First came carriage, then came marriage
Lily recently picked up our wedding photo.
Of course, the first thing she wanted to know was "Why was Creed at your wedding?''.
Sure enough, there was her older brother Creed, when he was 1 1/2, sitting there on the steps at the altar with a wedding ring in his mouth.
[As an aside, this photo is one of the few actual records we have that this event even happened. The video was overdubbed by a football game. I don't watch football. That one is easy to figure out.]
I had to do a sudden prioritization. Which is the more important lesson for my daughter? That lying is bad? Or that having a child before you get married is bad?
"What now?'' I asked her.
"Why is Creed there?'' she wanted to know.
"He just pops up everywhere, doesn't he?'' I replied. "I don't remember.''
She's only 5. She's not ready for a detailed version of the story. But I'm not going to be one of those moms who sets aside all the embarrassing family secrets and then when she's 13, I say, "Lily, it's time for a chat.''
I find it's better if you make kids think they've always known Embarrassing Family Secret XYZ. And by the time they're ready to ask for details, all they'll have to do is look it up on a blog somewhere.
Speaking of which, I decided to check to see if Creed knows about this blog yet. I've revealed a lot of his personal information, especially matters about his increasingly large Permanent File at school. So last night I asked him, "Creed, do you know what a blog is?''
He's in sixth grade. I figured he'd know.
"Blog? B-L-O-G?'' he asked. "I've heard you guys say that word a lot.''
OK, good enough. He has no idea.
Here's this week's Totally Weird Comment from Lily. We were driving past the police station in Fort Lauderdale, and she asked, "If I killed someone, would you take me to jail?'' "Who are you going to kill?'' I inquired. "A bird,'' she answered.
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work.
Joy Oglesby has a preschooler...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s.
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters.
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 15, and Lily, 7, and is married to a journalist, Bob Norman. She covers Broward County government, which is filled with almost as much drama as the Norman household. Almost.
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator and the father of a 7-year-old girl, and two boys ages 4 and 3.
Kyara Lomer Camarena has a 2-year-old son, Copelan, and a brand new baby. 
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