Did you know that infants are ready to learn sign language?
Two-year-olds are ready to learn the basics of science and three-year-olds are ready to learn coding.
Your child is ready to learn and at Primrose Schools, teachers make the most of this time by creating a joyful, purposeful learning experience unlike any other.
For instance, have you heard of the Primrose Friends?
In every Primrose school classroom, teachers use these 12 lovable puppets to make character development joyful, meaningful and memorable.
From exploring generosity with Benjamin the Bear to practicing honesty with Peanut the Pony, every friend plays a special part in helping children learn important values while having plenty of fun along the way.
We could all use some friends like that.
You can learn more at primroseschools.com.
Now enrolling infants through children age five.
That's primroseschools.com for more information.
Elizabeth, when we're together for the holidays, we end up going to Whole Foods Market every day.
There's so many things that we need.
Like we're going to a party and one of us needs to bring a gift for the host.
They have these expert curated cheeses and crackers that everybody loves.
They have excellent limited-time seasonal desserts, like holiday rum cake, creamy bouche de Noël, which is one of our family's favorites, and more.
Plus, they have these show-stopping things for the table like bone-in spiral cut ham.
Well Gretchen, I love that they have heat and eat sides from the prepared foods department, because you know that I am not much of a cook.
So heat and serve is something I can do.
And they have floral Gretchen so you can bring a nice bouquet of flowers if you're going to someone's house.
Shop for everything you need at Whole Foods Market, your holiday headquarters.
I'm Gretchen Rubin, and this is A Little Happier.
There is a story that is often told about Gandhi, though I must say I believe this story is apocryphal, so I will tell my own version about a holy man who is not Gandhi.
Once upon a time, and not so long ago, a holy man lived in a great city.
He was revered by everyone who lived there, and each day many people would line up to seek his blessing and ask for his guidance.
One day a mother and her young son approached this wise man.
The mother said, please bless us and also will you please tell my son to stop eating candy?
I keep telling him it's bad for his teeth, it's bad for his health, and still he eats candy.
The holy man blessed them both and said, return here in one month.
The mother was puzzled, but she agreed.
Exactly one month later, the mother and her son again approached the great man.
Immediately, he said to the boy, My son, you must stop eating so much candy.
The boy nodded.
The mother was pleased but puzzled.
She said Thank you, Holy One, but if I may ask, why didn't you just tell him that when we came last month?
He said, In order for me to tell him to stop eating candy, I first had to stop eating candy myself.
It's one of my secrets of adulthood.
If we're trying to encourage or enforce a particular behavior, we should be willing to observe that behavior ourselves.
It's all too easy to decide that we're exempt from the rules that we recommend, or to impose rules on others that we're not willing to submit to ourselves.
The police officer parks illegally.
The doctor skips hand-washing.
The political donor contributes generously but doesn't bother to vote.
The pastor never sits in a pew.
Parents tell their children to put down their phones, but then check their own emails throughout dinner.
This holy man refused to tell a child not to eat candy until he'd stopped eating candy himself.
I'm Gretchen Rubin, and I hope this makes your week a little happier.
Hi, Gretchen, Craig Robinson, and my little sister Michelle here.
We host a new podcast called IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson.
We know you're the queen of giving advice, so we wanted to get a few tips from you.
You know, Gretchen, a lot of our listeners are going through some major life changes.
What advice do you have for folks who are trying to stay grounded in the midst of major life transitions?
Craig and Michelle, I am so happy to be talking to you.
Here are a few questions that might help us gain perspective.
So consider questions like this.
What activities take up my time but are not particularly useful or stimulating for me?
Do I spend a lot of time on something that's important to someone else but is not very important to me?
If I could magically change one habit in my life, what would I choose?
And here's a question.
Would I like to have more time in solitude restorative solitude or would I like to have more time with friends?
You know, just thinking about questions like this can help us start to figure out how we might make our lives happier.
With greater self-knowledge, we're better able to make hard decisions that reflect ourselves, our own nature, our own interests, our own values.
In my own case, I have found that the more my life reflects my nature, the happier I get and the more grounded I feel when I'm going through a period of major change or transition.
For more great advice, search for IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson wherever you get podcasts.
You can listen to Issa Rae on letting go of certain friendships, Kiki Palmer on why disappointment is actually the key to career success, Seth and Lauren Rogan on caring for aging parents, and so many more.
