Dude-a-Palooza Closing Comments
It is now one hour until we leave to visit BIL/SIL/Li'l Cuz and pick up Mommy from the airport. Good time to reflect upon the 'Palooza that has just paloozed all over our house for the past week. Overall a wonderful experience. All of our patiences, patienceze, patienci. . . whatever. . . were tested at some point or another. But it brings boys together much like a football team or a summer camp or work detail or a wild college party. And that is good.
Now that I'm a teensy bit closer than I was a week ago to each of my boys, I have the following observations:
-Max is lost. Hormones, maturity, young-adult pressures or whatever have him simply beside himself in the grand scheme of things. Day to day of course he's a smart, social, capable & handsome boy who shines through his own insecurities and applies himself primarily by avoiding chores & playing Pokemon. Totally normal. In the grand scheme, however, I suspect now is the time to provide him with the most structured structure we can. I was told recently that 12 year olds are like 2 year olds, 14 year olds like 4 year olds. Well, I don't know, but there are parallels between my 10 year old and a zero year old!
-Milo is Thtuart Thmalley. It's his world, he's good enough, and darnit people like him. He's the Dalai Lama. He's enlightented. Now is his time, he marvels at the world and every discovery, however tiny, and his capabilities are increasing exponentially. He excells at piano, school, and the boy can throw/catch a football at 4-almost-5 nearly as well as his 10 year old brother.
-Ben is harboring a very strong suspicion that the world does not revolve around him and he is fighting this with every ounce of his being. He is determined to will his surroundings/family to submission and he applies everything he learns to this venture. I try very hard not to take it personally, and often I actually find it charming since it's SO his mother (and I am so in love with his mother). He is fierce in his pursuit, and as in business, I respect that ferocity regardless of the pursuit itself.
I adore them all more today than yesterday and more this week than last. I've got my own challenges to face down if I'm going to do right by them as a father, but times like this past week give me the perspective & resolve to attack fatherhood with Max-like faith in the universe, Milo-like positivity and Ben-like ferocity.
I feel a wannabefilmcritic rant coming on, I'll save that for a later blog. Must get going to Baltimore.
Oh but first I must share with you a new slang term I learned for songs that get stuck in your head and won't leave: Tune Wedgie.
*giggling like Beavis* Tune Wedgie.
Now that I'm a teensy bit closer than I was a week ago to each of my boys, I have the following observations:
-Max is lost. Hormones, maturity, young-adult pressures or whatever have him simply beside himself in the grand scheme of things. Day to day of course he's a smart, social, capable & handsome boy who shines through his own insecurities and applies himself primarily by avoiding chores & playing Pokemon. Totally normal. In the grand scheme, however, I suspect now is the time to provide him with the most structured structure we can. I was told recently that 12 year olds are like 2 year olds, 14 year olds like 4 year olds. Well, I don't know, but there are parallels between my 10 year old and a zero year old!
-Milo is Thtuart Thmalley. It's his world, he's good enough, and darnit people like him. He's the Dalai Lama. He's enlightented. Now is his time, he marvels at the world and every discovery, however tiny, and his capabilities are increasing exponentially. He excells at piano, school, and the boy can throw/catch a football at 4-almost-5 nearly as well as his 10 year old brother.
-Ben is harboring a very strong suspicion that the world does not revolve around him and he is fighting this with every ounce of his being. He is determined to will his surroundings/family to submission and he applies everything he learns to this venture. I try very hard not to take it personally, and often I actually find it charming since it's SO his mother (and I am so in love with his mother). He is fierce in his pursuit, and as in business, I respect that ferocity regardless of the pursuit itself.
I adore them all more today than yesterday and more this week than last. I've got my own challenges to face down if I'm going to do right by them as a father, but times like this past week give me the perspective & resolve to attack fatherhood with Max-like faith in the universe, Milo-like positivity and Ben-like ferocity.
I feel a wannabefilmcritic rant coming on, I'll save that for a later blog. Must get going to Baltimore.
Oh but first I must share with you a new slang term I learned for songs that get stuck in your head and won't leave: Tune Wedgie.
*giggling like Beavis* Tune Wedgie.
posted by Chris at
10:10 AM
4 Comments:
Dude, your boys are so lucky to have you as their dad.
Poppins
i had not heard tune wedgie before -- i had heard ear worm though - and that rings for me.
about ages...the biggest thing i got from my child development class was this -- as important as the first three years were, the teen years are as important if not MORE important times for the parent (s)/guardian (plug in important person here) to be there for the child. so, while i'm hoping to start teaching when rhys gets into full time school, i'll need to get something part time once irene is in middle school/high school b/c i neeeeeed to be there to have the structured structure etc.
i'm glad that you had a good paloozing. and holy cow! those handsome twins of yours ARE 5 today, aren't they?!?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOYS!
kristen = idiot.
this is not november. this is not the birthday of the twins.
d'oh!
-liked the comments about your boys-sounds like you enjoy'em...have you ever read Richard Hawley's "Boys Will Be Men"? The vignettes in the second part of the book you might like-He has a real love for the masculine.
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