Category: motherhood

children, family, humor, kids, motherhood, parenting

Believe = Achieve

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T.Puzzle believes he is an extraordinary athlete.  Mad Dog and I continuously crack up over how he thinks he is one of the fastest and most elite players on his soccer team (or any team for that matter).  He likes to compare himself to Lionel Messi who is a professional soccer player from Argentina.  Messi is often considered to be the best soccer player in the world.  Confident much, T.Puzzle?

Having officially started our summer 3v3 soccer season, I had reasonable expectations despite T.Puzzle’s overconfidence.  Last year our only consistent known strategy for victory was to leave Full Speed in all the time.  He had to be our offense, our defense and everything in between.  T.Puzzle and his other five-year old teammates had flashes of brilliance but would quickly lose focus leaving Full Speed alone in the lion’s den.  This year I had a feeling T.Puzzle, with a whole year of growth and maturity under his belt, would at least contribute.  Hopefully, Full Speed would get a break every now and then.

As the first game started, I started to get really, really confused.  T.Puzzle showed such ferocity as he marched the ball down the field, I kept mistaking him for Full Speed.  T.Puzzle wanted a goal.  It was written all over his sweaty little face.   He kept kicking, and kicking and kicking.  He was relentless and began to score goal, after goal, after goal.  By the time our third game straight was victoriously completed, he handily led our team in scoring.  He even reached double digits.  Who is this kid?

Lionel Messi, that’s who.  Guess I better start paying attention when T.Puzzle tells me something.

Messi, jr. on the move Whether you think you can or you can't--you're right. --Henry Ford
If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.
—-William Arthur Ward 

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children, family, humor, kids, motherhood, parenting

The Bedtime Dilemma

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The inevitable summer bedtime negotiation had begun.  T.Puzzle and Full Speed aimed high, Mad Dog and I aimed low.  T.Puzzle wondered out loud, “Why do grown-ups get to stay up later than kids?”  We explained as best we could, that adults are done growing so they don’t need as much sleep.  Kids’ bodies are still changing and growing every day and need the extra sleep to help in this process.  He seemed mollified.  Then, he started to imagine what his bedtime would be in the future.  Full Speed started shouting out ages and as these ages increased, the bedtimes rose exponentially. “When I’m ten I’ll stay up until 9.  When I’m 12 I’ll stay up until 10″… and  so on and so on.  When he reached the number 18 we told him that at that time, if he didn’t live at home anymore, he could stay up as late as he wanted.  That’s the great thing about being a grown-up, we explained.  You can stay up as late as you want.

I asked T.Puzzle, “How late are you going to stay up when you’re 24?”

“Well,…I’m going to still live at home.  I’m always going to live at home,” he said.

Full Speed, not missing a beat, said, “I guess we better get some bigger beds.”

The boys hanging in T.Puzzle's crib. Hard to believe they both used to fit!
The boys hanging in T.Puzzle’s crib. Hard to believe they both used to fit!
children, family, humor, kids, motherhood, parenting

School’s Out

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imageWhy is it when an event is stressful, even the good kind of stressful, that my boys turn on each other?  This is their last day of school.  One would think they would be joyous.  They should be holding hands in a harmonious way and praising each other’s accomplishments and good fortune.  Instead, they came downstairs starting their day in the serious throes of World War III.  I ended up having to raise my voice so much to get their attention, my throat actually kind of hurts now.  Needless to say, fighting fire with fire did very little to calm the situation.  The only thing it did was make me need a throat lozenge.

When I pick them up today, who knows what I will encounter.  Right now, I am formulating a plan.  I realize how I handle the rest of the day with them will set the tone for our entire 10 weeks of summer.  By the way, is anyone interested in having two boys visit them for an extended period?  No?  Okay.  Plan B.  If they don’t have a serious attitude adjustment, they will be sent to separate rooms for an indefinite but very long period of time and all privileges will be suspended until further notice.  It may or may not work, but at least my throat will be saved.  Something tells me I better stock up on throat lozenges anyway.

children, family, gratitude, humor, kids, motherhood, parenting

Changes

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ry=400 Change is all in how you look at it.  I tend to be more sentimental than most in this regard.  Today is the last Friday of the school year.  After today, T.Puzzle will never be a kindergartener on a Friday ever again.  It kind of stabs at my heart when I think about it.

On the flip side, T.Puzzle is thrilled beyond compare.  He is so happy that kindergarten is nearing the end.  I suppose the fact that summer vacation is upon us helps his great mood.

I have a choice.  I can continue to be sad that my ‘baby’ is growing up or I can choose to celebrate this fact.  I believe every moment of a child’s development is a mixture of triumph and letting go of how things used to be.  Yes, there is an ache that he’s getting older.  There is also excitement and that unknowing, fluttery, pit-of-my-stomach anticipation that the future holds great adventures for both my boys.

It isn’t that change is bad.  Change is awesome.  Even if you have to go through a box of Kleenex or two to realize this.

children, family, gratitude, humor, kids, motherhood

Night and Day

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708499693506-4While most people think my boys are extremely similar in looks and personality, they are like night and day to me.  Full Speed was built for sprinting.  T.Puzzle is a long distance runner.  Full Speed is a phenomenal eater and is willing to try anything once with a great attitude.  T.Puzzle is more picky but I don’t really care, he still has to eat what I give him.  Full Speed bores quickly in a pool.  T.Puzzle is like a little Nemo who could swim joyfully for hours and hours, and often does.

I love that they are different.  I love learning what makes each one tick and how they view the world.  One way they differ significantly is the amount of words they each use on a daily basis.  Full Speed is extremely vocal.  It is pretty darn easy to figure out how he feels and what he is thinking.  This is because he will give you a running commentary of every thought, feeling and emotion that comes over him the exact moment it comes over him.  T.Puzzle, while loving and keenly observant, holds his cards close to the vest.  I can relate because I’d much rather listen to someone tell their story than share my own.  Still, a part of me wishes I knew a little bit more about what went on in that marvelous brain of his.

This morning Full Speed was in his usual action mode sharing his thoughts about the upcoming day.  How he felt, what he was looking forward to and all the ways his day was going to be great.  Then, T.Puzzle shocked me.  He looked at me and said, “I think I am feeling….”  I held my breath waiting to hear what his little heart needed to share.  T.Puzzle continued “….like I really could eat a second waffle.”

Profound, wasn’t it?