So I was reprimanded today at lunch for not having posted yesterday. I guess some individuals feel that my sole purposes in life is to now blog on the internet for their reading enjoyment. It's tough to come up with good topics though. I don't want to fill these pages with fluff so that you decide to stop reading just as I'm getting started. I asked for topic ideas on Facebook and a high school friend J suggested I write about how awesome my Mom is. After this mornings melt down by Foster over shoes I thought it might be fitting.
Foster had gotten some basketball shoes last weekend while with their family. Of course when they got home and I saw they were converse, my first instinct was to say really converse not really basketball shoes, but I bit my tongue and let Foster take them to practice. Needless to say the court was more ice rink than court. That night we ran to my new favorite store Sports Authority and got real basketball shoes. I told Foster though that their parents wanted to try and take the Converse back and they couldn't wear them until Saturday. This morning what is Foster wearing. You guessed it the converse. A return trip to the bedroom involved a complete wardrobe change and a non-speaking ride to school. After I dropped Foster at school I had to call Mom. She'd tell me I wasn't being a horrible 'parent'. I knew she'd be on my side.
When Mom answered and I relayed the story and apologized if I'd ever had meltdowns over clothes, I explained how Foster wouldn't talk to me the entire ride to school (4 miles) and I kinda felt bad and so my Mother in her infinite wisdom laughed. Yep laughed! It was a very peculiar mother son bonding moment as I was stuck in traffic on I-80 this morning. How was I to take that? Was she brought to tears of joy on the other side of the phone and was so moved all she could do was laugh tears of joy. Or was she straight up just having a good hearty chuckle over her 35 year old son having a teenage moment with his Foster.
I'm going to go with a bit of both because I'm not sure that my fragile ego could handle a full on assault of my mother laughing at me. My hero, my champion, my savior, my defender and my friend laughing at me. Yet now as I write I think she was probably just laughing. (As I imagine many of you are too!)
Upon further reflection though I think my Mother's response as always was directly spot on. I was stressed over Foster having a bad day over shoes. At what point do shoes quantify as a nuclear melt down of global proportions. In the grand scheme of things they are shoes. So I started to think how do parents raise children to be less concerned about clothes and other superficial items and more about the realities of life. Being connected to the world around you. I had originally thought about titling this post: 'Is there a pill for that', but I think this headline is more grabbing. However, the question still remains is how do these 'super' parents who have amazing kids that seems so connected and worldly beyond their years raise their kids? What do they do differently and how do I get them to share their secrets? Is there a book I can read? Is there pill I can give them? I mean there is a pill for everything else it is surely something Walmart sells! I'd be willing to brave a Walmart run if they sold something I needed this bad. I could justify it was for the children and tell myself I was being heroic. Well I might see if they sold it online first I mean lesbonest no one wants to go into Walmart and have to actually go through a checkout line.
Again this blog is an opportunity to reflect on life. I recently finished a book by Brene Brown titled Daring Greatly. Towards the end she talks about parent and how every parent wants to raise children who are good people, who have a strong sense of themselves and the world around them. She states in the book that in order for our kids to be like that they need us to model it. I'm having a spiritual moment here and realizing if I want Foster to be more connected with the world and be able to see the important things in life then I have to as well. Great another ringing endorsement for parenthood. I was just getting used to my selfish lifestyle of grand vacations, spending money, eating out and dreaming of a Suburban (or an Infiniti QX56). Cause those are all extremely important things in life!
I guess I'll keep working on being thankful for all the blessing life has given me and hope I'm modeling the a good man Foster will someday want to be like.
Once again my Mother is right though! I'm sorry Mommy if I was ever a little shit growing up. I'm sure it was only once or twice.
Peace, Love and Puppy Dogs,
john
Foster had gotten some basketball shoes last weekend while with their family. Of course when they got home and I saw they were converse, my first instinct was to say really converse not really basketball shoes, but I bit my tongue and let Foster take them to practice. Needless to say the court was more ice rink than court. That night we ran to my new favorite store Sports Authority and got real basketball shoes. I told Foster though that their parents wanted to try and take the Converse back and they couldn't wear them until Saturday. This morning what is Foster wearing. You guessed it the converse. A return trip to the bedroom involved a complete wardrobe change and a non-speaking ride to school. After I dropped Foster at school I had to call Mom. She'd tell me I wasn't being a horrible 'parent'. I knew she'd be on my side.
When Mom answered and I relayed the story and apologized if I'd ever had meltdowns over clothes, I explained how Foster wouldn't talk to me the entire ride to school (4 miles) and I kinda felt bad and so my Mother in her infinite wisdom laughed. Yep laughed! It was a very peculiar mother son bonding moment as I was stuck in traffic on I-80 this morning. How was I to take that? Was she brought to tears of joy on the other side of the phone and was so moved all she could do was laugh tears of joy. Or was she straight up just having a good hearty chuckle over her 35 year old son having a teenage moment with his Foster.
I'm going to go with a bit of both because I'm not sure that my fragile ego could handle a full on assault of my mother laughing at me. My hero, my champion, my savior, my defender and my friend laughing at me. Yet now as I write I think she was probably just laughing. (As I imagine many of you are too!)
Upon further reflection though I think my Mother's response as always was directly spot on. I was stressed over Foster having a bad day over shoes. At what point do shoes quantify as a nuclear melt down of global proportions. In the grand scheme of things they are shoes. So I started to think how do parents raise children to be less concerned about clothes and other superficial items and more about the realities of life. Being connected to the world around you. I had originally thought about titling this post: 'Is there a pill for that', but I think this headline is more grabbing. However, the question still remains is how do these 'super' parents who have amazing kids that seems so connected and worldly beyond their years raise their kids? What do they do differently and how do I get them to share their secrets? Is there a book I can read? Is there pill I can give them? I mean there is a pill for everything else it is surely something Walmart sells! I'd be willing to brave a Walmart run if they sold something I needed this bad. I could justify it was for the children and tell myself I was being heroic. Well I might see if they sold it online first I mean lesbonest no one wants to go into Walmart and have to actually go through a checkout line.
Again this blog is an opportunity to reflect on life. I recently finished a book by Brene Brown titled Daring Greatly. Towards the end she talks about parent and how every parent wants to raise children who are good people, who have a strong sense of themselves and the world around them. She states in the book that in order for our kids to be like that they need us to model it. I'm having a spiritual moment here and realizing if I want Foster to be more connected with the world and be able to see the important things in life then I have to as well. Great another ringing endorsement for parenthood. I was just getting used to my selfish lifestyle of grand vacations, spending money, eating out and dreaming of a Suburban (or an Infiniti QX56). Cause those are all extremely important things in life!
I guess I'll keep working on being thankful for all the blessing life has given me and hope I'm modeling the a good man Foster will someday want to be like.
Once again my Mother is right though! I'm sorry Mommy if I was ever a little shit growing up. I'm sure it was only once or twice.
Peace, Love and Puppy Dogs,
john
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