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Buttonhole Huh??

Dot’s Thot: We can learn from our children!

Just thought I should ‘fess up and tell this joke on myself. My son who lives in Berkeley was visiting and we went downtown together for a little bonding time.

I bought a beautiful hoodie sweatshirt in one of the little boutique shops (gulped at the pricetag, but loved it for the embroidery and scandanavian feel). I appreciate fabricart and he looked, said, “Cool”, looked it over, approved — so I forked over my credit card — this was some time in early April.

He asked me to send a picture — I forgot and then I forgot about the bag with the hoodie — stuck it in the closet to wear later.

My New Hoodie Cardigan Sweatshirt

Mother’s Day comes and a package arrives – http://tinyurl.com/l8jb7z –it makes me happy, a pink ipod shuffle for me.

I call to thank my sons and find out there is an engraving on the back — I didn’t see it myself — thank goodness for talkative kids. Naturally, I was too busy to load my music — a few weeks pass — my son arrives from Berkeley.

I hand over a stack of CDs and my ipod — he’s busy for a while, getting me set up.

Then he says — “where’s your sweater, Mom?”, meaning the hoodie. Blank look, sudden insight, brief search… he says, “…remember Mom, it’s that cool hoodie that gave me the idea that you needed this.”

“Ohhhhh….”

My New Hoodie ExplainedAnother blank look; he points to the buttonhole -- see, this is where the earphone wires go."

So, here are my lessons learned.

For me:

0. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know — so listen when your kids tell you.

1. If you don’t know, ask your kids — especially with any new gadgets or apparel styles.

2. Guys notice things too — it was my son who put 2 and 2 together 4 me

3. That tiny zip pocket under the facing of the hoodie holds my ipod. The other side holds my cell phone.

4. Finally — that is what the buttonhole is for — keeps the earphones available but under control.

For the kids of people like me:

0. Don’t laugh too hard, it might hurt our feelings.

1. We are grateful to learn and we can learn, so talk to us — a lot.

2. We love you for it

Aloha, Dot — I’m wearing my hoodie with nano now — : )

Diamond Head with the University of Hawaii in the Foreground -- Photo Taken 8 September 2004

Dot’s Thot: “Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono” – The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness  — State Motto of Hawaii

President Obama grew uip in Hawaii, where I was born and raised.  Different eras, different schools, etc., but one thing is for sure, Barack must have absorbed a number of inevitable truths you learn in the islands.

The one best  thing:  for all that people talk about being “color-blind”, I have always preferred the island way — “color-rich”.  By this I mean that we acknowledge our differences and learn from them — we eat each other’s food, adopt each other’s holidays (the more the merrier), observe each others customs, and finally, we marry into each other’s families, and if not that, at least “marry into each other’s cultures”.

For my own extended family, the first generation all came from Okinawa over a hundred years ago, the second included some main Japan in-laws, the third included Okinawan, Japanese,  Caucasian, Chinese, Laotian, and East Indian.  The fourth generation, thus far, has added a black American and a white Australian. the fifth generation are babies yet and they are sure to enrich us further.   Some people say, “Never insult any race, because someday, these will be your grandchildren.”

Thank you Hawaii for the spirit you gave us all.  More than the sandy beaches and wonderful climate, thank you for the richness of the world and the generosity of the Hawaiian culture.  Barack Obama must carry this in his bones, as do all of us who grew up there and that, in itself, gives me hope for the future.

Aloha to all,  Dot

The Watch Worn by President Obama -- Click to Get One for Dad