On the ride to school I tried to imagine at what age I will allow the boys to take their bikes by themselves. I have a feeling this is a long ways off.
I asked them both what they thought.
“I don’t know, Mom,” said Full Speed.
“I could run to school right now,” said T.Puzzle. “I’m really fast.”
Why didn’t I think of that?
So I pulled over and let him out.
Boy, that kid can run.
Ok, not really, but it made me smile picturing my determined four year old hoofing it the two miles to school.
Having been away from home for several days, I was glad to get back to my boys. There’s something about routine and familiarity that can cushion an aching soul from the ups and downs of life.
However, I was not glad to get back to laundry.
While I was away, a strange thing happened. Mad Dog became slightly obsessed with keeping the house clear of dirty laundry. He even promptly threw the boys’ swim wear in the washer when they returned from their lesson.
I don’t know how long he will continue this obsession.
A Disney trip when the boys were younger. At least there were open spaces and lots of kid-geared activities making this 'vacation' quite fun.
I was on the phone with a friend and before our conversation turned to more serious matters we discussed an interesting facet of motherhood. We are both amazed how quickly people who no longer have small children forget how hard it is to travel with them. They have all sorts grandiose ideas about international trips that include the extended family or they talk of cruises that last for fourteen days (fourteen days!!). What this would mean for parents with very young and/or very rambunctious children is entirely different than for a family or couple with older/calmer or completely grown children.
The thought of being trapped on a boat for fourteen days, and I don’t care how big it is, with my boys is enough for me to shout, “Woman overboard!” Imagining my friend traveling across oceans with her little clan of young kids makes my skin crawl with anxiety for her. Essentially this ‘vacation’ would simply mean she would be responsible for all her regular motherhood duties with the added bonus that her kids would be jetlagged and out their minds without their routine or familiar surroundings. Nothing international is worth this kind of stress. Nothing. Not even a George Clooney sighting in Italy would take the sting away.
So, the question is, how do people forget how hard it is? And please, if you know, share how to do so with me immediately.
Full Speed on kindergarten screening day. Where did the time go?
We all have the ability to stop what we are doing and allow ourselves to be awakened to the present moment. For me, it happens in the most random situations. I was helping Full Speed’s home room Mom decorate his teacher’s door for teacher appreciation week. Then it hit me. Full Speed is almost done with kindergarten. I let this thought settle over me. It made me feel a pit of resistance in my stomach. This year has gone by too fast. He is getting older. Every day he needs me a little bit less. Every day I want to hold on to him tighter. Instead, I have to let him go more freely.
I snapped out if it. I returned to the task at hand. The door was appropriately decorated and it was time to go. Still some sadness over watching my boy grow up clung to me.
Full Speed had not felt well over the weekend. He was tucked into bed early that evening to help combat whatever virus he was fighting. After he was resting, Mad Dog and I heard an indistinguishable yelp from his room. Mad Dog ran to investigate. There was blood and Full Speed was visibly shaken. Mom was called in for back-up. The initial thought was Full Speed’s virus was now becoming more serious causing him to spew blood.
Nope. It was only a loose tooth that needed to come out.
I was so relieved. And then I wasn’t.
The loss of a first tooth means baby teeth are making way for the grown up ones.
I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.
Thankfully the tooth fairy is better adjusted to the growth of children than I am and left Full Speed a generous gift of money.
Too bad she can’t give us back the gift of time while she’s at it.
Mad Dog on the field in happier, less questioning times...
Image via Wikipedia
In Mad Dog’s soccer history, which believe me is full of fascinating tidbits, while he was aggressively thundering through his high school career, he never ever got kicked out of a game. Yellow card, yes. Booted? Not once.
Well, times change. Mad Dog got himself booted from the last game of T.Puzzle and Full Speed’s season. It didn’t matter that he was the coach. He. Got. Booted.
It was the strangest thing to watch. Parents and spectators alike were beyond befuddled. One minute the game is going along smoothly, the next the referee marches off the field and Mad Dog takes to the bench. Eventually, he had to remove himself completely from the field. Apparently the ref couldn’t even stand to look at him.
This particular referee and Mad Dog had developed a contentious relationship over the course of the season. She didn’t like to consistently follow the rules and Mad Dog consistently questioned this logic.
I live in a house of questions. If one boy isn’t asking me something most surely another one is. These questions can be polite, that isn’t the issue. Sometimes it’s the quantity of the questions that wears on one’s sanity.
I’m not saying Mad Dog wasn’t right to want rule consistency for his team. Asking about it a lot did little to help his case. So what happened?
He got booted.
I have to admit, he handled it like a gentleman. I’m sure most in his situation would have gone off the deep end when asked to leave the field. He did what he was told and remained calm.
On the flipside parents were outraged. Some began to chant, “Win it for Coach!’ Which to the shock of all in attendance, our team actually did (we were like 1-5 at this point and while we have heart, we lack in pretty much anything else required of good soccer).
We may have played mostly unskilled and unremarkable soccer throughout the season, but friends, this is a season that will go down in history.
