Things that frighten me

Teddy: Last year I liked Robin, but this year there are just so many more choices. This year I like Beth - she's just SO cute!

This is the kind of line I would expect from Jackson when he gets to middle school - not at all from Teddy. I'm pretty sure I'm not happy about this, though it was very funny when he said it.

A possible alien abduction

Teddy just got a new alarm clock and we haven't yet fully figured it out - we need to be able to let him go to sleep to music but wake up to the beeping alarm - I'm sure the instructions will shed light on our issues, but anyway I am still going in there to wake him up and then a few minutes later to act as his snooze alarm. I walked in there as the snooze alarm that I am and said Sweetie it's time to get up now and he rolled over and said. I can do this, trust me to get up. Okay baby, I'll let you getup. I left fully intending he'd be zoncksville again in no time. I went back in there several minutes later and he was just putting his shirt on.

When I reminded him to brush his teeth there was no eye rolling. Then he picked up a tennis ball and started playing with the dog, perfectly happily. Teddy is as far from a morning person as say... uh... cough.. uh Brad and that's saying something. I just shook my head and accepted the unexpected gift of his mood. I finished getting ready and headed downstairs to find him... not the zombie boy sitting in front of the TV I expected but sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal that he fixed. (I know - you're saying it's just a bowl of cereal let's not alert the media - but no, this is Teddy we're talking about. It's quite possible that this is the very first time in his 11 years that he's fixed his own bowl of cereal without Brad or me standing over him pointing to first where the bowls are, then the spoons, then the cereal, then suggesting he open the box and actually pour some out - all while his eyes are rolling so far back in his head I'm afraid he'll make himself blind).

But okay, I can go with this extremely startling event this morning, no problem. Until.... he stands up, puts his bowl in the sink and annouces he wants to head down to the bus stop early again so he can read some more. Well, how lovely of him I think but come on, this is Teddy. I'm sure it hasn't occured to him to put his homework in his back pack and I'm thinking - should I let him go off to school without a lunch in hopes that it will help him remember things like that in the future - but no, I decide to remind him - smuggly. Don't you want some lunch? (I've got that I know better than you do look on my face). Now I get the eye roll. I already made it, he says, it's in my back pack. uh. uh. uh. Do you want some snack money? Na, I've got $0.50 and I just want to get a cookie. uh uh uh uh.

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY SON????? He gave me the biggest grin he has, the one that will melt women's hearts (I'm fairly sure he won't know he has this power until at least college and probably later - thank God). Gave me a big hug, kissed me and left..... I'm still confused. Who do you call for such a body snatching?

Camela

Mom of the year moment

I started off in a bad mood to begin with. Brad's away. I'm working with both boys trying to get their homework done. I'm walking from the foyer so I can call up to Teddy in his room to answer questions and then back to the kitchen to encourage Jackson to finish his writing homework. And what, do you ask, is Bandit doing? Well I'm glad you asked because this is surprising. He was barking. At me. Just barking his friggin' head off for no earthly reason until I finally just couldn't take it any more and I snapped.

And yelled.

At the top of my lungs.

I mean really, really loudly.

GOD DAMN IT! WOULD YOU SHUT THE F#@K UP AND STOP BARKING!!!!!

oops.

Then I looked over at Jackson who was staring at me with the most priceless face ever. The face that said - we-ell now, wasn't that interesting, I think we'd better move right along from here. But then he deadpanned as only Jackson can deadpan - "uh mom, I'm not sure Bandit understands all those words"... and just like that, all the tension was gone. Sometimes Jackson is just the most perfect little guy.

Camela

Finally - my long parental nightmare is over

My two very active, fairly athletic boys, ages 11 and 8 1/2 really didn't know how to ride their bikes till this week. To be fair I taught my very cautious son Teddy (over his very strident protests) a couple of years ago when he was 8ish so he's been capable of it for a while - but every single time I've convinced him to actually get on the bike it has taken every bit of his concentration to stay upright and make it from here to there and back so it's never been remotely fun for him. It's just hard and stupid - end of story.

And then there's Jackson who is so much more physically self aware - for whom biking should be second nature - but sadly believes in his heart of hearts that he is not capable of doing anything until 2 years after his brother does it, since he's 2 years younger. It's like a law of nature or physics or something - it's just true. So I couldn't get Jack to even sit on a bike - not even one with training wheels (which we took off a few years ago). Brad still says I'm more stubborn than Jackson, but I find that hard to believe.

It's been in the back of my mind that this fall was not going to pass without Jackson learning how at least as well as Ted. It's been two years and frankly it's embarrassing that my kids don't have this skill. I always figured they'd want to ride with their friends and that would push them on, but .. eh Ted's too lazy to be spurred on by a potentially physically taxing version of peer pressure and Jack's just not familiar with the concept (bonus for him). Our neighborhood is really not good for learning - it's all hills. The only place remotely flat is from our house to the end of the cul-de-sac but even that is a slight hill and not a huge distance - on every other inch of street in our neighborhood you are either going up or down at a fairly steep grade. So again to be fair to them - I've not pushed it as hard as I should have and not taken them up to the school or whatever to help them out and Brad's not been at all interested in getting involved with this project over the years - I was the only one horrified by their lack of ability here.

Now cut to this weekend

Ted comes in and says: "hey I'm really good at riding my bike"
Me: ... duh.. what.. uh... wow honey that's great! Can I see?
T: yeah come on out and see - he was really excited
And there he is - on the bike he learned on, his old bike, the one that's too small for Jackson, but sure enough he's riding up and down the street just like he knows what he's doing. He's actually enjoying himself, not to mention thinking he's the bomb (he didn't notice he looked like one of those clowns riding on a tiny little bike.) I'm thinking - BRILLIANT!!! If he will just keep playing around on that little bike we can easily translate that onto his bigger bike.

AND THEN..... I am outside doing something else and Jackson hops on the little bike and starts gliding down the little hill to the cul-de-sac. He's got the balance thing down with no problem. I sneak up behind him and give him some pointers and push while he gets peddling and pretty soon he's doing it on his own. And on the next day he wants to go out again and Brad actually went out with him. He said he did better with Brad - whatever! He spent 10-15 minutes each day and then on day three he just went out and practiced on his own. All Brad could say was... "he is SO not his brother".

But now, Ted's riding Ted's bike and Jack's riding Jack's bike and we can't get either of them off of them which is just exactly how it's supposed to be.

phew!
Camela