And sometimes there are these moments...

The other day, my daughter, Saskia, was being an adorable rascal. In playing around with her, I said, "Turn over your little butt. I'm going to spank it." She looked at me, and said, "Oh, please, Dad, I know you. That's the last thing you would ever do."

I almost cried. I had a good (internal) parent moment; for I knew, growing up, getting my butt whipped would be the first thing that my father would do.

Shake the Dust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uVTak1ctkg&feature=share&list=FLsVR31Xo1DDhnwkV6Qw8BqQ&index=1

Not the Same

We are NOT all the same. I never quite understand people who tell me that they don't see race or culture. Why not? That's not a negative thing, unless we react negatively towards it. There are differences. Take for example, the other day I was performing in an urban school in NYC, and a girl approached me after my show with tears running down her face. She said, "Thank you. You made me feel better. All my life, I've been made fun of because of my weight. I always hated myself because I could never be like the skinny girls in my school who wear a size 9."

It's all a matter of perspective, isn't it?

If there were no children only adults...

In my elementary show, (a show I perform with the lovely, Tania Alexandra), I have a section where I propose a question to the 3-6 grade students: "What would the world look like if there were no children, only adults?" I am stuck. Beyond giving nonsense answers such as: "There would be no video games," "People wouldn't pick their noses and fling it onto others," "It would be boring because adults would watch Oprah Winfrey all day long," I find myself stuck in truthfully answering the question what pragmatic use are children, specifically the little ones.

I know on the surface, this may sound awful, but my question comes from a place of curiosity, not disdain. I find that most people are taught what to think, what to eat, what to believe, and (sadly) what to say and feel. I try to be true to myself, but it doesn't always work out.

I'll give you a ready example. This morning, while on an elevator with another man, I struck up a quick conversation with him, asking him how his day was going thus far. He replied, "Good! I just got married last night." I immediately blurted out, "Congratulations!" I had the biggest (and most inauthentic) grin spreading across my face. I felt nothing of a congratulatory nature, but I said what I said because I've been raised to do the "supposed to do" thing, as opposed to saying what I "need" to say.

I struggle with this. So I ask your help, my friends, answer the question from your perspective, "If there were no children, only adults, what would the world look like?"