the hobgoblin of little minds

UWL recently wrote: "I am terrified of raising a child in this environment. I know that's something parents have always dealt with, but I have no idea how to handle this. I don't want my son to grow up with negative feelings about his country, but I don't want him to be patriotic about a nation that is doing little more than harm to its people. How on earth do we reconcile this?"

Nothing wrong with a little inconsistency. It's been said before and will be said again: the highest form of patriotism is honest criticism. As for kids, the world's a mess, true, but you bring a new person into it to celebrate life and hopefully so that you and your children can help make the world a better place.

Speaking of little minds, I visited a Montessori school today. BP says everyone should sit in on a grand jury proceeding, I say go to a preschool. First there's the cute factor. Any kid in pigtails makes me smile. Then there's the curiosity. It's refreshing to see a group of kids genuinely interested in exploring the world around them. Not a bad way to spend the morning.