I've got plenty of friends who say that their children always sleep in their own bed and the kids must stay in their room until 7am at the earliest. They can't be as good of a parent as me. No chance. I'm developing my parenting skills constantly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Little guy wakes up at 1am and wants to jump in our bed...no problem. I'm there to teach him he's got to go back to his bed. He comes back at 1:20am...no problem. Hop in. Teaching him that persistence is a good trait.
2:30am rolls around and I feel a leg and arm pushing into my back. Good work. My education on boxing out to get a rebound is paying dividends. 3:20am when the older guy realizes that he's the only one sleeping alone, he comes into the room. No chance on telling him that he's out of luck. After all, we've been working on equality and fairness. It's time to make sure he knows that I'm true to my word.
It's barely 5:30am and the boys are now up. I'm in charge during these hours while mommy is out swimming. This is when push really comes to shove. There's not 2 worse hours in the day than those early morning hours. No stores to go to, no errands to run, no parks that are open. Nothing. It's just me and a finish line (when kids go to school) that is so far in the distance. Around 6am and it's like the 20 mile mark of a marathon. The Wall. Agony. Could the clock move any slower? I feel like there's no way to push through, but somehow I get that parenting high (low?). A few games of Sorry, some soccer in the playroom. At last, the kids hop in the car and I have once more completed the bedtime to schooltime cycle. Anyone can do 7am-7pm, but I'll take you on 7pm-7am anyday.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
When My 6-Year Old Loses
I'm thrilled that my children love sports, especially my 6-year old. I'd like to think that bouncing the ball off his head when he was a 9 months old steered him that way, but who knows? (The ball was one of those very light ones!). Now, he'll play anything, got a roster spot on a U8 soccer team, has a golf swing that makes me drool with envy and ran an 8-minute mile in a recent Turkey Trot. He has an engine that won't quit. He's also is uber-competitive. And that becomes a problem sometimes.
This MLK day, I had my 2 boys at the park. The 6-year old naturally suggested a game of football (tackle, except for dad) and the 4-year quickly went along with it. As customary, my 4-year old and I form one team...and the 6-year is by himself. It was 14-14 and we had to get going home soon. Now, against the proper rules of parenting, I declared "Next touchdown wins!". Usually, I let the older guy win since he cares more. But I decided to switch it around. I made a key defensive stop and then drove with my little guy down the field. On 4th and goal, a nice shovel pass connected. As the 4-year old caught it, the 6-year old reached out and pushed him to the ground. My arms went up for Touchdown!
Almost immediately, the 6-year old's eyes started to tear. "It was incomplete. The ball hit the ground!" Arguing and crying ensued for a minute. I announced "After further review, the replay was inconclusive and therefore the ruling on the field stands. Touchdown!". More tears. The 4-year old was no happier that he won or lost, but the 6-year old wasn't taking the news well. A couple more minutes of tears later, we finally started our walk home. In all the seriousness that a 6-year old can muster, he asked "Dad, can we get an instant replay machine?" So, if anyone has an old instant replay machine, there's a 6-year old in the market.
I truthfully like the 6-year old's competitiveness, as long as it can remain in check. Each child is different and my older one gets the praise that he needs (and I knock down his ego every once in awhile). I'm not sure I'm exactly following the recommendations from JuiceBoxJungle on how to handle the competitive youth, but I definitely realize that my 2 boys have a different perspective on winning, results, etc.
This MLK day, I had my 2 boys at the park. The 6-year old naturally suggested a game of football (tackle, except for dad) and the 4-year quickly went along with it. As customary, my 4-year old and I form one team...and the 6-year is by himself. It was 14-14 and we had to get going home soon. Now, against the proper rules of parenting, I declared "Next touchdown wins!". Usually, I let the older guy win since he cares more. But I decided to switch it around. I made a key defensive stop and then drove with my little guy down the field. On 4th and goal, a nice shovel pass connected. As the 4-year old caught it, the 6-year old reached out and pushed him to the ground. My arms went up for Touchdown!
Almost immediately, the 6-year old's eyes started to tear. "It was incomplete. The ball hit the ground!" Arguing and crying ensued for a minute. I announced "After further review, the replay was inconclusive and therefore the ruling on the field stands. Touchdown!". More tears. The 4-year old was no happier that he won or lost, but the 6-year old wasn't taking the news well. A couple more minutes of tears later, we finally started our walk home. In all the seriousness that a 6-year old can muster, he asked "Dad, can we get an instant replay machine?" So, if anyone has an old instant replay machine, there's a 6-year old in the market.
I truthfully like the 6-year old's competitiveness, as long as it can remain in check. Each child is different and my older one gets the praise that he needs (and I knock down his ego every once in awhile). I'm not sure I'm exactly following the recommendations from JuiceBoxJungle on how to handle the competitive youth, but I definitely realize that my 2 boys have a different perspective on winning, results, etc.
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