Pride and Joy

I don’t think of myself as a perfect parent and often not as a good one. I’m frequently aloof, often short-tempered, and not always consistent. Despite my shortcomings I often see evidence that I might be doing something right. At the very least I can see that I’m not undermining with my poor parenting the good work that Jennifer does as Maura’s mother or destroying by my inattention Maura’s essential good nature.

One of those occasions when I can see that Maura is absorbing the lessons that her mother and I want her to learn came last Friday on the final night of Chanukah when Maura opened her last gift. She had appreciated the earlier gifts and I don’t think she had any disappointments. She takes her new stuffed Panda to bed at night and she wanted to wear her new dress to school even though it isn’t appropriate and I had to tell her no. It was clear from the moment that she opened it that the last gift was her favorite--the one that gave her the most pleasure to receive.

That final gift was a boxed collection of classic books for children. Jennifer and I had spotted it at the library book sale and picked it up right away. We can’t agree on who saw it first or whose idea it was to get it but neither of us had any doubts that Maura would love it and I am proud to say we were perfectly correct. Her eyes lit up when she unwrapped her box of books and right away she wanted to start reading them.

Maura is not a strange child. She is friendly and outgoing and enjoys company. She loves to play video games and watch TV. She enjoys being active; playing outside, ice skating, playing soccer and riding her bike. When she’s cooped up inside she sometimes chooses to dance around the living room listening to music on the stereo. She also loves to read and she’ll never be a child whose reaction to receiving a book as a gift is a lukewarm thank you, but rather a smile of genuine delight.

As a parent as well as a as a writer I am really gratified by my daughter’s love of reading. Her mother and I have done our best to instill in her that love. She has always been read to and seen us reading. There are books always in the house for everyone and frequent trips are made to the library to borrow more. I’m pleased when I hear Maura say she wants to grow up to be a writer and I would not be surprised if she does, but I’m more proud that she is already a reader. It’s a big step toward whatever she chooses to become and one that I have no doubt will be a big help and pleasure for her through her whole life.

Harvard Museum of Natural History

On Tuesday, December 8th, we made an excursion to the Harvard Museum of Natural History on the Harvard Campus in Cambridge. The whole family made the trip. Jennifer had taken the day off and my parents were making their annual holiday visit to exchange gifts and see their granddaughter. It was not our most enjoyable trip, though that was hardly the fault of the museum, which has some truly spectacular exhibits. I think we were all a bit tired, my father was not feeling well, and I was in a lousy mood. Still, I think we all enjoyed the time we spent at the museum

The trip started well with lunch at the John Harvard Brewhouse in Harvard Square. The food and the service were good and for the adults there was tasty microbrewery beer. I enjoyed mine immensely. The walk across the Harvard Campus to the museum was rather less pleasant since the day was rather raw and it was a relief to arrive and get inside out of the weather.

The HMNH has some fascinating collections. On this trip we skipped the Great Hall of Mammals, probably the museum’s greatest draw, because on our last visit the fumes from the preservatives made Maura ill. This time we gave more attention to the remarkable display of glass flowers, which are truly amazing. Copies in glass of botanical specimens, they are both beautiful and accurate; superb examples of both natural beauty and remarkable craftsmanship. I would love to return alone someday to spend more time admiring them and improving my knowledge of botany.

The other highlight of the trip for me was the brief excursion we made into the Peabody Museum of Ethnography and Archaeology, which is connected to the Museum of Natural History. We spent little time there because we were already at the end of our day but I found the exhibit of mural paintings from the southwestern United States and Mexico to be really fascinating. I would love to see more of the Peabody. Next time we make a visit to museums at Harvard we’ll have to go to the Peabody first. So far we’ve barely scratched the surface of it.

Jennifer had planned a side trip after the museum visit to Burdick’s, reputed to have the best hot chocolate in the Boston Metropolitan Area. I would have preferred to skip that part of the day, but Maura was excited about it so I didn’t say anything. When we found the place it was crowded and there was no chance of the five of us finding seats. I found the place uninviting and oppressive and wanted to leave. I managed to anger Jennifer by my expression of indifference to the idea of getting something to go and my refusal to make a decision about it. I didn’t want to be blamed for disappointing Maura. In the end Maura and Jennifer got some hot chocolate, the rest of us didn’t, no one but Maura was really happy and I’ll never know if the hot chocolate’s reputation is deserved or not.