11 Sep 2010, 1:15 pm
11 Sep 2010, 9:29 pm
My guys are definitely keeping score. They are coolly analytical of my and husband's parenting skills, often appreciative of the good things they notice, and very definitive about the areas in which they feel we can improve. I was the same way as a kid, just didn't get why a child's opinions about an adult's behavior weren't just as valid as an adult's opinions about a child's...and really, they are just as valid.
And I really like this celebration thread. From not losing cel phones to wanting to make a friend, it is all really good stuff! And so much fun to celebrate our kids!
Today my sons helped us run a garage sale, or rather we helped them, they ran the show. They made change, greeted customers, answered questions, and I actually got peopled out before they did! It was so cool. They were VERY focused on the end goal, which was making money to buy some things they want, and it was amazing to see how that determination carried them through doing all the things that were so far out of their comfort zones. I was just so impressed with them. They may have trouble making friends, riding bikes, yadda, yadda, yadda, BUT they are two of the most polite, intelligent, persistent children around (and I think I spend too much time worrying, and not enough time celebrating that, so I think this thread is very good for me).
12 Sep 2010, 9:09 am
12 Sep 2010, 10:19 am
Thanks angelbear!
And I should be clear, that I couldn't personally care less whether they can ride a bike or not (I myself finally learned late and awkwardly, hated it the whole time and have never ridden once as an adult). It is just one more thing on the list of things that they would like to be able to do, but can't yet, and one more thing on the list that causes them frustration or embarrassment, and I just meant that sometimes I get so anxious about the areas where they struggle and figuring out how to help them, that maybe I miss out on sitting back and appreciating that they are doing GREAT. Sometimes I need to "stand down" and have confidence that they really are going to find their paths and be OK, and just enjoy them. Hard to do, especially at this time of year, when us parents are swamped with appointments with psychologists, OT's etc., IEP meetings, phone calls from the school, the back to school transitional meltdowns, the nights of broken sleep, and are putting so much energy into problem solving and overcoming struggles. But despite all that, I am finding so many reasons to celebrate lately, I may be on this thread every day!
12 Sep 2010, 8:34 pm
13 Sep 2010, 8:23 pm
14 Sep 2010, 8:17 pm
21 Sep 2010, 9:42 am
21 Sep 2010, 10:26 am
25 Sep 2010, 12:34 am
25 Sep 2010, 11:22 am
25 Sep 2010, 5:59 pm
25 Sep 2010, 7:31 pm
26 Sep 2010, 11:42 am
Yesterday my husband had to do a bit of a road trip. Because he'd been away all week, we decided to make a family trip out of it.
It was an absolutely lovely day. My son cheerfully ate a weird looking whole-wheat bagel. He played in a water park with much smaller kids and didn't do anything to hurt or scare them. He played on the playground with no issues. He let his dad take some pictures at the place his grandfather's ashes were scattered without insisting on making silly faces. Nobody got mad at anyone else. The worst part of the day was passing a really bad motorcycle accident and my son actually commented that he hoped the hurt man would be okay.
It felt so wonderful to be able to have fun as a family together. It helped that having long conversations about math in the car are fun for all of us. But being able to just sit with my husband and relax while my son plays is nice too.
02 Oct 2010, 6:50 pm
04 Oct 2010, 11:31 am
