Family valued - 3.29.06 

Annual holiday event calendar

We here at Family Values Central couldn't help but notice a recent influx of events for this April 1 holiday. Venturing into the City sub-basement, we confronted the Junior Correspondent in Charge of Press Releases and Staff Tattoos. (His desk had to be moved after an unpleasant incident last April involving the editor, four ounces of vinegar, and a raccoon.) According to the JCCPRST, "You'd have to be a fool not to call ahead." Bearing that in mind, here's the Family Valued April Fool's Day Calendar:

• Event: Gilli-Con's Island film series (featuring the entire run of Gilligan's Planet), collectibles, costume contest, special appearance by Ed Wade of The Wellingtons. College Campus, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Free.

• Special Event: Museum of Science Christmas in April Craft Show Crafts, cookies, hot cider, holiday music. Museum of Science, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. $2.98 (exact change appreciated).

• Exhibition: Art Gallery Family Fun DayYou Can't Spell 'Family' Without Me, Michael Jackson, 1 p.m. | Drown Out the Talk Downstairs, Italian Baroque Organ Recital, 1:05 p.m. | Let's Take Down Some of This Stuff and Play With It, Upper Galleries as the mood takes you, 2-4 p.m. Bring your own crayons for coloring on the walls. | Free.

• Lecture: "Mammoth Cave Echoes Lots and Lots" Infant Spelunkers' Spring Fling, little Johnny Chilliwack, Not-Quite-Nappytime Series at the ArtsCenter, 1:30 p.m.til everybody-go-nappy. Free.

• Theater: August & Henrik Spell Fun! Visiting artists ÃœndYørMūūseTūū Theatre Køllektief from Stockholm present their interpretation of the works of Ibsen and Strindberg for the entire family, with mimes. One performance only.SubsequentStage, 2 p.m. $39.50.

• Benefit: Rochester Area Taxidermy Society Father/Daughter Banquet and PetExchangeConvention Center, 5-8 p.m. $35 and two air fresheners.

• Film: The March of the Curious Lion and the Shaggy Witches by the Dozen (G) Jim Brown leads an all-star merry band through a treacherous landscape populated by Vanilla Ice, Reese Witherspoon (with a hand puppet shaped like last year's Best Actress winner), nine penguins, and a soy latte. Director Wes Craven captures the whimsy of the acclaimed novel and manages to get an amazing performance out of a herd of gerbils. Movieplex, $2 (free chew toy to first 100 children).

--- Craig Brownlie

I've given up self-discipline for lent

Traditionally, Christians abstain from something they crave during this time of year. Lately I've refused to go anywhere without self-discipline. I want to carry it into every pleasure I embrace. Eating, working, conversing, child-rearing, creative pursuits --- name the passion, and, for me, a dash of self-discipline intensifies the experience. I'm not sure how I'll live without it.

This addiction is almost always passed on by adults, often in consort. I was born remarkably free of self-discipline, but years of near-constant infusions by parents, teachers, and coaches --- often against my will --- left me hooked. Soon I began to grow my own.

Would you recognize the warning signs of self-discipline in children? They include the following:

o       Tolerance of others, sometimes progressing into full-blown celebrationof diversity

o       Self-sufficiency, including a marked tendency to thrive and succeed with minimal adult intervention

o       Behavioral consistency in the face of even the most intense peer pressure

o       Fulfillment in life

Research has shown that these symptoms are inevitably traced to homes with established parameters, schools in which children experience real consequences for their actions, and community settings in which expectations are clearly communicated and consistently enforced.

I must admit that I am passing on this addiction to my own kids. I'm already so far gone that I'd prefer they hate me for a day for something I insist on rather than see them smile for a few minutes when I violate our own principles.

A wise child loves discipline. --- Proverbs 13:1

--- Rev. Corey Keyes