"When I was younger, I remember receiving the inevitable homework
assignment to write an essay on "something I am thankful for." Then, I'd
spend a lot of time sitting in my room trying to figure out just what in
the world that could possibly be; and I'd end up writing down everything I
could think of from God to environmental consciousness. But after
having children, my priorities have clearly changed:
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful to have been born the USA, the most
powerful free democracy in the world. [Don't blame me. That's what it said.]
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for Velcro tennis shoes. As well as saving
valuable time, now I can hear the sound of my son taking off his shoes --
which gives me three extra seconds to activate the safety locks on the back
seat windows right before he hurls them out of the car and onto the freeway.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the recycling program which will
preserve our natural resources and prevent the overloading of landfills.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for swim diapers because every time my son
wanders into water in plain disposables, he ends up wearing a blimp the
size of, say, New Jersey, on his bottom.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for fresh, organic vegetables.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for microwaveable macaroni and cheese --
without which my children would be surviving on about three bites of cereal
and their own spit.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the opportunity to obtain a college
education and have a higher quality of life than my ancestors.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful to finish a complete thought without being
interrupted.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for holistic medicine and natural herbs.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for pediatric cough syrup guaranteed to
"cause drowsiness" in young children.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the opportunity to vacation in exotic
foreign countries so I could experience a different way of life in a new
culture.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful to have time to make it all the way down the
driveway to get the mail.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for the Moosewood Vegetarian cookbook.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for the butterball turkey hotline.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for a warm, cozy home to share with my
loved ones.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful for the lock on the bathroom door.
BEFORE CHILDREN: I was thankful for material objects like custom furniture,
a nice car and trendy clothes.
AFTER CHILDREN : I am thankful when the baby spits up and misses my good shoes.
