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As I'm still recovering from the misery that is a jetlag, I thought I would share this celebrity lullaby.

Elmo and Ricky Gervais--pretty cool, huh?

 

You’d think being a teacher by profession would make you a natural for teaching your own kids. While it’s true those called to teach have a certain approach to the world inevitably shared with the children they’ve brought into a family, the complicated nature of formal teaching (and the complicated nature of parent-child relationships) can challenge even the most skilled educator when it comes to their own small people. Much like any part of parenting, each parent has to choose a method that works for them. Sometimes you can teach any kid anything--except your own kid. I tried to work in Keilana’s classroom from preschool all the way through sixth grade, and we never could quite make it work. There was something about my presence in her learning domain that just brought out the most frustrating aspects of our relationship. Connor, on the other hand, would completely revert to earlier days and spend the whole time being my “baby” instead of branching out and participating. Addison, my strict little fraulein, had/has such a need for control, that having another person telling her what to do during the learning process was one person too many. So, despite having taught over three thousand other peoples’ children, the first three of mine have been unimpressed with my academic credentials. And now there’s Scarlett. We’ve been working together a lot lately and I think it’s going pretty well. In Susan Hood’s The Schoolhouse, Elmo and the Sesame Street crew go to school…without their mommies.

http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Sesame_Street_School

http://www.jacketflap.com/persondetail.asp?person=148275

Scarlett has only lived in an apartment. Her backyard is a tiny cement patio bordered with about five feet of scrubby grass. There’s no room, or even allowance, for most pets, especially dogs. Although both Nick and I had dogs growing up, since we aren’t planning on moving (or being able to afford moving) for quite some time, it seemed Scarlett would not experience all that comes with sharing space with man’s best friend. And then, when Scarlett was a year old, her Grandpa Dan brought home a little blonde bit of scruff and needle-sharp puppy teeth named Abbey. Scarlett was a baby who didn’t realize how hard you can squeeze a puppy. Abbey was a baby who didn’t realize how little force it takes to knock down a toddler. Somehow it worked. They have a very interesting relationship of antagonism and attachment that seems more sibling than owner and pet. Scarlett insists on putting Abbey on the leash and “walking” (which sometimes resembles dragging) her, even in the house. Abbey gets jealous of the attention Oba and Grandpa pay to Scarlett, and steals binkies every chance she gets. They are lucky enough to play and fight and grow together while we are lucky enough to watch. In Susan Hood’s The Furry Arms Hotel, Elmo and Baby Natasha play hide-and-seek with a little black puppy who may or may not be in any one of the many environmentally-diverse rooms. Only Natasha finds him, ‘cause babies are meant for each other.


http://www.jacketflap.com/persondetail.asp?person=148275

http://www.amazon.com/Sesame-Street-Susan-Hood/dp/B0006RW6YU