All 10 fingers, all 10 toes, redux redux

London Marie was born yesterday, July 27 at about 12:15AM. Grandchild number four for the LWW and me (and first granddaughter). I am updating my wishlist that I created for her cousin Miles in 2005. and repeated for her cousin Theo in 2010. Education decisions take on a special importance when one realizes grandchildren will be benefit from good ones and be harmed by bad ones.

London will start school in 2017 or so. Here’s what I hope she finds:

1. A place that cares as much about her happiness as her education.
2. A place that cares more about her love of learning than her test scores and where it considered a mark of intelligence to ask questions and make mistakes.
3. A place where she feels safe and welcome and can’t wait to get to every morning.
4. A place that honors creativity more than memorization.
5. A place that has a library full of stories and a librarian who makes them come alive.
6. A place where technology compliments, rather than replaces, playing with blocks, finger-painting, naps, graham crackers, or a teacher’s soft encouragement.
7. A place where she learns to work and play with kids who make not have been given the blessings of a middle-class lifestyle or a fully-functioning body or brain.
8. A place that teaches kindness along with math, tolerance along with history, responsibility along with communication, and conservation along with science.
9. A place where teachers are excited about teaching and passionate about encouraging the passions in their students.
10. A place where she gets a chance to learn in lots of different ways from lots of different kinds of teachers.

Mom and baby are doing fine. Grandma finally has a reason to buy princess dresses along with Legos. - Grandpa Doug

Comments

[Wendy Larson]

Doug: Congratulations on your wonderful new granddaughter, London. We just bought our six year old Sophie a princess fishing rod (she casts beautifully) and her two year old sister Elsa, a princess training seat (she loves it.) Grandma will indeed be delighted with princess dresses.

[Kenn Gorman]

Grandfather?! Wow - you are old...

Congratulations!

[J. Thorn]

Congrats, grandpa!

[Pat (aka loonyhiker)]

Congratulations! I rank grandbabies right up there with puppies and kittens. But the best part is that you can have all the fun with them and when they get cranky you just hand them over to their parents! She looks absolutely adorable.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Wendy,

I also noticed that the giftshops in the Dells were selling pink toy guns as well. I suspect this one, knowing her dad, will be more of a golfer than a fisherperson.

Enjoy your fishing experiences!

Doug

Kenn,

I am older than dirt.

Doug

Hi Pat,

Call me crazy, but I rank grandchildren even higher than dogs and cats!

But yes, the sugar them up and send them home works great.

Thanks for the note,

Doug

[Sue Tanner]

Doug, congratulations! I wish all the best for you and your new little princess. (And the rest of the family, too!