Tag: play

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Parenting Cartoons

Having a Heat Wave

Illustration of a girl and dad in Hawaiian garb.

When my daughter was seven, she found out her mom was serving shish kabobs for dinner. When she discovered this, she immediately searched for some beach party costumes we had stored and prodded me to celebrate. Since we were having shish kabobs, it was naturally a time for a luau, right?

Kids are great for parents because they teach grown ups to lighten up a little. When life gets tough, look for reasons to celebrate. Even if you can’t find something, observe your kids, they can teach us to lighten up and enjoy the world around us!

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children cartoons

Great Heights

Cartoon of a girl scolding a kitten. She says, "Come down from there! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Cartoon of a girl scolding a kitten. She says, “Come down from there! Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Heights and obstacles are a matter of perspective, aren’t they? Whenever a child is convinced an obstacle is just too much for them, I need to remember it really does look as big to them as they imagine it. Part of the challenge is to convince a student they can overcome an obstacle without belittling or minimizing their fear.

How do you get a child to overcome an an obstacle in a respectful, encouraging way? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I drew this for Illustration Friday. This week’s word is “heights.”

 

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children cartoons Illustration Friday love Parenting Cartoons sketch journal

Playground Gestures

 

Sketch of a girl on a playground gesturing to be carried.

When I heard this week’s theme, I thought of the many times my daughter gestured to be carried when she was little. There is nothing that melted this dad’s heart more than to see those big eyes looking up at me with hands held high. It’s a combination of love, vulnerability and confidence that Dad would come through.

When we get older, we lose a little bit of that. Nobody wants to be vulnerable. In America, we all want to put on a facade that we are independent. But the best moments come when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable to the ones we love. I had to learn a little of that this week. It is one of the best, bittersweet lessons I’ve learned in recent memory.

I drew this for illustration friday. This week’s word is “gesture.”