All this has been swirling around in my head and then this article appeared in the New York Times. Unbelievably, it says that preschoolers are coming to the dentist with 6 to 10 cavities at once, for the most part because of diet and here’s the kicker: because their parents won’t enforce brushing. Apparently my generation of parents panders to their children so much that even brushing is negotiable. As Betty Barry once said, “Not in my house!” Come on, forcing your kid to brush his teeth twice, swish with a little Sponge Bob ACT, and maybe just maybe help him floss is that difficult?

Equally shocking to me as the statistics in the NYT article was a few years back I stumbled on Lynne Griffin’s book, Negotiation Generation after hearing her do a reading at Grub Street. Griffin’s book is a manual of sorts to get Gen-Xers off their dumpers and into the real role of parenting. Negotiation in parenting, according to Griffin, is a huge problem for Generation X parents as my generation tends to want to be friend first, parent second. She urges parents to “take back your parental authority without punishment”. Perhaps a copy of this book should be handed out to each pre-schooler’s parent whose child needs to undergo general anesthesia for dental work.

As the mother of two young children, I choose to think that the future will be bright. (Indeed, I feel that I had to have faith in that in order to choose to have children.) My kids will live in and contribute to a world that is nothing that I can imagine — much the same way that my grandmother could not imagine the idea of her granddaughter using a smartphone and a laptop.

The discussion on this topic reminds me of the book, “The Rise of the Creative Class” and a recent segment on PBS’s show, “Maria Hinojosa”,  featuring Anand Giridharadas. Both the book and the interview offer the idea that it’s the creativity of the U.S. that makes and will make it great. I was struck by Giridharadas’ comment that although China and India are rising powers in the world economy, they have not brought to market the innovations that the U.S. has brought. Giridharadas goes as far as to attribute this to the great schools of higher education in the U.S. that no other country has and that people from around the world come to take part in. These schools create areas of thinking that is unmatched and cannot be artificially created.

As we embark on the next Presidential election here in the U.S. education will surely be discussed and revised. I only hope it is for the best and that endowments to the arts and sciences continue under the incoming President’s watch so that our innovators and future innovators are allowed to follow their course.

Here’s to education and the continual rise of the creative class! If we think it, it will be.

“Believe that you can get through anything, and you will always prevail”.

Being that I am up against keeping my life from sounding like a country and western sad song, and that I refuse to give into that type of outlook, this little note could not have come at a better time.

It’s ironic to me that one can cruise along through the day or week or weeks and feel just fine — operating safely within routine to get kids off to school, self off to work, and then the reverse basically carrying on the routines that make a day and getting things done. It’s when someone really stops in the face of that routine and asks, “How are you holding up? How do you stay so happy despite all that’s going on?” that thoughts come crashing down into a glimpse of what reality would be if one did not choose the high road, the “this too shall pass” attitude which seeks something better around the next corner or on the next page of the calendar. It’s bleak in that spot and certainly a place to avoid if you ask me.

After reading, “Mindset”, by Carol Dweck I am leaning toward thinking that some people are simply made to look on the bright side, to yearn for more knowledge and more information while others simply wilt and wither under the strains of pushing limits and in facing tough events. The study of Noetics, brought to light in Dan Brown’s book, “The Lost Symbol”, gets to this mind over matter as well in it’s pure definition:

“… an alternative metaphysicalphilosophy concerned with the study of mind and intuition, and its relationship with a proposed divine intellect. Among its principal purposes are the study of the effects of perceptions, beliefs, and intentions on human consciousness.”

Thanks, Mira, for sending me your message today — maybe part of the point of life’s adversity for me right now it to truly understand that letting go and working toward the next good thing really is an exercise in mind over matter, framing perception, and inevitably making good thoughts into things.

The purpose of this blog is simple: to put thought into things that capture my imagination or attention for one reason or another. I believe, “Thoughts are things” — putting thought into things that make me think perpetuates the good that comes from using one’s imagination.

Bring on the good thoughts, Universe! (And thank you Jim Henson for being my creative muse so early in life.)