Holy Cow Batman Santa Claus is Black

When I was growing up, I always believed santa claus was a fat, old white man with a fake beard and a red suit because that's the only image I ever saw at the mall or on TV.

You can imagine my surprise when the Hayti Heritage Center announced it was bringing a black santa to Durham, NC for the first time ever. I had to see it for myself. But more importantly, I wanted by five-year-old grandson to see an image that looked more like him.

Last year, my grandson asked me if santa claus was going to bring him some presents. Without hesitation, I told him no and then proceeded to explain that his mom, grandparents, nana and papa and other family members are the ones who buy him gifts.

I didn't want my grandson to get it in his head that if he was good all year, some jolly old white man would come and bring him presents. It just didn't seem right.

Now I know someone reading this is going to think I'm being racist but I would argue the whole idea of promoting santa claus as white is racist. It's something that's been embedded in our minds for years with movies, TV specials and in practically every mall in America.

Just like I thought I'd never live to see the day we'd have a black President, I never thought I'd see a black santa claus on public display.

##!@Holy Freakin' Cow Batman!@#!!$@! KA-BOOM!

Grandma Learns Her Colors

I thought I knew my colors but obviously I didn't know them as well as I thought I did---until today. I received a valuable lesson at the grocery store about color-coding, which I thought was worth sharing.

While looking for bread, my grandson quickly noticed that the twists were different colors and he wanted me to explain why. I didn't have an answer but, fortunately, there was an employee standing nearby who was willing to share the information.

He said if you want to know how fresh the bread is in your grocery store, look at the tie that is holding the wrapper closed. Bread is delivered five days a week, Monday Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and the bread maker puts a different colored tie on to designate which day of the week the bread was baked:

Monday - Blue

Tuesday - Green

Thursday - Red

Friday - White

Saturday - Yellow

So, if you go to the grocery store on a Saturday, you should look for bread with the yellow twist or even the white twist since that was just delivered the day before. On the other hand, if you arbitrarily pick up bread with a blue twist on a Saturday, you can bet that bread has been sitting on the shelf for at least five days.

And to think, I've been color blind all these years.

Being a Grandma Blogger Has Privileges

Last week I received an email from a PR firm out of Chicago, which read:

"I wanted to invite you to be a part of an upcoming event in High Point. I’ve been reading your blog Baby Boomer Talk & Other Stuff and saw that you’ve been taking care of your grandson while your daughter is in school and thought this might be great fun for the both of you. On Saturday, Oct. 29 at YWCA High Point community members will team up with Humana, to build a multi-generational playground that will benefit children, adults and seniors.

For those of you who don't know, High Point is about 90 minutes from where I live and it's not a place I've ever visited so, while I was flattered for the invite and that she was reading my blog, I wasn't quite sure I wanted to make the trip.

But then she added a nugget: Former UNC Basketball Player Brendan Haywood would be there. I knew my grandson would get a kick out of meeting an NBA player up close and personal but it was even more special for me because I was acquainted with Brendan long before he went to the NBA. While a UNC student, he attended the same church as me and we always sat together in the balcony. I would affectionately call him "my son" and encourage him to not only to do well on the basketball court but to also shine in the classroom. I remember him being very quiet and respectful.

My grandson and I braved the cold temperatures and high-tailed it to High Point. Although Brendan was scheduled to leave by 11am, he was kind enough to wait for our arrival. He and my grandson participated in a video shoot for my TV show, while I watched as volunteers came together, despite the cold, rain and mud, to build the playground. Simply amazing!

Here's what I got out of that trip:

• I witnessed the true spirit of teamwork, in spite of the weather-related obstacles.
• People are really reading my blog and being influenced in some way by it.
• My grandson thinks I'm "the coolest."
• The pleasure of seeing Brendan again and seeing that success hasn't changed him. He's still quiet and respectful.

My Grandson the Medial Examiner

The other day as my grandson was getting dressed for school, he noticed I had the news on and the coverage was about the doctor accused of murdering Michael Jackson.

While I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth he comes in and announces he knows how Michael Jackson died.

"How?" I asked.

He replied, "Michael Jackson took some pills that made him white and that's why he died. He's supposed to be black like his brothers."

OK---so this is why we spent $500 to get him into kindergarten as an early entry so he could start practicing his medical examiner theories.

The mind of a kindergartener!

Why Aren't You Singing for Jesus in the Choir Grandma

Whenever we take my (now five-year-old) grandson to church, we can always expect him to say or do something that will either entertain or embarrass us. Today was no exception.

Shortly after we arrived, my grandson immediately peeled his eyes on the choir, looking for his godmother, who is a member. As we were listening to them sing, Jarod looked at me and said, "Grandma go sit with Tasha in the choir and sing." I told him I don't sing in the choir to which he responded, "Don't you think Jesus will be mad at you if you don't want to sing for him?" My response, "Jesus loves you know matter where you sing. It doesn't have to be in the choir. I can sing right where I am"

Of course, he had to have the last word: "Well, you're not singing very loud. I'm glad I sing in the choir because I know He can hear me there."

From Teenage Mom to Responsible Parent

Now that my daughter is back in college, I am wearing the primary caregiver hat for her son/my grandson.

It has been so amazing to see my once "I can't believe you got pregnant teenage daughter!" develop into a responsible, loving and nurturing mother.

Instead of using her summer to work full-time to save for college expenses, she chose to spend it preparing her four-year-old for a big test he would have to take as an "early entry" into kindergarten. (He missed the cutoff date by 6 days).

Everyday they went to the library--including Saturdays. She taught him to identify and spell more than 200 words, spell and write his name so it was legible, tell time and do math. Oh, did I tell you he had to learn to read?

Day in and day out, she challenged him and herself to accomplish the goal of scoring in the 98 percentile (what the state law REQUIRES in order to be admitted into kindergarten). It was frustrating at times---even for me and I was just an assistant teacher.

On Wednesday, August 31, my grandson will be a part of the 2011-2012 kindergarten class.

My daughter's hard work and tenacity paid BIG DIVIDENDS. Grandma is so proud!

Teaching Grandchildren Discipline

Discipline comes in many forms. Some parents believe in time out (which I don't personally think works). Others think taking a way a privilege gets the job done, while some maintain the traditional form of punishment: a good old-fashioned butt-whooping.

Even thought I'm an old school, old-fashioned grandma, I have discovered children don't need to be disciplined if they are taught self-discipline and they can be taught self-discipline through martial arts. There is no beating children into submission or rough-housing. Instead, it teaches children the skill of protecting themselves, along with self-control, humility and respect.

Self-discipline is what ALL children need as they grow and mature. It helps them take responsibility for the things they do. They begin to become aware of their responsibilities not because they are being reminded of them but because doing them is the right thing to do. They will understand for example, that household chores, homework, or even eating vegetables, should be done even if they are not pleasurable.

What do you think? Do you think kids don't need to be disciplined if they are taught self-discipline? How are you teaching your children and grandchildren discipline?