A friend wrote back to me about the story I sent a few days ago. The one about the Jabberwocky.

"When our oldest came home from 4th grade with the Jabberwocky in hand and said he needed to memorize it, I was terrified!  Those words float around in my head and stick to NOTHING.  But, for him, it was fun and he memorized it, spouting the words around the house and the siblings would join in.  The next year his brother came home and needed to memorize it too, and he also embraced the task as fun, not impossible - both saying it together and siblings joining in.  Their younger sister had an easy time of it as did the next brother - 2 and 4 years later.  5 years after that our youngest was assigned the Jabberwocky in 4th grade and he told the teacher he could say it right then and there!!  He had absorbed the words easily over the years."

I laughed to picture him surprising the whole class. 

How wonderful to think that kids learn things by osmosis. Just by being in the back seat as we travel through life. What marvelous qualities can we share with our children by being a living example? 

There is something astounding about having an audience. On stage it lifts the actors from sloppy rehearsals to a focused performance. In a family it can be the impetus to communicate cleanly. How many parents have curbed their sailor's tongues in the presence of a two year old just learning to speak? 

Talk about getting a bang for your buck. If being considerate to my husband can be a blessing not only to him, but to my children's spouses whom I have not met yet, I'm in. It's as if the nonsensical pieces I didn't understand all fall into rhythm.