Annual holiday event calendar
We here at Family Values Central couldn’t help but notice a
recent influx of events for this April 1 holiday. Venturing into the City sub-basement, we confronted the
Junior Correspondent in Charge of Press Releases and Staff Tattoos. (His desk
had to be moved after an unpleasant incident last April involving the editor,
four ounces of vinegar, and a raccoon.) According to the JCCPRST, “You’d have
to be a fool not to call ahead.” Bearing that in mind, here’s the Family Valued
April Fool’s Day Calendar:
รขยยข Event: Gilli-Con’s Island film series
(featuring the entire run of Gilligan’s
Planet), collectibles, costume contest, special appearance by Ed Wade of
The Wellingtons. College Campus, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Free.
รขยยข Special Event: Museum of Science Christmas in April Craft Show Crafts, cookies,
hot cider, holiday music. Museum of Science,
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. $2.98 (exact change
appreciated).
รขยยข Exhibition: Art
Gallery Family Fun DayYou Can’t
Spell ‘Family’ Without Me, Michael Jackson, 1 p.m. | Drown Out the Talk Downstairs, Italian Baroque Organ Recital, 1:05
p.m. | Let’s Take Down Some of This Stuff
and Play With It, Upper Galleries as the mood takes you, 2-4 p.m. Bring
your own crayons for coloring on the walls. | Free.
รขยยข Lecture: “Mammoth
Cave Echoes Lots and Lots” Infant Spelunkers’ Spring Fling, little Johnny Chilliwack, Not-Quite-Nappytime
Series at the ArtsCenter,
1:30 p.m.til
everybody-go-nappy. Free.
รขยยข Theater: August & Henrik
Spell Fun! Visiting artists รยndYรยธrMลซลซseTลซลซ Theatre Kรยธllektief
from Stockholm present their
interpretation of the works of Ibsen and Strindberg for the entire family, with
mimes. One performance only.SubsequentStage, 2 p.m. $39.50.
รขยยข Benefit: Rochester
Area Taxidermy Society Father/Daughter Banquet and PetExchangeConvention Center,
5-8 p.m. $35 and two air fresheners.
รขยยข Film: The March of the Curious Lion and the Shaggy
Witches by the Dozen (G) Jim Brown leads an all-star merry band through
a treacherous landscape populated by Vanilla Ice, Reese Witherspoon (with a
hand puppet shaped like last year’s Best Actress winner), nine penguins, and a
soy latte. Director Wes Craven captures the whimsy of the acclaimed novel and
manages to get an amazing performance out of a herd of gerbils. Movieplex, $2
(free chew toy to first 100 children).
— Craig Brownlie
I’ve given up self-discipline for lent
Traditionally, Christians abstain from something they crave
during this time of year. Lately I’ve refused to go anywhere without
self-discipline. I want to carry it into every pleasure I embrace. Eating,
working, conversing, child-rearing, creative pursuits — name the passion,
and, for me, a dash of self-discipline intensifies the experience. I’m not sure
how I’ll live without it.
This addiction is almost always passed on by adults, often
in consort. I was born remarkably free of self-discipline, but years of
near-constant infusions by parents, teachers, and coaches — often against my
will — left me hooked. Soon I began to grow my own.
Would you recognize the warning signs of self-discipline in
children? They include the following:
oย ย ย ย ย ย Tolerance of others, sometimes
progressing into full-blown celebrationof diversity
oย ย ย ย ย ย Self-sufficiency, including a marked
tendency to thrive and succeed with minimal adult intervention
oย ย ย ย ย ย Behavioral consistency in the face of
even the most intense peer pressure
oย ย ย ย ย ย Fulfillment in life
Research has shown that these symptoms are inevitably traced
to homes with established parameters, schools in which children experience real
consequences for their actions, and community settings in which expectations
are clearly communicated and consistently enforced.
I must admit that I am passing on this addiction to my own
kids. I’m already so far gone that I’d prefer they hate me for a day for
something I insist on rather than see them smile for a few minutes when I
violate our own principles.
A wise child loves
discipline. — Proverbs 13:1
— Rev. Corey Keyes
This article appears in Mar 29 โ Apr 4, 2006.
