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Not So Perfect Parent BLOG |
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April 2008
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Paige: November 2006 ArchivesI envy historians. After years studying different eras, civilizations and cultures, historians earn the wonderful gift of perspective. They are able to evaluate the realities of a current generation and compare it to circumstances that define previous generations. They are able to assess whether the challenges that an existing society experiences are worse than what people from a different era faced. This quote comes to mind, I have to drag myself to the gym. I really hate going. The whole process is painful. Not only is the workout a beating, but time spent in the women’s locker room is stressful. Now, I know men have no problems strutting around the locker room completely exposed and talking about the final seconds of last night’s football game. However, for women, it is a little less comfortable. Although some women appear more at ease than other... I insist on a real tree. Sure, it’s a fire hazard and months later you get splinters in your toes from dried-out needles on the floor, but it’s a tradition I refuse to surrender. This year, we loaded up the children and headed to a small Texas town to purchase O' Tannenbaum. Having to consider height, condition and shape, it took an hour selecting the perfect one. The sales associate seemed to lose his holiday spirit as he propp... I was asked to offer the invocation at a recent event. After my prayer, I sat next to a delightful woman. When she spoke, I was impressed by her authentic spirit. She seemed perfectly content in the moment and genuinely interested in me. She listened without preoccupation with well-formed responses. She asked insightful, thoughtful questions, yet I never doubted the sincerity of her interest. Instead, I felt I was given the opportunity t... The cranberry salad looks more like cranberry slush. The stuffing is crunchy and you start to cry after you burn the second batch of rolls. To make matters worse, your sister-in-law insists that you invite the exchange student who refuses to eat turkey. He sits next to grand-pa who goes through the entire meal not hearing or understanding who this foreigner is and why he is at the table. While you are passing out straws so that the cranb... I took my oldest son to a Back-to-School Skating party. He was so excited to lace on his skates and take a spin around the rink. However, I knew we were in trouble when he fell down six times before making it onto the floor. It was bad. I mean really bad. My son could not maintain any balance on his wobbly shoes. In fact, he could not stand up for more than 3 seconds let alone make any progress around the rink. I tried to help... It is nap time at our house. At this moment, I hear my husband singing softly to my little boy as he rocks him to dream land. Although my son fights this daily ritual, when he is in the arms of his Daddy, he succumbs to the rhythm of the rocking chair and the quiet melody of the lullaby and quickly falls asleep. ...I hate it when my kids are sick. It is a helpless feeling for a parent. You want more than anything to take the pain away and would gladly trade places with your child to spare him from any discomfort. My two-year-old is typically a rowdy child. I am constantly scolding him for climbing on the furniture or climbing on his brother. He loves to perform. Every morning when he gets dressed, he struts around the room while I applaud. ... I am inundated with all things “Peter Pan." You see, “Peter Pan” is my two-year-old’s favorite Disney movie. I am ashamed to confess that he watches at least portions of it every day. He knows all the words to the songs and likes to act out being Peter, or a Lost Boy or a Pirate. In fact, I am in the process of planning his three-year-old Peter Pan birthday party and have been scouring the internet for Peter Pan invitations and pa... I spent the weekend in Austin. My father was being installed as the President of the Board of Trustees for the Austin School of Seminary. What he did not know was that his family and 100 of his closest friends drove from Dallas to participate in the ceremony. He was visibly touched as he looked out into a packed sanctuary at those who came in his honor to witness this career milestone. ...My son went on his first campout. At the age of 7, he is now beginning a tradition that is almost a prerequisite for families with boys. However, I have very strong beliefs about this outdoor ritual. The children are at their places at the dinner table. After the prayer, we pass the food and each politely takes turn with the mash potatoes and corn. Everyone is using their manners and I think to myself, what delightful children I have…. then, the phone rings. My husband is out of town, so I pick-up. It is a girlfriend from college sobbing about a postponed engagement. She’s pouring her heart out to me the exact same time my youn... Before having kids, I made some proclamations to myself. You see, the presence of children was not going to alter my identity or my image. Although I understood that life would be more complicated, I was adamant that a child would not cramp my style. I was not going to sacrifice the person I was simply because I was given a new title of “mother”. WRONG!! The instant my little boy was placed in my arms, my resolve to hold on t... There is nothing you can do to avoid it. It’s as predictable as Christmas. Every year, my little boy gleefully announces that if he sells 475 rolls of wrapping paper, he can win a pair of walkie-talkies! The school fundraiser is a nightmare for parents as they attempt to complete complicated order forms, collect money and distribute the items to irritated family members who were guilted into buying overpriced Holiday crap. I mean, after all... You keep close tabs on your kids. You keep an eye on their grades. You pay attention to who they are hanging out with and make sure they brush their teeth. You monitor your kids’ computers and review their cell phone bills. But, what about their credit history? Identity theft is spreading so rapidly that children are now becoming an easy, effective target. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, children are the fastest g... I am sure there exists in some psychological journal a rationale for men’s obsession with giant televisions. If you find it, let me know because I really don’t get it. What is the appeal of having a television the size of a mini-van in a room where furniture must be sacrificed to allow space for this mega electronic? Why is it necessary to have super-sonic surround sound system while watching a baseball game? One of my male friends boaste... Sometimes I question whether I am capable of experiencing true inner peace. I am constantly looking to the next thing and I cannot seem to appreciate any progress I have made. When things don't seem to be moving quickly enough, I get frustrated and discouraged. It's as if I climb one mountain only to see another peak in the distance that seems more challenging and more exciting. I spend my time mapping my way to this new adventure rather t... I had lunch with my mother yesterday. My mother is a remarkable woman. She is from a small Texas town and married into a wealthy Dallas family. Although she never was forced to work, she spent 40 years serving a local non-profit organization as a counselor and philanthropist. She is a devoted wife, loyal friend, successful business woman, and leader in her community. However, she would say her greatest accomplishment is successfully raisi... Thank God it's over! I no longer have to keep up with the super-hero cape and I can get rid of the pumpkins that are rotting on my porch. It has been a long Halloween season. We have been to festivals, and hayrides, and bounce houses, and haunted houses. By the time the last trick-or-treater came to my door, I loaded the lucky little pirate with all of my remaining candy and shut it down. Of course, that was just the beginning of my night... |
