Parents-To-Be Should Expect The Unexpected
Few young couples have more to offer a new baby than Mike and Kathleen Kennedy. They’re energetic, intelligent, fun. Their eyes shine when they look at each other. They throw their heads back when they laugh. They hug their friends.
One evening two weeks ago, Mike wore a 30-pound empathy belly - a bulging over-the-shoulder apron that simulates the size of the last stages of pregnancy. He lost the detachable beanbag bladder several times, complained about back pain and ate for two.
This young Coeur d’Alene couple is ready for the interrupted nights and projectile spit-up ahead. I just hope someone told them those are the easy parts.
I’m betting Mike and Kathleen’s child won’t be cheap. This child will be like its parents: focused, involved, an organizer. The Kennedys should start saving now.
Kids like that talk their parents into towing the homecoming float with a good friend’s Suburban because these kids are in charge and who else’s parents will do it?
That job only costs time, which most parents are more than willing to give their beloved child. But when the float somehow shatters the Suburban’s back window, parents can expect to shell out at least their $500 insurance deductible to fix it. Trust me - these things really happen …
These determined kids pour all their energy into everything, including sports. They travel to exotic sites like Idaho Falls on a regular basis, which is costly enough, but they also want their parents there to watch.
If Mike and Kathleen can say no to such a request, they’re not the people I think they are.
The travel doesn’t end with sports. These kids want to save the world, but first have to see it. The foreign exchange to Turkmenistan they plan in high school will drain another $5,000 from their parents’ account, even after their child raises half.
There is good news, though. The Kennedys will give up a lot over the next 18 years, but won’t really notice because their child will be worth every spent penny. Trust me, I know.
Hands across the sea
If Felix Wissenbach had an easier name to pronounce, Post Falls just might be tempted to change its label. The 17-year-old boy just returned home to Herborn, Germany, after a foreign exchange year in Post Falls and has made Idaho’s river city famous.
When he applied for the exchange, Felix didn’t specify a choice destination. So, the foreign exchange program plunked him in Post Falls. Funny coincidence. Frederick (or Friedrich) Post, the city’s founder, also sprouted from Herborn.
Upon his return, Felix took his story to his hometown paper, which published it with several photos, including one of Bob Templin and Burgermeister Jim Hammond.
Glassy expression
Goblets take on new dimension in Nicole Campanella’s artistic hands. The Mullan artist studs her glass bottles and goblets with a rainbow of small glass beads so they glint in the sun.
Nicole exhibits her work at the Cheney Cowles Museum gift shop in Spokane and at Zizzyzaza Beads, 1200 Sherman Ave., in Coeur d’Alene. Call Zizzyzaza at 664-9552 about lessons.
Too close to home
I’m embarrassed to admit that I “discovered” Sandpoint last week while showing the town to a visitor. I’ve been to Sandpoint dozens of times for work, concerts, the beach. But I’ve never taken time to look around. After ambling through downtown and the Cedar Street Bridge, I’m adding Sandpoint to my Christmas shopping route.
How special is your community? Entice me to jump in my car and visit and I’ll send you a “Close to Home” T-shirt. Brag about your town to Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, ID, 83814; fax to 765-7149; or call 765-7128. Make it good - I’m cheap with gas.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo