My Kids
I know it's bragging, and I know that everyone loves their own kids and thinks they're great.... BUT.... My kids are SO great!!I was watching Emma playing at this little park across from our hotel in San Diego (Loredana was asleep in the car, so I was sitting with the door open watching Emma play about 30 feet away- in case anyone wants the details to turn me in for neglect), Emma was playing by herself because nobody else was at the park. She was playing in the sand, pouring onto this little ledge, making hills and stuff. Every once in a while she would just wave to me and smile.
Then she started running over the grass, picking these little white flowers (weeds, but not dandelions- I'm not sure what they're called). She gave some to me and then she took some over to her sand hills. Later, she found a piece of newspaper (glitter as she would call it) and started piling grass and clover on top of it. She took it to the top of the play structure and created a nest for birds. As I was watching her playing with the simplest materials, looking totally beautiful with her San Diego tan at sunset and I started reflecting on our week and returning over and over to the same conclusion: I have GREAT KIDS! They are happy and healthy and polite (50% of the time) and fun and generous and caring and beautiful and such a blessing. I also realized that I am not worried about what kind of adult Emma will be. I worry a lot of August 25, 2003- her first day of kindergarten, what a heartbreaker! I worry about elementary school, junior high (what a nightmare) and high school. But when I think about her as an adult, as a wife, mother, career woman-whatever she decides to become, I'm not worried. She's great now and she'll be great then- We just have to get her through the in between without too many battle scars.
Proof from San Diego that my kids are great.
1) We ate dinner every night in restaurants with other people at 8:00 or 9:00 pm every night. They were pleasant, they didn't freak out, they ate their food without complaining, and most days that hadn't had a nap!
2) We went lots of places. They had to wait their turn, be flexible, get in and out of the stroller and pick small sourvenirs (it's cute to hear Emma tell Loredana she can't have something because it's "too spensive".) I'm sad about always telling her no because we can't afford things, but reality is reality.
3) Emma talked to and played games with Doug's friends. They laughed at her jokes, performed magic tricks for her, and helped her with the game. She has become more comfortable around adults since we moved into the big house. It could be an age thing, but I really think it's more an environment thing. She has more adults responding positively to her on a daily basis and so she is less hesitant than she used to be to share her personality with adults. (Maybe I should have grown up in a house with 6 adults.) This scares me a little too- I'm a freaky mom who is always warning her about strangers. I'm not good at balancing this one.
So I'm pretty much done bragging about how great I think my kids are, but I would encourage you to read Emma's blog (sorry I can't connect you) and maybe you can catch a glimpse of my Sunday afternoon in a park in San Diego with two great kids.
I know it's bragging, and I know that everyone loves their own kids and thinks they're great.... BUT.... My kids are SO great!!I was watching Emma playing at this little park across from our hotel in San Diego (Loredana was asleep in the car, so I was sitting with the door open watching Emma play about 30 feet away- in case anyone wants the details to turn me in for neglect), Emma was playing by herself because nobody else was at the park. She was playing in the sand, pouring onto this little ledge, making hills and stuff. Every once in a while she would just wave to me and smile.
Then she started running over the grass, picking these little white flowers (weeds, but not dandelions- I'm not sure what they're called). She gave some to me and then she took some over to her sand hills. Later, she found a piece of newspaper (glitter as she would call it) and started piling grass and clover on top of it. She took it to the top of the play structure and created a nest for birds. As I was watching her playing with the simplest materials, looking totally beautiful with her San Diego tan at sunset and I started reflecting on our week and returning over and over to the same conclusion: I have GREAT KIDS! They are happy and healthy and polite (50% of the time) and fun and generous and caring and beautiful and such a blessing. I also realized that I am not worried about what kind of adult Emma will be. I worry a lot of August 25, 2003- her first day of kindergarten, what a heartbreaker! I worry about elementary school, junior high (what a nightmare) and high school. But when I think about her as an adult, as a wife, mother, career woman-whatever she decides to become, I'm not worried. She's great now and she'll be great then- We just have to get her through the in between without too many battle scars.
Proof from San Diego that my kids are great.
1) We ate dinner every night in restaurants with other people at 8:00 or 9:00 pm every night. They were pleasant, they didn't freak out, they ate their food without complaining, and most days that hadn't had a nap!
2) We went lots of places. They had to wait their turn, be flexible, get in and out of the stroller and pick small sourvenirs (it's cute to hear Emma tell Loredana she can't have something because it's "too spensive".) I'm sad about always telling her no because we can't afford things, but reality is reality.
3) Emma talked to and played games with Doug's friends. They laughed at her jokes, performed magic tricks for her, and helped her with the game. She has become more comfortable around adults since we moved into the big house. It could be an age thing, but I really think it's more an environment thing. She has more adults responding positively to her on a daily basis and so she is less hesitant than she used to be to share her personality with adults. (Maybe I should have grown up in a house with 6 adults.) This scares me a little too- I'm a freaky mom who is always warning her about strangers. I'm not good at balancing this one.
So I'm pretty much done bragging about how great I think my kids are, but I would encourage you to read Emma's blog (sorry I can't connect you) and maybe you can catch a glimpse of my Sunday afternoon in a park in San Diego with two great kids.
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