Danyelle stepped out of the shower and said, "Smell my soft hair.  I
used air conditioning."  -- Sally Morris (grandmother of Denyelle) of
Wellington, Florida

When Diane's 2-year-old grandson Oggie arrived, she picked him up for
a hug.  "Mmm," Diane said, "you smell good.  What smells so good?"  Oggie
replied, "Screen saver." (He meant sunscreen!)  -- Diane Schlemmer of
LaGrange, Indiana

MiKenzie, 4, was very excited because her parents' new car has
"sunglasses" (tinted windows)!"  -- Anne (grandmother of MiKenzie) of
Cherry Valley, Illinois

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

As he left the House, he thought to himself, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often.”

In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly-looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at him.

As he left, he thought to himself, “That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”

Jodi's family recently vacationed in the Dominican Republic.  It was
quite an experience for Zack, 8, and Brooklyn, 6, and they especially liked
helping to tip the maid, bartenders, tour guides, bus drivers, etc.  On the
way back home, once the plane had landed, Zack loudly asked his Dad, "Do we
have to tip the pilot now, too?!"  -- Jodi (mother of Zack and Brooklyn) of
Ontario, Canada

Quinn, 2, saw a picture of the Statue of Liberty.  She pointed to the
picture and said, "Look, Mommy -- she has to hold her ice cream up so Tyson
(the family dog) doesn't get it!"  -- Angela Cox (mother of Quinn) of Lee's
Summit, Missouri

Elizabeth was babysitting for a family with five children.  While
getting dinner ready one night she asked Andrew, 4, what kind of vegetable
he would like with dinner -- green beans or brussel sprouts.  "I want the
muscle sprouts!" he said.  "Muscle sprouts make you strong!"  -- Elizabeth
Ely of Trumbull, Connecticut

Mark, 2, had just finished another art masterpiece.  "Let's give it to
Daddy," his mother suggested.  "How about we write 'To Daddy, Love Mark' at
the top?"  Mark shook his head and corrected her.  "No, Mommy," he said
firmly.  "One Daddy loves Mark."  -- Julie Kelsey (mother of Mark) of
Germantown, Maryland

* From Kidwarmers

At 9 to 10 weeks, he squints, swallows, moves his tongue, and if you stroke his palm, will make a tight fist.

By 9 weeks he will "bend his fingers round an object in the palm of his hand." Valman & Pearson, "What the Fetus Feels," British Med. Jour., Jan. 26, 1980

When does he start to breathe?

Sylvia, 5, was talking with her father about the Mississippi River. Sylvia asked, "Is there
a Mister-sippi River?"  -- Jodi Villarreal (mother of Sylvia) of St. Paul, Minnesota

Christopher, 4, had been having a tough time behaving.  At bedtime, he asked for a
candy bar.  His mother said, "You may have one bite of a candy bar.  If you behave
better tomorrow, you can eat more of the candy bar." She handed him the candy
bar.  Christopher put his hands together and prayed, "God, make my mouth big
because I only get one bite tonight!"  -- Lisa (mother of Christopher) of Syracuse,
New York

Rose Ann tells about a friend of hers who was driving to a wedding reception
with her son, daughter-in-law and her two small grandchildren. They were in the
car after the wedding, on the way to the reception, when the youngest said,
"Daddy, are we on the way to the conception!"  -- Rose Ann of South Lyon, Michigan

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls.

He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.

“Mister,” he said, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”

“Well,” said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, “these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.”

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.

“I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?”

“Sure,” said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle, “Here, Dolly!” he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up…

“I want that one,” the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.”

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

One could reach out to young men by throwing them basketballs, or by titillating them with girly images, or even by miring them in an easy love of technology or speed. But this article by Katherine Kersten profiles an excellent young teacher who captivates young men with good literature:

My son had many fine teachers at his high school, Providence Academy in Plymouth [MN]. Had any one in particular made an impact? My son answered promptly: William Lasseter, his literature teacher. What made him unique? The answer startled us.

"He taught us about manhood. All the guys would tell you so."

You can read the rest at Feminine Genius.

Or do you even still think about chivalry at all?

Here's something that link-hopping again led me to -- a light and insightful piece by Darryl James:

Chivalry: 1. Gallantry, courtesy and honor. 2. The noble qualities a knight was supposed to have, such as courage and a readiness to help the weak. 3. The demonstration of any of these qualities.

We often hear that chivalry is dying, or that the art is dead, but many of us have no idea why.

That's how the essay starts. Then check this out, a few paragraphs later:

None of us can be honest and discuss the death of chivalry without also discussing its diminishing at the hands of both men and women. Currently, women discuss how men are no longer chivalrous, while men discuss how women have been rejecting chivalry. Modern chivalry fit fairly well during a time before the current women's rights movement, when women began to reject traditional roles and behavior, including the roles and behavior required for garnering chivalrous behavior.

For example, feminism taught women that displays of chivalry were, in many ways demeaning and condescending. The new idea was that since men did not hold doors for each other, why would they do so for any other equal? The image of the chivalrous man protecting the weaker "damsel in distress" did not fit well with the evolving image of the woman as equal, strong and independent.

Frankly, I find the ideas in this piece thought-provoking and somewhat a breath of fresh air since the topic of chivalry, after all, hasn't found its way in mainstream print in recent years except for nonchalant declarations like "chivalry is dead." Also, reading a man's perspective on the matter makes for informative material.

I assert that chivalry was attacked because it was misinterpreted. Instead of viewing it as a mutual art, yesterday's feminists saw the deference to females as negative. The perception was that old-fashioned chivalry was showered on women who were weaker than men, which had to be rejected by women who were seeking equality. But chivalry was also about courtesy and respect, both given and received.

Men should still pursue courtesy and respect for womanhood. We need to teach young men how to be gentlemen, so that our real traditions can be passed on. Women who wish to receive chivalry today, must do two things: Stand ready to return the respect and courtesy, and communicate those desires properly.

The article includes a bit of historical information -- social norms among Africans and African-Americans (the author is African-American) -- so keep this in mind if you decide to check it out.