Thankful Sunday, November 24, 2019

I am thankful that my children 

grew up to be good adults.

Wally and Theo were not easy children to raise. They were very active and always challenging the boundaries of their world both physically and mentally. The school had us on speed dial. The call would always start with something that they did that interrupted the flow of the classroom and end with that they were nice kids, trying soften the blow, I guess. Some teachers loved them because of the interesting way they approached problems and intellectual depth they brought to discussions and others didn't because of the way they approached problems and the intellectual depth they brought to discussions (too distracting for the teacher and other kids). None liked the extra activity they brought to the environment.

At home, they were very busy and it was nearly impossible to childproof the house. They were very stubborn about things they didn't want to do. They slept little and had a whole night life that we found evidence of the next morning. That worried us a lot, but we had to sleep sometime. Every time I got into a discussion with them, they led me down a path with careful questioning that I never saw coming.

Every child tries their parents. A lot. But others told us they couldn't believe the challenges these boys brought. So I surmised that our kids were more challenging than most.

Ward and I were exhausted for many years while trying to parent these boys. But eventually they grew up. Now both of them are kind, responsible, hardworking, calm adults. Something I wouldn't have believed possible during of their childhood years.

So for my children who matured into good adults, I am thankful.

Thankful Sunday--May 27, 2018

I am thankful for 
a visit from my son.

I couldn't even imagine my children as adults
at this point in time.

From the moment they are born, our job as parents is to nurture our kids to become successful adults. And when they become adults with their own lives, we miss them. Or at least I do. So I was especially happy today when Wally visited. Theo cooked ribs and grilled vegetables for a nice family meal. For this special family time, I am thankful.

Live and Learn--Don't assume

I was thinking about the title of my blog last night and how we learn throughout our entire lives. I thought I'd start sharing some of the things I've learned through living. I think you'll find most of these lessons are not unique to me, but things we all figure out one way or another.

The first: "Don't assume you know what others are thinking."

We observe others and from their actions, we assume we know what they're thinking. The problem is that we bring our perspective to the situation which can be different from that of the other person. Sometimes, this leads us to the wrong conclusion. This happens even in what seems to be the most obvious of situations (especially with kids).

An applesauce-lovin' Wally
(with wild hair)

Here's an example:

When Wally was a toddler, he loved yogurt and applesauce mixed together. We'd give him a bowl and he would quickly gobble it down. I was happy that he enjoyed this healthful snack. A recent conversation with an adult Wally, however, revealed that all was not as it seemed. It turns out that Wally liked applesauce but not yogurt so much. He kept eating because he was trying to see where the applesauce went. He said he was always disappointed because he never found it.

Wow. That was a surprise. I had never thought about the concept of mixing and when kids learn that. I just thought he liked applesauce mixed with yogurt. I was wrong.

This example helps me think twice before I judge what others say and do. When someone says or does something that I don't understand, I try to remember that maybe there's something going on that I don't know.

Have you ever been surprised when you learned the background behind what someone has said or done?

Magic Show

or Kids will be kids--no matter how old they are.

Recently at a festival we attended, we watched a magic show. The magician was Rodney The Younger (not to be confused with Rodney the Elder.) and even though he did only simple tricks, he was still a crowd  pleaser.  He was really more like a stand up comedian with his humorous patter while he was pulling things out of his sleeves.

The first member of the audience he pulled up on stage was a little curly haired boy who was totally awed by the "magic" Rodney was doing. He was adorable to watch with his big eyes and gasps as tricks were preformed around him. He truly believed in the magic.

Next Rodney asked who was there with their parents. Wally promptly raised his hand high. I scolded him and said that he wasn't eight years old and to put his hand down. And then Theo raised his hand which was totally out of character. He usually doesn't want to do anything to draw attention to himself. However,  I guess the possibility of getting his parents on stage overrode his shyness. And you know where this is going. In no time, Ward and I were both on stage for the next 10 minutes of the act.

While Rodney did some good-natured teasing and jokes, Ward and I and the audience watched as he did many tricks with Chinese Linking Rings. And, yes, it was both embarrassing and fun. But mostly it was fun for Wally and Theo. I guess it doesn't matter how old you get, it is still fun to see your parents look silly.

New Chairs

We got two new chairs this weekend. They are replacing two blue chairs in our living room that most often seated visitors. That made us ponder about how our old chairs got in such bad shape.

Our old blue chairs

Could it be that they are over twenty years old? They were some of the first furniture Ward and I bought and part of the right of passage to “finally, we have enough money to buy new furniture.” No more hand-me-down stuff unless we really want it.

Could it be that the chairs coexisted with two active boys? Wally and Theodore just didn't put their feet on the chairs. They jumped on them and they jumped off of them. They hid behind them and and made forts with them. They turned them upside down and drug them into other rooms. And occasionally, they even read in them with their shoes on the seat.

Could it be that the chairs have been a playground for six different cats that have resided with us over the years? It seems as soon as we got one of them trained to properly use a scratching post, another one would have a relapse and use the chairs to sharpen their claws. That's not to mention all of the wild chasing they did across them.

So when I reflect on the old chairs, I could become a bit nostalgic. The chairs were there when Ward and I were starting our lives together. They were there as Wally and Theodore were learning to explore their young world. They were there as we were bringing each new cat into our family.

The new chairs that we hope will fare better with the cats.

But I say, ”Out with the old, and in with the new.” The charity truck is picking them up Monday. I've got plenty of other things in bad shape to use if I want to reminisce. Also, I just found out that Ward never liked them anyway.