Tradition

There’s a commercial where the uncle from “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” plays the role of a professor apologizing to his students for an educational system that has become dysfunctional by being “traditional.” Now, I get it: clinging to archaic notions and methods is often less than innovative and sometimes downright dangerous, and I am definitely not in favor of doing things the way we’ve always done them just because that’s how we’ve always done them, but I can’t help thinking of all the traditions I would be sorry to see go if there was a purge. There is something sad about the idea that the things we have enjoyed together--as families, friends, cultures, and communities--would suddenly become suspect because “traditional” became a bad word. There are songs from church dances I went to as a teenager that still make me feel happy and young for a minute. Here in Chico, nursing moms of the '90s who have never met each other can be brought together by the name of a lactation consultant whose classes saved our sanity. And can I get a shout out for Girl Scout cookies?! Another place it seems we all can meet and stand together for a moment is in our attachment to Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon. It seems everyone loves it. I even found my voice getting softer and more nostalgic as we read. And my friend Joanne's adorable son, Nick Kydd, once took an adorable picture with the book that touches everyone.



http://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0694003611

http://www.btd-island.com/MWB.htm