The BiG Story
Len Blaifeder
and sons find
many reasons to
say 'thank you'
at Pesach.
Thank You Barney,
And Happy Pesach, Too
1 Len Blaifeder
Special to The AppleTree
5 the father of three boys in
diapers, I'm finally over the
embarrassMent of having a
purple dinosaur named Barney
"video baby sit" my sons. In fact, I
I know (and often can be heard
singing) the lyrics to virtually every
I song on the children's videotapes.
I I've even come to believe the simple
Len Blaifeder, in addition to
being a Barney fan, is a vice presi-
dent of marketing with the Bank of
I New York. He lives in New Jersey
with his wife, Janice, and sons
I Zachary and Michael, both 4, and
Jeremy, 2 1/2.
4/3
1998
68
er saying "please or "thank you,"
"please," their chances of mommy
we
often address these words to
giving them a cookie increases ten-
ourselves, the logic being that
fold. And when they say "thank you,"
everything we have is the result of
I they're laying the groundwork for
our own hard work.
1 future big ticket items like bicycles
I'm talking 'bout "please" and
By thinking in this manner, we pass
I and computer games.
"thank you,"
over those things- for which we should
Yet Barney's magical words often
They're called the magic words.
be truly thankful, as well as those for
are lost on grown ups, and in ignor-
If you want good things to happen,
which "please" can only be
ing them we deceive ourselves and
They're the words that should be
addressed to God.
present false messages to our chil-
heard.
That's why I'm especially thankful
dren.
As parents, we insist our children
when
Pesach arrives. For much as
When we, as adults, want cook-
use these words every. day. When
our children require an imaginary pur er
ies, all we need to do is look in the
I they do, they will be viewed favor-
ple reptile to use familiar symbols to
pantry or, at worst, make a quick
ably by other adults for their polite-
teach them, sometimes we, too,
trip to the convenience store. As our
: ness and as a good reflection of their
require an ancient holiday, along
affluence increases, the same logic
parents.
1 with its symbols, to teach us. The sym-
can be applied to computer soft-
For children, the rewards associat-
bols of Pesach remind us of the real
ware, cars and even homes. On
ed with "please" and "thank you" are
blessings for which we should be
the rare occasion when we consid-
more tangible. When they say
.
1 messages in these songs offer .pro-
found ideas — ideas I pray Zachciry,
Michael and Jeremy.will grow up
1 both practicing and believing.
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