2009 March » Stop, Drop and Blog

Basketball Wrap Up, 2009

Mar 302009

When I first talked about BigBrother playing in our YMCA’s “Itty Bitty” basketball league this year, I was generally impressed with how the program was being handled. This past Saturday was his last game and I am happy to report that we ended the season with the same general feeling.

Some of my favorite things about involving BigBrother in “organized” sports this year.

1. Where we live, winter happens. Because of that, some of our exercising ability (read: way to run off energy) is diminished. While we still have dance parties inside and the tickle monster chases us around, there’s no real opportunity for legitimate, long-stride running. Basketball provided that opportunity.

2. He learned to listen to someone else! Granted, he listens to his teachers at preschool but watching him listen to his coaches was a good experience. He was unsure of why he should listen to those four men at first but, by the end, he really liked his coaches.

3. He made new friends. Only one kid on the team was from his class at preschool. Therefore he met new kids and interacted with them during the games. One older kid took a special liking to him and always made sure he got the ball.

4. He was always so proud. The looks on his face at this last game after his coach held him up to dunk and after he received his trophy were worth all of the initial uncertainty. He was so proud. That, in turn, made me so proud.

There were some negatives, of course.

1. The parents. Unfortunately, if our kids are going to be involved in anything from art to chess club to sports to Boy Scouts to church programs, we’ll have to deal with some over-zealous parents. I know this. But I also know that the one offending parent in question is lucky that I had to miss one game due to my chorale practice and that only my mother-in-law witnessed the negativity. Apparently some over-zealous schmuck was complaining that the three year old teammates “brought the team down.” My mother-in-law replied with “they’re three, they’re learning” and left it at that. I would have given him a polite earful. So, he’s lucky. I know we’ll have to deal with more parents like him who think that they’re child is the next superstar of whatever we’re doing that day. (I’m not blind. BigBrother may have had lots of fun but as of yet does not show remarkable basketball ability. He did learn about the game, however, so I’m pleased.)

2. That game I had to miss due to a mandatory choreography session with my chorale made me feel horrible. I should also probably call my mother and apologize for being so mad at her for missing my Christmas concert during my senior year due to some work issues. I know that either FireDad or I will have to miss games or shows or debates or what-have-you here and there. But it sure did make me feel rather crappy.

3. Next year, LittleBrother won’t likely be so content to stand on the sidelines and watch. He also won’t be old enough to play. I have a slight amount of dread about chasing him around while trying to pay attention to what BigBrother is doing on the court. Yikes.

In the end, the negatives were more about me and less about BigBrother. He never heard the nasty parent. He didn’t care that I missed his game. And he really doesn’t nee dto worry about the parenting issues I may or may not have with having children two years apart. In the end, he got over his initial fear. He had a good time. And if you don’t believe me, listen to this video. (Ignore LittleBrother’s name.)

I’d say that he had a great experience. Even if he does talk with his hands like… me.

We have a month off before t-ball begins. I’m hoping that the program is handled similarly and that whatever coaches he ends up with are as wonderful with young children as his first coaches were. Hopefully he learns how to smile for his sports pictures before then…

Scared or Unsure?

I mean, sure, FireDad is not smiling in any of his sports pictures. But still. Of course, to me, this is the best basketball picture ever. (To boot, we were only charged $10 and given a CD with pictures so we could print at will. YMCA wins again.) What a great first experience all around!

It’s Still Cool to Love

Parenting 5 Responses »

Mar 262009

It’s Thursday, so I’ve had love on the brain. (Love Thursday being the reason, of course.) I had all intention of writing about a new book we got just recently but… my children, they give me content. For free. They’re good little content producers.

We had to bring home BigBrother’s girlfriend, A1, from preschool today. Her Mom had an appointment so we brought her home with us. (Through this experience we also learned that two booster seats of different brands and one Britax roundabout fit in the back seat of our GMC Sonoma. Win!) We stopped at the Fire Department so BigBrother could tell FireDad about his day. As I was saying my goodbyes, I hear BigBrother whisper across the row of car seats, “A1, I love you so much, too.”

Melt.

Later, as they had snack together in the kitchen, I heard, “A1, I love you,” followed by, “BB, I love you, too.”

More melting.

Now, in the living room, they’re sitting with barely any space between the two of them, holding hands, watching a Wubbzy DVD (to be reviewed soon) still whispering things about love. Just last week, after I informed him that he couldn’t, in fact, marry me since Daddy is already married to me, he told me that he was going to marry A1. And they were going to name their children the names of LittleBrother and A1. In all likelihood, they’ll probably just end up friends. (But there is this part of me that thinks, “Oh, wouldn’t it be nice to like my son’s in laws?” Because, yes, that would be nice.)

What warms my heart is that my oldest son hasn’t lost the desire to express love. He hasn’t been told to be a brute. He doesn’t have to push her down to let her know that he likes her, ala the movie “He Just Not That Into You.” He may play basketball but he tells me that he loves me as he leaves the court, complete with a kiss. Even though mean and nasty anonymous commenters think that they know better, I think we’re doing just fine. If you want to raise the child that beats mine up, well, that’s your prerogative. We’ll stick with the concept of love, thank you very much.

