Tag: parenthood

kids, parenting

Unbreakable (Kind of)

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Full Speed comes down the stairs and informs everyone that he will not be wearing his glasses to give his eyes a ‘break’. Mad Dog asks the obvious question (neither of my boys can go without glasses), “Full Speed, did you break your glasses?”

“Well, maybe a little,” he replies.

Mad Dog goes upstairs to investigate and finds the glasses in the corner of Full Speed’s bed. He places them on Full Speed’s face. The sides of his frames are jutting up at about a 45 degree angle. Saying they are a ‘little broke’ is a gross misrepresentation of the facts.

Fortunately, Mad Dog was able to gently reconfigure the frames into a workable order. If only mischievous behavior could be that easily corrected. I’d be all set.

marital blissishness, parenting

Teamwork

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If you and your partner have a system in place that runs like clockwork when one or your kids vomit, is that a good thing or does it mean that your children are awfully unhealthy? I’m not sure but both boys were sick again and Mad Dog and I divided and conquered the mess and emotional suffering of their illness with elemental proficiency.

Before this all happened, I had taken the boys to their Saturday morning Tae Kwon Do class. Normally on a Saturday we all attend as a family. Instead, Mad Dog was going to stay behind to wait for a service call that would hopefully fix a damaged corner on T.Puzzle’s new bed.

To complicate matters (as we wives tend to do on days our husbands are home) that morning I had given Mad Dog an ultimatum of sorts. In a marriage there are always going to be sticking points. Ours happens to be our Christmas tree. I won’t go into details but as of January 23rd, our lovely tree (which I had stripped of decorations weeks ago) was still standing in our living room.

I simply told him I had a date in my head. I wasn’t going to share the date but if he did not have that tree down by this date, I was either going to set it (or him) on fire (or something like that).

Lo and behold, when I return home with the boys the tree is down and the bed is fixed. I asked Mad Dog if he asked the service guys to lend a hand with the tree (it is huge and believe me, it takes a village). He is a marvelous politician. He will neither confirm or deny anything.

Turns out it was a good thing the tree was down because Mad Dog and I needed to have complete solidarity as our boys headed into their new bout of vomiting illness. If you don’t have teamwork within a marriage, all you are left with are year-round Christmas trees and a mess that can’t be cleaned.

children, mommyhood, self-discovery

Who We Really Are

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Have you ever pondered why the only prerequisite to parenthood is that you are human?  So many of us eventually have children whether by choice, miracle or accident. How do you know if you are any good at it? How much of how your children turn out falls on your shoulders? I wrestle with these thoughts all the time.  Is my boys’ behavior, both good and bad, a direct result of me? Or, are they just who they are and they happened to fall into my family much like a lottery winner stumbles upon their fortune?

Parenting is not black or white. It doesn’t tidy-up into neat compartments of do this or don’t do that. Each child is unique as are the parents, the environment, genetics,…. the variables are infinite.

I know I am succeeding in many areas of parenting and falling short in others. As I have learned from my own parents and now am starting to truly believe, parenting mistakes aren’t the end of the world. Maybe, just maybe, despite all the mistakes that I might be making as a parent, T.Puzzle and Full Speed may turn out alright after all. Maybe it’s the mistakes that will show them who they really are. I already know they are fantastic, but it’s up to them to discover that for themselves.

children, parenting

Snuggies for All

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Poor T.Puzzle. He does not feel well at all. Unfortunately this has meant that Mad Dog and I have allowed him to sleep with us for three consecutive nights. No one is getting good sleep. T.Puzzle especially likes to kick Mad Dog intermittently and in inopportune areas. We are all exhausted.

Yesterday T.Puzzle and I stayed home so he could recuperate (me, too!). Mad Dog had gone deep sea fishing with the guy relatives and Full Speed was at Grandma’s with his boy cousins. When Mad Dog returned with Full Speed, he brought his birthday presents from his family. One of these presents was an Ohio State Snuggie. I’m sure you are familiar with the Snuggie as it has turned into a national phenomenon sold in Walgreens across America. For some reason, Full Speed is absolutely obsessed with Snuggies. When we see them out he has to list what kind each of his family member should have (mine would be pink in case you are wondering). When Full Speed realized his Dad not only had a Snuggie but it was an OSU one as well, he couldn’t wait to try it on and model it for everyone.

Soon we are off to bed, the Snuggie will stay downstairs and we hope against all hope that T.Puzzle will make it through the night in his own room. Our mental and physical health depends on this.

children, health, marital blissishness, parenting

Vomitville: Part Two (It Was Only A Matter Of Time)

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pb153480After some stalling and uncertainty, the decision was made. Even though it wasn’t an early start which would have been ideal, we are headed to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Before we leave T.Puzzle gets a hold of his sippy cup from the diaper bag. He insists he is thirsty and manages to splash water down the side of the bag (you’ll need this information as it relates to later in the story).

We are in the convertible headed to the gas station. Mad Dog needs an energy drink (if you had a Full Speed and a T.Puzzle, you’d need one, too). It’s a short drive, less than a mile and the entire time, T.Puzzle is coughing and hacking. I think nothing of it as his allergies have been acting up and we are in the open air. As we park and Mad Dog exits to go to the convenience store, the hacking worsens. I undo my seatbelt, turn around and am going to try to get T.Puzzle to drink some water to hopefully ease his discomfort.

Instead I turn around just about the time he lets loose a long, cascade of multi-colored vomit. I’m helpless. I determine the best course of action is to let the seemingly endless vomit run its course and then clean-up after. The good news is, it isn’t projectile so it sort of pools on him and in his car seat sparing most of the convertible’s interior. Mad Dog approaches and I tell him, “Grab the diaper bag and find me a baggie!”

Now, as any Mom knows, you can’t be mad at your poor, pukey child so the frustration you feel rising has to go somewhere. That somewhere is usually your spouse.

Mad Dog grabs the diaper bag and I just knew, I KNEW, he wasn’t going to be able to find a baggie. On his first attempt, he makes a face and says, “T.Puzzle got vomit all over the bag!” He face twists in distorted disgust and I lose it.

“No, he didn’t, the vomit is contained to this side of the car. That is WATER from his sippy cup!” I shout. I can’t believe he is freaking out over imaginary vomit when I am up to my armpits in the real thing. AND, I still have no baggie to start putting the mountain of wipes I’m accumulating in my frantic attempts to clean up little T.Puzzle.

Eventually, after what seemed like days, Mad Dog finds a baggie, I have T.Puzzle mostly cleaned and we head home to do a T.Puzzle strip down and major clean-up. The pics I have in the post today are literally FIFTEEN minutes after his endless vomit. If only we all could recover from life so quickly.

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