Pink Play Dough

Well, I broke down and cooked up a new batch of play dough for the nursery. The batch we had started out yellow but it was getting kind of gray and crumbly and full of little treasures from off the floor. It needed to be replaced. A couple of weeks ago I asked what color of play dough we should have next and all the votes I got were for PINK. What do you expect from a nursery predominately full of little girls? When I actually got around to mixing it up last night I got the food coloring out and then vacillated for a minute. What color should it be? Would the few boys in our group have a problem playing with pink play dough? I questioned the choice because earlier in the day my teacher daughter had been having a little bit of a problem when her husband tried to put a pair of purple scissors in a "boy" pencil box he was loading at school. "Don't give the boy purple. Some boys have issues with that." That started me thinking about preconceived notions we have about what other people may or may not like or want. My youngest son's favorite color for most of elementary school was purple for the Phoenix Suns, the Utah Jazz, and the Arizona Diamondbacks (who were purple at the time). He would have been thrilled in Second Grade to have a pair of purple scissors. I think I try to second guess decisions, and people, in my life way too often. If I do this then they'll think that, or she wouldn't want to go there with me, or she doesn't like me so why should I bother, or they're probably busy right now so I'll call later, or I don't know what she wants for her birthday so I just won't get her anything and so on and so on and so on. I have the idea I'm a mind reader and I'm sure I know what other people are thinking or will want or will say even before they know. I do think it's good to be aware that people have preferences. That not everyone likes pink or purple or blue for that matter. That not everyone is a morning person. That not everyone likes to talk as much as I do. People are different and we need to be aware of those differences. However, I think I need to stop questioning every thing I do or say (or don't do or say) and just realize that most people won't be irreparably offended by pink play dough, purple scissors, a phone call when they're busy, or an acknowledgement on their birthday. The few people who are probably would be offended no matter what. By the way - the boys had no problem at all playing with pink play dough. I should have realized that from the start. Gosh, one of their dads wears purple shoes.

Today I am grateful for

Nephews that know how to plug a flat tire. Yup, we had another one.

Things I didn't know when my older kids were teenagers.

Pink Play Dough and nursery kids that share it with me.

My birthmonth present today was not one, not two, but three play dough birthday cakes and a medley of birthday songs.