bought them the Chipmonks 2 movie.
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