Published October 9, 1985
As hectic as today's lifestyles are, it's an ill-advised mother who doesn't find time to provide appropriate objects for her kids to take to school for "Show 'n Tell."
Left to their own devices, children take things to show like their parent's old love letters (to be read aloud with appropriate sound effects), the Tupperware container that's been growing mold in the family fridge since Thanksgiving, or the black lace garter belt that has been in Mom's underwear drawer since the days before pantyhose.
My youngest son once exhibited a box of expensive gourmet chocolates his dad had given me for Valentine's Day.
Of course, every kid in the his class had to have a "hands-on" experience with its contents, and by the time I got that box back, the only thing left was the smell.
Speaking of smells, one of my daughters recently took a pair of her father's dirty gym socks to school, passing them around so everyone could see how bad they stunk.
Still, "showing" is not as bad as "telling."
During Show 'n Tell, kids have been known to reveal everything from their parents' bank balance to what Daddy shouted the time Mom wrecked the car.
I personally think any teacher who encourages Show 'n Tell deserves to have her private diary made into a major motion picture.
But I'm not going to say that in front of my littles. At least three of them have Show 'n Tell tomorrow, and if they can't find something to show, I know they would tell...
