What's a Memorial?

I hope everyone's Memorial Day weekend was some combination of 1) restful 2) mindful and/or 3) enjoyable.

As for me the weekend was filled with contrasts ... a visit to the water park and an exercise in trying to explain to four and a half year olds exactly what soldiers (sailors and airmen and marines, etc) DO and why we need to think about them on Memorial Day.

"What's a soldier?"
"Special people who try to protect us."
"Protect us from what?"
"People who might want to hurt us."
"Why would anybody want to hurt us?"

Well ... and then of course there's this:

"What's a Memorial"
"It's a way we remember people who have died."
"What's died?" ... which of course leads to "Are you going to die?"
Well ...

And then of course there was the weekend's political news. So far the kids' interest in politics is chiefly devoted to counting yard signs ("I saw three Barack Obama signs!" "I saw two Hillary signs." We are short on McCains in my neighborhood - sorry)

But I'm going to skip the explanation of the RFK assassination and why someone would want to bring that up unless and until they ask me about it ... and come to think of it, I don't think I understand it myself.

This sounds like a subject for a parenting class. Lucky for us we have a discussion about those on today's show (although the main subject seems to be discipline techniques) and our continuing series on INVESTING 101. If you have questions for Alvin, please don't be shy. Now's the time.

Also, a conversation with Loriene Roy, president of the American Library Association and a regular on our show. She offers picks of children's books for Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. And hear Loriene read an excerpt from one of her personal favorites, The Whale Rider.

And our conversation with Rep. Hilda Solis (D-California). We won't be talking about the Presidential campaign because Republican voters are going to the polls in Idaho today and there's an NPR rule about so-called advocacy interviews on days when voters are going to the polls.

Michel Martin

1:46 PM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink

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1:46 PM ET | 05-27-2008 | permalink