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and my parents were instrumental in my education and that of my brothers.
We were very lucky to have parents whose dinner conversations were lively and in which we were expected to participate. Both our parents wrote for newspapers (Dad editorials and later theater reviews, and Mom book reviews and dance reviews.) They had to express their thoughts concisely in their writing; they had to have a wealth of information and life experiences to draw upon to make their writing lively and engaging, and they had to read. By their example we all learned to be voracious readers.
Both Mom and Dad helped us with our homework; not by telling us the answers but by teaching us how to find them. We didn't watch much TV, and there weren't any video games then. We played board games and word games. It seemed as though we were always learning something new, but it was so much fun and interesting it never felt like work.
My father is a living history book while my mother is the master of analogies -- so useful when trying to understand the issues of the day as they compare to those of the past. Mom always says there are two kinds of knowledge; knowing something and knowing where to look it up.
My brothers and I all went to public schools, and we had very good teachers -- especially in English, Social Studies and History. But I sometimes felt our day's learning really began when we came home from school. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. Our mother could have gone to work; we could have had more money, taken fancier trips, bought new cars every two years.
But ultimately we were richer for having a mother who stayed at home. She challenged us to think creatively. Our father taught us to love and appreciate history. And both parents were and remain moral compasses. We were very fortunate indeed.
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