That is, until LittleBrother makes a move on A1. He just brough his favorite yellow fire boot to her, said “silly!” and batted his little eyelashes. And then, just now, I asked him to give me a kiss, and he ran over to give A1 a kiss. Oh dear. I’m in trouble. Or, LittleBrother is in trouble. Or, maybe, BigBrother is in trouble. Or, perhaps, we’re all in trouble.

Oh? It’s Just a Phase? You Promise?

Parenting 12 Responses »

Mar 252009

Back when BigBrother was two, I would lament the tantrums and whining and general awfulness of the Terrible Twos. Seasoned parents would look at me, laugh and say, “Just wait until he’s three.” I thought, “What the heck could be worse than this?” Certainly nothing was worse than the time he threw himself on the floor in a restaurant because I couldn’t understand what he wanted to eat. (It was at that point that we stopped visiting restaurants until he exited the Terrible Twos.) Certainly nothing was worse than fearing to leave the house because of what we knew would happen.

Oh, the naivety of parenting for the first time.

Three has been… different. The public tantrums are minimal. He knows my serious voice. He knows my serious look. Reminding him of the rules that we discussed on the way to the restaurant, coffee shop, store or any public place usually gets him to calm down. That’s all fine and dandy. In fact, being in public isn’t the issue that it once was as he likes people to shower him with compliments and, as such, is usually a gem in public. A loud gem but a gem all the same.

The issue with three, however, is that it brings different challenges. Challenges that test my patience more than a kicking, screaming, hitting tantrum in front of my grandparents. (Though, that’s pretty darn mortifying, yes.) The issues we’re currently having are: supreme negotiation and absolute ignoring. The former I can handle as I’m pretty good at negotiating myself. It is the latter that has driven me insane this past week.

To the point that I googled “why is my three year old ignoring me?” To the point that I asked his preschool teacher to pay attention to him yesterday at school to see if he was having an active hearing problem due to a few ear infections since starting said preschool. To the point that I cried in the bathroom the other day.

By the way, the teacher said his hearing is just fine. When he wants to hear, that is.

My googling, of course, brought me to some other blogging laments about the beginnings of ignoring which apparently start at three and either do or don’t end. Maybe it’s more a phase that comes and goes. Gosh, I hope it goes. It is a phase, isn’t it? Like this blogger, we have tried talking louder. That doesn’t work. In fact, FireDad tried whispering at him yesterday, hoping that it would force him to pay more attention. That didn’t work either.

So what is a parent to do? Remember, we were just told that he’s mannerly at school. And it’s really not mannerly to ignore people, parents or otherwise. So, how do we teach him that ignoring isn’t nice? I suppose I could use some reverse psychology and ignore him but that just creates whining and, well, I’m not a fan of whining. It’s also somewhat frustrating as LittleBrother is currently in a repeating phase so there’s never any quiet coming from his mouth. Different phases can be confusing. One is always talking. One is silent. What to do, what to do?

I should just start negotiating with him.

If only he’d listen.

Are You Following the Burn Ban in Ohio?

FireFamily Gets Serious 3 Responses »

Mar 232009

It’s Spring! I have sprouts. Our trees have buds. And the temperatures finally went back to something resembling the season of growth. Do you know what else this is a the season for? Wildfires in Ohio. I’m serious. Do you know what causes the more than 1,000 wildfires in Ohio each year? Careless, open burning. (And arson, of course. But that’s a topic of another post.) To boot, did you know that there is a ban on open burning right now? That’s right.

Open-burning is particularly dangerous in the spring and fall, when the leaves are on the ground, the grass is not green and the weather is warm, dry and windy. As a result, open burning in Ohio is prohibited in unincorporated areas in March, April, May, October, and November, 6 am to 6 pm.

A few weeks ago, my husband’s department had a large number of brush fires on their hands. In the month of March while the burn ban was in place during prohibited hours. Why? Sadly, not many people know about the ban or understand what and where burning is still allowed. That’s why sites like Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources are so awesome. It spells out in pretty easy to understand language that you simply cannot burn much of anything between the hours of 6pm and 6am during these months. If you are needing to burn the land for reasons like vegetation regeneration, you actually need to have it approved first. If you don’t, a wildfire that could not only endanger your property but people’s lives.

A brief look at other states shows me that we’re not alone in this one. As an example, West Virginia only lets you burn between the hours of 4pm and 7am. That begs the question: does your state have a burn ban in place? Some states are like Ohio and have specific months every year with limitations on burning. Other states watch things like air quality and weather and issue burn bans for specific counties as the need arises. Do you know how your state mandates burn bans? You can do a quick google search by entering “burn ban” and your state’s name to find out pertinent information. Of course, there’s an even easier way to go about it: simply call your local fire department. Whether they are a paid or a volunteer department, they will be able to give you the information that you need that will keep you, your neighbors and, in the end, those same firefighters safest with regard to this topic.

Please be safe. While it’s been rather chilly here, it’s also been relatively dry. Do your part and clean up the leaves and other debris. Keep your burning set to appropriate hours and on days without wind. And pass on the word to others about the burn ban or information that is pertinent to your state. We can all do our part to keep wildfires at a minimum this year.