The revolving door of parenthood.

You know the scene...you're going through a revolving door at your local restaurant, shopping plaza or hotel lobby.  You hustle your littles into the all-too-tight space ahead of you and then squeeze in behind them, go a half turn through the door and then lead them out safely on the other side.   It's our job.  That's what we as Moms, Dads, PARENTS, do. 

The other day my boys, ages 6 and 8, and I were traveling through one of these doors when they rushed in ahead of me.  They filed into the section before me and I followed, one compartment behind.  Well, I got out on the other side and they did not...they kept going.  And going.  And going.  They were having the time of their lives just spinning around.  Of course I ushered them back through as soon as their fun became distruptive to others trying to get in, but until then, they carried on without me.  This has become a metaphor for my life with these boys lately. 

I understand that's how it works.  We guide them and steer them - Teach them, enourage them, support them.  Then they get independent and disappear into the revolving door only to come out on the other side unassisted.  With me standing on the outside watching them through the glass but unable to reach them.  I'm just not sure I am fully prepared for this new back seat "supervisory" role that I've inevitably been assigned. 

I love that my boys are growing up, don't get me wrong.  Besides, Nate has always been an old soul anyway...light years ahead of his age in maturity and self reliance.  I (half) joke all the time that Nate has never really needed me.  As a baby, he would crawl to his bedroom door when he was tired and sit outside it until I put him to bed. 

At swimming over the weekend I was chatting with a mom-friend of mine who is still very much in the throes of all things baby and toddler.  As she stepped out of the water with her infant in one hand and her toddler on her heels, she noted that I had been relieved of my "going in the water duties" now that the boys were older and could swim on their own.  I agreed, pointing out it was just one of many new breaks I'd finally earned as a result of their growing up.  I smile on the outside.  But inside I cried a little.

Sure, it's great to send them outside (with very little assistance needed beyond "Mom, where's my hat?" and "Help!  I can't get my boots on over my thick snowpants with my gloves already firmly installed on my hands" - ok, so they don't actually talk like that but you get the point...) but I never quite know where I stand.  When my needed assistance will be replaced with their new found confidence and skill.  Who can guess when my advice will be put out of business with wisdom of their own.

I don't know that I'll ever get used to this ever-changing "normal".  Just when I think I have it down, something changes. I will always beam with pride as new achievements are realized and skills are learned, of course.  But inside, I also realize that the end of my parenting job is one step closer.  That before I know it I may read my last goodnight story or hear my last "MOM!" holler for assistance in the bathroom.  And that makes me sad.

Summer Rec

I know we are in the throes of the school year already, but I feel like there's SO much of the summer I had wanted to capture here for posterity and yet I haven't.

So, please excuse me while I go back in time a couple months to share with you this snapshot in time.  :)

As I've shared before, Nate started Tee Ball when he was 5 (summer before he started Kindergarten).  He played again last summer (before 1st grade) and finally this year moved up to what is called (in these parts) "Coach Pitch" baseball.  It was quite the adjustment for him.  First of all, the people on his team take baseball very seriously.  And some of these kids have been living and breathing baseball since they were born.  So to say that Nate was a little behind the curve is a bit of an understatement.  But what he lacked in skill he definitely made up for in heart and passion.  What really hurt his game was that any practice he was getting at home was limited and, well, let's just say that Mommy pitching (at 4'10" tall) or Daddy pitching underhand is NOT the same as the 6' coach pitching overhand.  So there was some learning to do there.

Good news is, he got a LOT of individual practice with one of his two coaches or other parent helpers. The other thing I really liked was the variety of positions he got to experience.  They had him on 1st, outfield, and he even got to be catcher a few times.  It really was good for him to get a feel for the different positions and the tasks each position is responsible for.  I really think he'll continue to grow.

This year Alex got to join the Summer Rec ranks and play Tee Ball like his big brother.  I also signed him up for soccer because I knew he'd be good at it and I'm glad I did.  I really think he preferred soccer (it moved more than tee ball does).  But we'll give him another year in both to figure it out.  It was an adjustment for Nate who's never had to go and sit and watch at a game for his brother (we had a few words about that the first few practices because Alex did it for Nate's tee ball for two years, it was Nate's turn to learn the spectator role).  It all worked out in the end thanks to a nearby playground and friends of his at practices who he could go off and play with on empty fields.

