This growing up can be hard
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We haven’t played a lot of games in our house. A couple of tries with Chutes and Ladders and Candyland ended in frustration. B received Trouble for Christmas and there has been game playing every evening since. It is a fun game and lasts just long enough for the patience of a 5 year old. My husband has been playing with him mostly and even though my husband doesn’t believe in letting kids win, B has won every game. Early in their playing, B made the choice not to give my husband “trouble” and send him back to home to start over. Husband did try to return the favor and play continued in a courteous if competitive way. Finally, husband had no choice but to land on B’s piece and send him home. B was briefly devastated and worked diligently to fight off tears of disappointment and frustration. It was clear he felt betrayed. I rushed to hug him and explain that Daddy hadn’t done the move in a malicious fashion. To grown up and mature to be comforted by Mom in such a moment, B pushed me away and said, “I’m back in this game.” He went on to win and continues to maintain his undefeated status in the house.
A friend and I were chatting today and she shared that her friend’s 10 year son is bored by his parents and just wants to hang out with his friends. I wanted to cry, our boys are 5.5 and even though we are their people, they will often choose each other over us. Growing up seems to be harder on me than him.
A Very Happy New Year
It is January 4th and the sparks and excitement of the New Year still hang in the air. My mind is still swirling with one little word for the year (I haven’t chosen mine yet, there are a few that are calling out to me- Believe, Abundance and Nurture. Believe is in the lead.) and goals I want to make happen this year. We are not in a routine, school starts back Monday and decorations have yet to be packed up, so January 4th still feels like a holiday to me, even though both my husband and I have worked most of the week. School schedule and routine will return in a few days, and I think we are still celebrating the New Year.
I did already pack on the Elf on the Shelf, he left Christmas Eve. I was thrilled to send him back to the North Pole, our Elf didn’t do much except move from place to place. Finally after a month of watching more creative elves on Facebook, he did catch a few pictures of Santa.
I am excited to begin Project Life this year and I’ve been busy trying to plot it out without buying much of anything. I want to keep it extremely simple and capture our everyday life.
Happy New Year to you and yours.
Prayers for Sandy Hook
My thoughts and prayers have been centered on Sandy Hook these past few days. We’ve been to Christmas parties, seen Santa and made some ornaments. I had a moment of frustration when the gingerbread house fell apart and the lights on the Christmas tree shorted out, giving me a small shock and sending sparks into the air. Then I realized I couldn’t be frustrated. Not this weekend. I just needed to be grateful that my son was making the imperfect gingerbread house with me, that I had his laughter to listen to when the roof slid off for the fourth time.
It is time to talk about gun control and treatment of mental illness in the United States.
Liza Long shares her experience parenting a child with mental illness. Her piece is powerful and certainly worth reading.