Category: Parenting

Bowling Lessons Learned

Life, NHL, Parenting

bowling_lessonsEarlier in the week, we took NHL and JSL out bowling.  NHL tends to get very competitive while bowling and can get upset because I bowl better than he does.  Then again, I DO have a few more years of practice.

When, after the first few frames, he was in the lead, he began to exclaim about how he was beating me.  I told him that it wasn’t nice to gloat about doing better than someone else because you never know when you will start doing worse.  I was only a few pins behind him and I figured that he’d blow a frame or two or my bowling would pick back up to my usual levels and I’d go ahead of him again soon.

I was so confident that I tweeted a lesson to be learned.

tweet1

Then, in the eighth frame, with NHL only ahead by 3, all the pins went tumbling down on the first roll.  Yes, there was a strike.  Only I didn’t get it.  NHL did.

tweet2

Suddenly, the pressure was on.  My lesson about not gloating was at stake.  I focused and got a strike as well.  But then NHL did something amazing.  Something I never expected him to be able to do.  He got another strike on his next throw.  That’s right, he got a double!  I couldn’t replicate it and fell hopelessly behind.  I wound up with 101 to NHL’s 119.

game1

LESSON FAIL.

I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.  NHL surpassed me in bowling.  I told him how proud I was of him.  Not for beating me, mind you, but for getting such a great score, his personal best.

The next game, NHL began by knocking 8 pins down.  He was feeling good and looked primed for another gloating session until I got a strike on my first throw.  And then a spare.  And then a nine and a spare and a strike.  He wound up with 88 to my 124.

game2

So I guess the lesson pulled through in the end.  Don’t gloat because you never know when your luck will run out and someone will do better than you.  I just didn’t expect it to apply to both NHL and myself.

Attack of the Night Ninja

JSL, Parenting

night_ninjaWhen the boys were younger, they were quite vocal if they wanted to come into bed with us (for example, if they had a bad dreams).  They would stay in their bed and yell for us until we came and either brought them to our bed or cuddled into their bed with them.  As they got older, they would get out of bed on their own, come to our room, and wake us up if they had a bad dream or needed something.

NHL now sleeps through most nights without a problem, but lately JSL has displayed a special skill.  Under the cover of darkness, he becomes a Night Ninja: able to sneak into our room and slip undetected into bed with us.  On more than one occasion, B and I have woken up to find an invader in our bed and no clue how he got there.

It would be bad enough if he just snuck in, but he also pushes us away from him and towards the edges of the bed.  We’ll often wake up aching from being kicked and pushed off of our own bed.

Have you ever had to deal with a night ninja?

I’m Bored, Entertain Me

Parenting, Technology

im_bored"I’m BORRRRED!"

Every parent dreads hearing those words come out of their child’s mouth.  This means that the child will get increasingly antsy and agitated as he or she tries to figure out how to pass the time.  This can be somewhat understandable if the boredom strikes during a long winded speech.  However, when it occurs between the ordering of food and said food’s arrival, it’s less likely to garner sympathy.

Recently, I’ve noticed my kids getting bored when, by all rights, they shouldn’t be.  They’ll complain about having nothing to do – while standing next to a veritable mountain of toys.  They’ll whine about how there’s nothing to do when we just need to sit quietly for a bit.  Boredom seems to strike the moment that they cease being entertained.

(At this point, I’d like to pause to point out that they don’t do this ALL the time.  They seem perfectly able to entertain themselves sometimes.  Other times, they’ll become bored at the drop of a hat.)

I’m a "techy dad", so it makes sense that my kids are "techy kids." In fact, they are wizzes at the iPad, computer, Nintendo DS, Roku, or pretty much any other electronic devices. At times, though, I fear that today’s always on-instant entertainment environment has made kids today unable to handle "downtime."  Yes, I realize that makes me sound like an old geezer – even more so for having used the word "geezer."

Kids aren’t the only ones affected, though.  I’ve found myself instinctively reaching for my phone to check Twitter, browse the web, or read some e-mail while waiting.  When I can’t use my phone, I’ve often found myself coming close to declaring my boredom in a loud, whiny voice.  Before I judge my kids for their lack of tolerance to lack of entertainment, perhaps I should put away the smartphone and wait a mile in their shoes.

But first, I need to check this incoming tweet…

Do your kids complain about being bored?  Do you ever find yourself unable to handle downtime without the aid of a smartphone or other electronic device?

A Belated Happy Mother’s Day

B, Holidays, Parenting

Beth_And_BoysYesterday, was Mother’s Day.  Of course, mothers deserve more than one day so I’m making my post today.

OK, it’s also because I don’t post on Sundays, but mother’s do deserve more than one day.

B, in particular, deserves at least 6 months. I’m not sure how the family would function without her. She drops the kids off at school, does the laundry, remembers which medications each child is taking and when their next dose is, picks the kids up from school, takes them to doctor’s appointments, runs errands, and more. Somehow, she also fits being a fantastic blogger/freelance writer/social media maven in there as well.

I’m in awe of all that she does for our boys and for me.  She’s the most amazing woman I know and every day  I find myself loving her more and more.

Unfortunately, with the hectic stresses of day-to-day life, "thank you’s" are often forgotten.  So I’m going to pause here and say Happy Mother’s Day, B, and thank you for all that you do.

To all the other mothers out there, I hope your Mother’s Day was a fantastic one!

Battling Against The Cough

NHL, Parenting

cough-battleNHL has asked me many times if I’m proud of him.  Usually, it’s over a trivial matter such as being chosen at random in Hebrew School and winning some chocolate.  Where my pride in my son really shines through is when he sees his limitations… and then exceeds them.

NHL recently had a band and chorus concert.  As we approached the school, we could tell he was nervous.  He kept insisting that we were going to be late and got angry when we wouldn’t let him storm into the building and instead insisted he remain calm.  (For the record, we were about fifteen minutes early and it was going to take us only one minute to get in the building.)

As B went to drop NHL off in the area that he’d wait until it was his turn, JSL and I procured some seats.  B took a long time coming back because, apparently, NHL’s anxiety was getting worse, not better.  I definitely sympathized with him.  I clearly remember the anxiety I felt before my grade school orchestra and chorus concerts.

As NHL’s group’s turn neared, we could see him by the door with the rest of the kids who were ready to perform.  He was having trouble standing still and we could tell he was talking non-stop.  Two classic signs of NHL-anxiety-overload.

The doors opened and NHL came in.  He was in the back and the band performed their songs.  NHL seemed to do well (though, to be honest, I couldn’t see him that well from where we were.)  Then they left.  NHL wasn’t finished, though.  It was chorus time.

This time, NHL was situated right in front.  The first two songs went well, but then NHL ran into a roadblock.  He began to cough.  His allergies have been bothering him and although he’s taking medicine, he’s still prone to coughing fits.  We could see his face go red as he struggled to breathe, stay calm, and keep from coughing enough to sing.  At times, it looked like he might lose it entirely and begin to cry.

He didn’t, though.  He powered through and sang louder.  He even began to dance a little while he rocked out to the songs.  Yes, his coughing fits came back every so often, but he didn’t let them slow him down.  He just coughed into his arm and then returned to his singing.

I was in the stands videoing the whole thing with a big smile on my face.  THAT is why I’m proud of NHL.  He’s a talented kid and when he doesn’t give up he’s able to rise above what holds him back.

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