We had a rough go of it for tee ball and soccer this year.  For the first 3 weeks or so, we kept getting rained out or cancelled for soggy fields.  But once the season finally kicked off (i.e. the weather cooperated), we had fun.

I really liked the way they coordinated the tee ball teams this year.  Instead of playing a long boring game that 4 & 5 year olds couldn't focus more than 5 minutes on, they rotated smaller groups of the kids through "stations" that worked on them with batting, fielding, and catching.  Then for the last part of practice they'd play a "game".  I really think it worked great and taught Alex a LOT more in one year than Nate learned on his teams for two years.  I hope we have these coaches again next year!!

 So, until next year....

Hop Hop

Just thought I'd hop in to say hello!!  It's been quite a while since I've shared any happenings and quite a lot has been going on!  We have been BUSY!  The boys and I are constantly on the go with boy scouts, swimming lessons, judo, school work, and social activities.  I've barely had time to keep up!!

But I did want to (quickly!) introduce you to the newest members of our family!!  As of today we have three new members, actually...

Meet Ashur (Hebrew for "Black"):

Smokey (Alex's Bunny)

and Reeses (Nate's)

They are our six-week-old New Zealand rabbits (mine, Ashur, is a New Zealand/Californian mix) and the boys love them already!!  They are so good with them!  They have snuggled them all day!  

I love how laid back and relaxed Smokey looks with Alex...he seems so calm with him.  Alex is either the Bunny Whisperer or Smokey knows he can trust him already. 

Alex "donated" his baby comb to the bunnies to help care for them.

Nate could hang out and watch TV with Reeses all day long.  Two buds, just hanging.

Mr. Science x2

Nate has shown an interest recently in science.  He found a penny in the driveway a few months ago and proceeded to marvel when I soaked it in some white vinegar to clean it up.  Ever since then, he's perked up at the very hint of anything to experiment with/on.

So, for Christmas this year, I requested science-y (total word!) things to encourage his curiosities.  As usualy, his Aunt Wendy (my brother's wife) came through in spades.  He scored a rocket kit, a clock kit to build using a lemon (!), and a really cool crystal growing kit.

Being fresh out of lemons and with it only 26 degrees outside with a windchill near single digits (and I am NOT launching OR building a rocket in my house!), we opted for the crystal experiment.

The boys suited up in protective gear.  (Hey, it was recommended and as you know, my firefighter boys take safety very seriously!)

I gave them each their tasks and we got to work measuring, pouring, mixing, and sprinkling.

Then came the waiting.

Not so easy for a 4 and 6-year-old, but I promised them the payoff would be well worth the wait.

A mere 20 or so hours later, the boys "checked on" their crystals and found this...

 According to the directions, the crystals will reach optimum size in 4-7 days, at which time we can drain off the liquid, dry them out, and put a top on the jar to keep them indefinitely!

I think it's pretty cool and the boys like to check on them every few hours to see what (if anything) has changed.  Such fun!

Stay tuned!  I'll (try to remember to) share the final result!

Another First...Judo!

 

For Nathaniel's 6th birthday (yes, I realize that was in March...I'm catching up a little...), his big brother, Adam, offered to have him try out a Judo class at the gym where he (Adam) spends a lot of his time.  We went a few months ago for a "trial" class and he loved it!  It took a few more weeks to get him officially registered, but now (thanks to some extreme generosity from his big brother) Nate is all set up (complete with a gi) and loving it!

He's learning take downs, how to fall (safely), flips, LOTS of fantastic commands (Hajime! and Matte!) and (my personal favorite!) he gets to practice SELF CONTROL!

 The bonus is that Alex gets to "participate", too.  And he's a real natural!!  He's taken to it fantastically!

They burn some energy, have made some new friends, and are learning great lessons in the meantime!