Best Kid Ever

In the last couple years I have come to appreciate my son's enthusiasm for travel and other things. Last year we stayed at an airport hotel before leaving on a trip to Disney World. My son declared it "the best hotel ever!" (At least until we got to the Animal Kingdom Lodge at WDW!)

This summer on vacation, we got a room with a hide-a-bed so he could have his own space in the room. Even better, it was in a part of the room with a TV, so he could lay in bed and watch a movie. He was reluctant to leave and declared it the "best bed ever."

We recently had our bathroom remodeled. After his first shower in the new tub, he announced it was the best shower ever. A meal he likes? The best ever. A book he enjoyed? The best ever.

After getting to meet an author he likes, I asked him, "Wasn't that cool?!"
     "No."
     "What?!"
     "It was AWESOME!!"

I love his enthusiasm for life and his appreciation of new experiences. It's easy, as an adult, to take things for granted because I've experienced several versions of the same thing. A hotel bed is a hotel bed. But my son is a joy to take places (Well, most of the time. He can be a pill on occasion.) because if he enjoys himself, he really enjoys the experience - telling stories and asking questions about it for weeks and months to come.

I hope he keeps this attitude and appreciation and excitement for these experiences. It's endearing, and as a parent, it makes doing the big vacations and the special events worthwhile because we can enjoy the experience as a family and know he really appreciates the opportunities.

One of Those Faces

Have you ever watched a football game where one team is stomping on the other? Some times it's a come back moment and other times the team just starts hot and stays hot. Inevitably, the TV guys will zero in on a section of fans whose team is getting stomped. They are stunned. They sit there like zombies, wondering what happened. Their faces are slack with disbelief.

This weekend, I was one of those faces.

We had gotten tickets to an NFL game where the local team was playing my favorite team. We were taking my fourth grader to his first live professional major league sporting event. It was going to be great.

And for the first half it was. But then the tide turned, the home team found their rhythm and they beat my boys by 3 points.

As the home team was building their come back, play by play, first down by first down, I realized I was one of those faces I always pity on Sunday afternoons. One of the folks who had to sit by and watch other spectators cheer and high five and chant. It was painful. Far more painful than to watch your team lose in the comfort of your own home. At home, you don't have to watch your fellow fans get desperate, complaining about calls that are obviously accurate but just not in your favor. At home, you don't have to worry that some inebriated individual is going to make an issue of the comeback and start something ugly.

In the end, it was a great football game - lots of good plays (by both teams) and our family had a great experience together. My son got to cheer for the home team and watch them win. He was elated. But I'm ready to go back to watching my boys play from the comfort and safety of my own home, where I can yell at the TV and no one cares - where my family will cheer with me instead of against me. I am ready for some football.

SAVOR: Routine

I celebrated Mother's Day with an extra son in my home this year. One of my son's friends stayed with us for the weekend while his parents were away. We are fortunate that my son has developed friendships with a great group of three guys. I would have any of them in my home any time.

The boys had a great time and I had a glimpse of what it would be like to have two boys instead of one. They fussed and jostled one another. They wound each other up - giggling, farting, etc. They talked Avengers and Lord of the Rings and Legos. It was a great weekend, but it also gave me an appreciation for our quiet life. I enjoy our routine, the relationship we have with one another, and knowing what to expect from one another. 

How to Train Your Dragon

Last weekend I went with my family to see How to Train Your Dragon. It was excellent! We have started looking for the books at the library to see if they are even better than the movie. We are already planning to buy it the MINUTE it comes out on DVD. If you haven't got to see this movie, check it out. There may be parts that would scare younger children - my seven-year-old covered his eyes at a couple moments, but usually just for a second and then he was watching again because he didn't want to miss anything.