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Christi Diggs
on May 23 2013 - 06:00 AM
A drop of spin, a cup of deception and tsp. politics=Apathy
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Lindsay Metcalf
on May 22 2013 - 06:00 AM
When that tornado siren sounds, I'm in the basement
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mara williams
on May 21 2013 - 06:00 AM
Summer break has this mom on a house upkeep war path.
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I think I’m a pretty cool mom. (OK, not really, but just for the purpose of this blog, let’s say I am.)
And I know my husband is cool. I mean he can bring down the house in video games and rescue any bug or insect before the swatter whacks him. Heck, even our four-year-old could travel comedy clubs with his shtick of fingers up the nose and talk of bodily functions.
So of course oldest, smack dab in the middle of his 14th year, would find us so crazy fun to hang out with. That he wants to do it all the time. He’d rather hang out with us these days than play video games online, go to dinner with friends or talk on the phone or computer.
Who blames him? What with watching the latest "What Would You Do” on television, throwing the football in the yard, Friday night game night and don’t forget the Wii Fit knockdown, who wouldn’t want to buddy up to us? (Note the sarcasm….)
But I guess I’m caught in the notion that teens don’t like spending time with their parents. They don’t like hanging out with family. Just give them a break already.
So when oldest prefers to stay at home on the weekends he’s with us, and doesn’t rush off to spend time with his friends, I do my all-too-frequent internal freak out.Why isn’t he spending time with friends? Doesn’t he like movies? Is he just taking pity on us? Is he too lazy to go out?
Heck, when I was his age I was stationed at the door every weekend night, just ready to bolt. Of course we were pretty poor and didn’t have any such thing as cable or movies or video games. Sitting home watching another Love Boat or T.J. Hooker seemed as appealing as eating a jar of sardines as I poured hot grease into my eye.
Friends say I should sit back and enjoy it, love that he loves to hang out with family and stop looking at this gift horse. What does the country song say? … “You’re going to miss this.
And let's not forget that the youngest one seems to want to leave our company the minute he wakes up. Still, he seems to be resigned that he has to stay at home for at least a few years.
So with oldest I’m taking the advice. Living it up while I still can. Planning movie nights and fun dinners. Challenging the crew to a little Wii Fit jogging, snow ball fighting and obstacle racing.
At least for as long as I can get it.

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