Happy Pi Day!
March 14this Pi Day. The 14th day of the 3rd month of the year. 3.14 – Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. For any circle, if you divide its circumference by its diameter you will get 3.14159 which is known as pi.
Let’s leave the math lesson for our kids though. In honor of Pi Day, we want to explore the most important circles families have in their lives. So we asked them!
“My wedding ring – our commitment to one another. I’ve been wearing it for 30 years and look forward to the next 30,” said Deana, mother of two from Richmond, Virginia.
When a baby is screaming and fussy there are no better circles in a mom or baby’s life than her round breasts and nipples for nursing. Or a bottle. Or a frozen teething ring.
On a lazy Sunday morning after a hectic week there is something magical about catching up over a pile of pancakes.
Gathering around the dinner table (whether a circle or square) for family dinner. Mother of two, Jennifer says, “no cell phones allowed!”
While at dinner, Heather from Springfield, Virginia cherishes the circle they make to hold hands and pray every night.
And for many of us that dinner might be… a big, round pizza pie
Another Heather from Arlington, Virginia favors traditional dessert pies. “Pie is a way to pass along a family tradition.”
The top view of a perfectly made, steaming cup of coffee or tea is the only way for many of us to start our day.
For Kymberly, who also lives in northern Virginia, the most important circles in her family of four’s lives are her son Charlie’s stomas – surgically created openings in his body. He has two circular holes in his body, one where the food goes in and one where it comes out. They help keep the teenager alive by allowing his digestive track to function with a lot of help from his family and nurses. Charlie is diagnosed with Gastric Neuroendocrine Cancer. He also has Down syndrome.
For many, wheels are integral to living. The wheels on a wheelchair. The tires on a bike. That jogging stroller that helps a stressed mom go for a run with babies in tow. Steve tells us the most important circle for him is “the steering wheel. Virtually every day I drive. That steering wheel stakes me where I need to go, and sometimes where I want to go.”
The circle of support we create to make inclusion and independence possible is vital for us.
A wine glass or goblet is a beloved item for some parents as they relax and reflect at the end of the day.
The cylinder shape of a brand new washer and dryer that means a parent doesn’t have to lug their child to the Laundromat.
The water balloons and bubbles that always bring a smile to my children’s faces.
“Watching the kids run circles around the house playing tag and laughing” is a preferred round activity for mother of three Jennifer.
The circle of friends: a mom who drops off beef stew when your 9 months pregnant and chasing after a toddler. The couple that watches your baby when you have to take the big brother to the ER. The ladies who drag you out for a night on the town after a hard week.
Father of three and DC native Daniel says the most important thing in his life is his family circle. “The trust and comfort and stability that come with it … it defines me.”