04 ,

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit

This year, the Annual Jewish Book Fair has added even

more children and family programs. A full schedule of

these programs are listed in our Book Fair brochure.

Story-time and other activities for children are

planned at both buildings daily during Book Fair.

Babysitting is also available for a nominal fee. Call

(248) 661-7613 to make your reservation.

Book Fair children c family

program highlights include:

Fe
Dancers
Sunday, November 8 - 4 p.m.
D. ban & Betty Kahn Building
A presentation of Petra and The Wolf.

emini concert-

Sunday, November 8 - 4 p.m.
Jimmy Prentis Morris Building
Twin brothers perform folk music melodies.

For further details about our Book Fair children &

family programs, please call (248) 661-7649.

Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan betroit

b. ban & Betty Kahn Building

6600 West Maple Road West Bloomfield, MI 48322

Jimmy Prentis Morris Building

15110 West Ten Mile Road • Oak Park, MI 48237

11/6
1998

86 Detroit Jewish News

Profi Le

began playing a fantastic game
With Zachary called "I Wonder ..."
Each time we encountered some-
thing new or interesting, I would
ask him, "I wonder how that hap-
pened?" or "I wonder why that
works that way?" or "I wonder
why that didn't fall?" Through that
one simple question, we would
begin a fantastic journey to finding
the answer in the library or from
some other academic resource.
Today, Zachary is an honor-roll stu-
dent.
As everyone knows, raising chil-
1 dren can be a financial challenge.
Children grow quickly; they are
constantly outgrowing clothes,
toys, books and activities. For a
single parent, that financial chal-
enge seems even bigger.
From my childhood, I remem-
bered- the times I spent simply play-
ing were the best. During
Zachary's third summer, we
embarked on a great adventure.
Each weekend, we-set out in
search of the perfect park. Some
have remarkable play lots with the
most sophisticated equipment cast
in durable plastic and painted the
brightest of colors. Others are a
decade old or more, made of
wood with tire swings hidden in
pleasantly shaded areas. Still.oth-
ers are the playgrounds of my
youth with simple swings, teeter-tot-
:
. te.rs and that really fuh "mom-pow-
ered"- merry-go-round.
Zachary's best picks have fast
moving slides, tall towers to climb
and plenty of opportunity for make-
believe. My top five are those with
• shaded areas, bridges, and rest
rooms with drinking fountains.
Certainly, the best part is knowing
that my son has learned the value
• of time spent together over time
spent with Nintendo.
While it's true that the financial
challenges as a single parent are
formidable, even more so is the
importance of teaching lessons of
fighting prejudice, learning accep-

tance and living with integrity, trust
and truth. I work diligently every
day to teach my son that a truthful,
trusting, non-judgmental way of life
will bring him more happiness than
a bank full of money, a bedroom
filled with toys or frequent trips to
DisneyWorld. He's a sweet,
thoughtful child with a big heart.
Whether I've taught him that or
whether he's picked it up through
osmosis, I'm glad to see my son
growing into the person I hoped
he would become.
Each night before my son goes
to sleep, we have a bedtime ritual.
After snuggling him down under
the covers, I tell him how much I
love him. His answer is always the
same: "I love you more."
"No," I say, "I love you more."
And then the game begins.
"I love you more than all the
Nintendo games in the whole
world," he says.
"That's a lot. But I love you more
than all the chocolate in the
world."
"Yes, but I love you more than
the tallest tree in the forest," he
says with exuberance.
"But I love you more than all the
stars in the sky."
That's when Zachary thinks for a
minute, his blue eyes searching the
ceiling and his long fingers tap-
ping the side of his cheek.
"Okay," he says, "you can't beat
this one. I love you more than all
the blackness in all of outer
space!"
How could I beat that? "My
goodness," I say. "Maybe you do
love me more. But nobody else in
the world could love you more
than I do."
That's when the hugging begins
and we say goodnight. I leave the
room and stand outside for a
moment, listening to him sing him-
self to sleep.
It's true. Single parenting can be
a challenge, but my son is my
greatest gift from God.

