Friday, February 19, 2010

Learn Where You Can

As a parent, most would agree you have very little time for yourself. Sure you can get a few minutes here and there to work out, read a couple of pages of a book, or catch a movie, but for the most part we are carting kids to activities, working to pay for all these activities, and cleaning our homes. So self improvement, or further education is hard to come by. A couple of years ago, I picked up an autobiography of Frederick Douglass, a much admired African American orator, who single handedly changed the lives of blacks by risking his life to abolish slavery. I picked the book up several times, and couldn't get through it. Recently, Hogan my oldest son, had to choose a black person to write a paper on for Black History Month. After much debate, he chose (or was convinced) to choose Frederick Douglass. As a family, we took advantage of Hogan's project. We camped out by the fire nightly and read the autobiography, watched a movie on this incredible man and answered questions by our kids like "why did white people think they were better than blacks?" "how could such a horrible thing happen?" "why did people stand by and let this happen?" These questions, lead us to many other questions, and answers came from mom and dad and our kids. I guess what made this project more than just a project, was how much we learned as a family, how important it is to look at history and how important it is to talk about these subjects with our kids. I always have good intentions, every New Year, I say am going to take a course at the Mount, last month I took a course at home, it cost no money and our family is better and brighter for it.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Stop and Smell your Children

I recall my sister telling me before the birth of my first child that after you get through labor, and hold your child, you will be overcome with this unbelievable feeling of love. A feeling you probably could never imagine being that strong. Well, her labor was 2 hours, mine was 24, so I wasn't sure how I would feel towards my baby. I tell this story a lot because through all that pain, I awoke the morningafter, (having fed and changed his diaper several times through the night) overcome with feeling of love. I really had never experienced this type of emotion. I held him, fed him and smelled him as much as i could in those early years. I then had a second and did the same thing to my youngest, only because he was the baby he seemed to require more hugging and smelling than the eldest. Last week, the 11 year old came home with unexpected tears in his eyes, he had not made it through to next round of a contest involving french dictee. I was like don't worry about it, (knowing he has surpassed my academic career a couple of years ago), it didn't matter he wanted to achieve this goal. So mature in his opinions of late, so focused on his interests, but in that moment, he was my baby. I hugged him and then all of sudden I smelled him, he smelled like an adolescent. I hug my kids all the time, but I don't always soak it up. Sometimes I take them for granted. Sometimes I forget that one day they will be on their own. Sometimes I forget how fast they grow. I promise myself I will never stop smelling my kids even when they start smelling like teen spirit. Seriously though, take the time to tell them you love them, hug them and smell them, and then relish in your accomplishment!

Monday, February 15, 2010

The Olympic Hangover

I would say I am a pop culture junkie. I admit not proudly, that i love ET, have been known to watch more than one episode of TMZ, and when in a large Metropolitan American city,my husband says I see celebrities that are not really celebrities. I collect dolls from 50 and 60's cartoons and tv shows, and have been crowned queen of tv theme songs knowledge on more than one occassion. I guess why I bearing my chests is . . . it makes it easier to understand why i am addicted to the Olympics. I love the collection of HBC apparell, love the mascots, love the Opening Ceremonies and I love the quest for Gold. I am your typical canuck, I want to win but not at all costs, and i been heard to say 5th place is a good standing. My family is exhausted, we have been up every night, eyes glued to the TV, hugging at our first gold medal win and crying at the agony of defeat. I know there is poverty in our country and the money spent on an event like this does seem lavish, but I haven't been this proud of my country in years. I feel like I live in the most beautifulest, bestest country in the world, well that how my son put it. In a world where there is a lot of bad news, we have two weeks of a diversion. After that we will go back to the the many global problems. Today I am happy to be hungover, at least the Olympic kind.