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I think it’s important for kids to have time to play with each other because it will have on reversible effects if all our children’s time is structured and without imagination. Just like the everybody wins a trophy generation this too will have its drawbacks.

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So true. It’s funny though, because each generation of brand-new parents likes to think they’ll be the ones to get it right, by avoiding certain things their own parents did. It took a few years but I sure felt relieved when I realized it just isn’t possible to parent “perfectly” :)

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I totally agree it’s just sad when people get it so wrong it hurts the children. You know what makes me laugh when you see these moms and dads given the children healthy food to eat while they have a glass of wine or beer in their hand. I have nothing against drinking don’t get me wrong, but you should be an example not an exception. It’s so hard to know the right thing to do when it comes to your children all we can do is our best and hope the good points stick.

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I’m not a single parent. Heck, I’m not a parent. I follow this substack because I appreciate its literary conversation and book recommendations. The description of summer vacation at the beginning of this post made me remember the smell of my local library in the summer as I prayed for the appearance books by Gordon Korman and Carolyn Keene. I still remember the shame and fear when I had to explain why a certain Nancy Drew paperback doubled in size because I attempted to read it in the lake and there was an incident with a dear fly.

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Oh no! I hope the librarian was understanding. My local branch is too new to have much of a smell, but I know exactly what you mean by that. If I ever see a scented candle called "Old Books" or "Card Catalogue" I will buy it immediately.

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