I will arrange my food, yes. But no, I will not eat it.
folly n. , pl. , -lies . A lack of good sense, understanding, or foresight. An act or instance of foolishness: regretted the follies of his youth.
A lack of good sense: Lucas. Why is it that the human brain takes so long to mature? Does it not seem logical that the offspring of each species be born with some intrinsic good sense, rather than acquire it by trial and error?
This is the bike park in Whistler. Grown-up boys were doing amazing things here. The picture does not do it justice, and I could not get a shot of our five year old riding it, because I was too busy running beside him in fear. Lucas persevered for three quarters of an hour. He bailed **BIG** twice. We will return tomorrow. A new bike and better helmet will need to be purchased.
Understanding: Ting and Rob. We are not five-year-old boys, and this has been brazenly apparent today. We do not understand why he is naughty at school. We do not get why he must tease his sister. We certainly cannot figure out why he is good at math. We see no appeal in bubble-gum ice cream. We fall short of understanding the need for a water gun. Why are parents not consistently able to understand their children? To *get* them; feel their emotions, ride the same bike bumps, as it may be. For those we love, why do we have the capacity to shut the door to understanding where they are at? Are we wrong or do we simply lack the sense?
Foresight: Um...yeah, that's us again. Why does it come as a surprise to us that our children are their own people? That they may not be mini-images of us? That Mia may never play field hockey, snowboard or love reading. That Lucas may never love wine, soccer or watching hockey? Ok, it's not a surprise, but we seem to continue to place our own values on their individual choices even though we know better. How hard for them to have such narrow-minded parents, wouldn't you say? Haha...
Folly: a day well spent, even if it meant relearning a few things about ourselves and our kids.
2 comments:
A profound and beautifully put together post, Cristina. As a teacher, I struggle with just not getting it when things I love are not that exciting for kids/people with very different agendas, and your well-spent day left me with a bit more insight. Thank you.
Your last two posts have been wonderful as well. They point out, I think, that as much as you are learning that your kids are not carbon copies of you and Rob, there are, in fact, lots of life gifts they are receiving from each of you, a love of nature being a huge one.
Seems like you are getting back on the blog wagon roll. Happy day for your readers:)
Nice post, I was enamored by the smiley face dinner with tomato eyes. Any kid who can avoid eating by using creative, parent-distracting techniques like these will be smart enough to succeed in whatever he does, especially if he's brought up in a caring environment. And it looks like he has that.
-J
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