An Open Letter to My Kids

Dear Kids,

Since you always write to Santa just before Christmas to itemize the things you want to find under the tree, I thought I would take a page from your playbook and write to you before Mother’s Day.

Naturally, before all else, I want world peace so you will never have to fight in a war and a safe and healthy planet for you — and your kids — to grow up in. Next, and I know this is impossible, I want lots more time than I am likely to get to spend with you before you grow up; move away; refuse to come home – even for holidays; and forget to call, email, Skype, or text me – the way I did to my mother. I understand in advance that these are all a natural part of you finding out who you are. But it would be nice to slow things down by a few millennia and have that stuff remain forever in the future.

And, honestly being your mom makes me happy and I don’t really need anything for Mother’s Day except you. But since you will be feeling the massive pressure of the marketing power of the US economy that surrounds a gift-giving holiday such as this one, I thought I would make the job a little easier for you and provide you with a wish list. (Feel free to ask Dad to fund any of this.)

1. Sonos S5: (Watch the Demo)

I know you are probably thinking, “Mom! You have already that!” But the one I have is a review unit that I will have to send back and I freakin’ love this thing. I can unplug it and carry it to the porch, the bedroom, or the kitchen. And (once I connect it to the ZoneBridge ($99)) all I have to do is plug it in and it plays my Napster library, MP3’s I have stored on my laptop or home office computer, and taps my Sirius account. I haven’t even begun trying out all the music options yet and my playlist goes on for hours. It does all this over my Wi-Fi network so — no wires! There is an “official” iPhone app to control the music, which would be cool if I had an iPhone. But I found an unofficial Android app that works pretty well, too. (It’s called Andronis and you can find it in the Market.) I don’t even have to get out of bed to turn the music off or on in the kitchen.

2.       A subscription to BookSwim

I love it when there is a tall, tall pile of unread books on my bedside table so I can see hours of lost-in-another-world entertainment looming before me. But I grow tired of shelving, dusting, and weeding them out to make room for more. BookSwim is like Netflix for books so I can have a virtual pile of books. And the actual books require no shelving or weeding. I subscribed once before and loved it. But I got too busy for a spell there and didn’t have time to read so I cancelled. I want it back!

3.       A new pair of shoes

A girl always loves a new pair of shoes. But how can you pick a pair of shoes for me? You can’t. Just get me a Zappos gift card! Easy for you. And I get to shop, wait (not very long) for a package, and return them if they don’t work out without upsetting anyone. Fun!

Sincerely,

Mom