What's Up Wednesdays: My Sweet Potatoes

It’s hump day! The bad news is that you’ve only made it halfway through the regular work week. The good news is that you are halfway to the weekend and you get to enjoy today’s speedlink too. Kicking things off, John Willey wonders whether or not he is doing enough for his kids. As parents, we all want what is best for our children and we also understand that simply keeping a roof over their heads isn’t exactly sufficient. What treasured memories are you providing?

And speaking of good parenting, as Damien Riley gets older, he’s really starting to realize how to be satisfied with the little things in life. He beams with pride as he sees his son happily going to his fast food job. He swells with joy as he watches how happy his daughters are playing in the yard. And by observing his children, he also realizes how much they have to teach him too. Get on their level and watch for what you might be missing.

Remember last week when we discussed the difference between prunes and plums? Food terminology can be confusing and misleading, as Kelli Dunn explains the difference between yams and sweet potatoes. It certainly doesn’t help that what we call a yam might not be a yam at all; it might be a sweet potato. Stranger yet, they don’t actually have a lot in common at all.

Monday was Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You). Leading up to the celebration of all things Jedi and Sith, Tom Burns offered a great list of age-appropriate Star Wars books. The series by Jeffrey Brown (Vader’s Little Princess, et al) is positively stellar for the little ones, while the numerous novels of the Star Wars Expanded Universe may be a better choice for the tween and teen crowd.

Even as the shackles of traditional gender roles begin to slowly melt away, they still exert their influence on our daily observations and perspectives. Many men feel like they have to justify their choice to be stay-at-home dads and Melanie Lockert outlines what it takes to be a successful female breadwinner. Roles and responsibilities within the family unit need to be clear and money should not be used as a source of power.