Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Kiss Beaver Cleaver's Cheek

Hey, Beautiful Big Kitties, any of you remember Beaver Cleaver, that cherub-faced little guy who lived the adventures of the 1950's suburbs with his parents June and Ward Cleaver? Moi was a devoted watcher of that black & white TV program as a cub -- and often wished she lived that idyllic picture of life.
Meow-impressed, speak about the nurturing wisdom of a mother, that was June Cleaver, and always perfectly turned out in a full-skirted dress and pumps. Ward Cleaver was that ideal father type of hard worker, yet always there for his family, both of his sons, and especially The Beav. Yeah, he wasn't perfect, but he was the Saturnian ideal of fair and just and stoic, and if he made a parenting mistake, he would apologize, make it right where he could. That often brought tears to the little Kougaress's eyes.
Profound words could be spent like golden coins on the good versus the bad affects of Leave it to Beaver upon our cultural ideals. The Kougar will only spend a few. While the ideal of the nuclear family was presented in its most favorable light, what was lost to us all -- growl-obviously, was the power of the extended family in our lives. The extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends was relegated to a lesser importance, instead of shining as champions for each other in the hard business of life, in those joyful moments of celebration. Perhaps, The Andy Griffith show, Andy of Mayberry would be a counterpart to the nuclear family as the only ideal.
Dutifully Beaver went to school, and had one of those wonderful caring teachers we all dreamed about having -- those invaluable teachers who taught for the love of it, taught because she loved learning and she loved her students. The bad side of this golden coin. Regulation. Everyone is a cog in the factory of life. Teachers were ultimately responsible for education -- not the parent, and not the child's natural willingness to learn, to learn by their own initiative. To learn from their own creative participation.
Why Beaver Cleaver? Memory lane is a potent invitation for the boomer-aged Kougar. And today on Title Magic, Jenny Gardiner, author of Sleeping With Ward Cleaver, is our guest blogger. Race on over for Jenney's look at young love, and what happens after the bloom of first passion fades.
Moi's meow two cents and her intro of Jenny:
Greetings from the magical realm of American Title. Jenny Gardiner, winner of American Title III is our guest blogger. I am so proud she is with us today. Without her generous guidance, I fear we Title Magicians would have spun our wheels, before understanding what it took to gather in those all-important votes. More importantly, Jenny helped us to understand the real opportunities available to us in the publishing world because we were finalists.
Jenny's warm charm, her deep insights and her kitchen-knife sharp wit nearly jump out of the pages of her novel, Sleeping With Ward Cleaver. Enjoy this modern day feast of relationship wisdom, where love wins.
Thank you, Jenny, for being our guest blogger.

Jenny, your blog really took me back to those teenage years of having those crushes that seemed to stab through your heart and soul. I often remember the innocence of young love when I see the young couples embraced, attached at the hip by their feelings for each other.
It's fascinating to compare those feelings with how I've come to experience love and passion as I've grown older. It's a profound process. Yep, we are complex creatures.

Beaver Cleaver smooches from the Kougar...

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