Mom’s Soap Box

My best friend recently told me about one of our mutual friends who had started playing on the Orange County Roller Derby team. I was so intrigued - all I could think of was girls kicking the crap out of each other - that I had to check it out. It turns out I was pretty much right about the physical part but I think I must be going through an early mid-life crisis because something about this so appeals to me that I am seriously considering showing up for one of their skating practices to see if I can give it a shot.

Before you laugh I have to say that I am usually drawn to weird stuff and I usually become much more intertested if it’s something that I think most girls wouldn’t do. So….I am going to bust out my old-school Sketchers rollerskates and do laps around my neighborhood. I’m sure I’ll get some interesting looks, especially if I complete the ensemble with some striped tube socks and an old mechanic’s shirt. Or maybe I’ll just prove that there’s some fight left in me yet. I’ll keep you posted.

Whoever said camping is relaxing clearly did not bring along a 2 year-old. We had an absolute blast this past weekend - took the boys camping with some friends (yes, in a tent). Dad took baby home each night as we live only 35 minutes away from the campgrounds and I don’t think the other campers would’ve taken to hearing the wild shrieks of my 10-month old at 3am. There was plenty for the kids to do - fishing, swimming and even a petting zoo. I think I was more afraid of sleeping in the tent than my son was - he even pointed out to me a shadow on the tent that looked like a face!

Mostly I just got to enjoy spending some time alone with my oldest son which was fantastic. He amazes me every day just seeing his little personality come to life. I am also amazed at how much I can love someone! The high point of the weekend was when the other kids were getting into their tents to go to sleep and my son ran up to one and dove head first into their tent. I am looking forward to taking them both on a 4-day camping trip to the beach in August with my best friend and her kids although I am not sure how long the baby will tolerate it.

I must have taken a crazy pill this week as we are off to camp in the wild hills of San Diego (not too wild, I’m sure). My husband and I really love to camp but have not been in the last 3 years with me being pregnant most of the time. Now that the boys are 2 1/2 and 10 months we decided the wait was over. Little one is walking now so it should be a real adventure. Can’t wait to tell you all how it goes!

I have to admit that I watched a lot of television growing up. I also read books and played outside a lot too, but I definitely remember watching a lot of tv. To my knowledge I do not have brain damage or a lack of intelligence or a twisted sense of reality. Nor am I lazy. As much as I try to be logical and reasonable about the whole kids vs. tv debate I still end up feeling guilty. There are plenty of shows on tv for pre-schoolers that have a lot of good lessons - my son learned his first Spanish words watching Dora the Explorer. But still the guilt hangs there. I am so tired of the information overload when it comes to how to raise your children. I can’t imagine how anyone before our generation ever raised healthy, happy children without all of these books and articles (sarcasm).
What really irritates me though is that even though I hate that some stranger is telling me how to raise my kids, I still feel this pressure to conform. I feel pressured to always make sure they only get 2 hours of tv or movies per day. I know in my logical moments that I strive (and usually fail) to be family focused on the whole rather than just on the children. I strive to be the level-headed one, not prone to be swayed by the latest trends in parenting. And yet the guilt is still there. Perhaps we should start being honest with each other and showing that we all make mistakes and we all do things our own way. I think if we could all do that and still feel confident that people wouldn’t be so quick to judge we could all be a little more at ease being new parents.

In Southern California we typically get a good month’s worth of what we call “June Gloom” where the weather is still cool and the clouds roll in each night and don’t burn off until the afternoon. This year is a different story altogether. Not only did we not have any clouds or cool weather, the temperature has been at or near a hundred degrees for the last 3 weeks. Since we live a good 40 miles from the beach it’s not always easy to get down there on the weekends let alone fighting the crowds for a parking spot.

Consequently we can’t really spend very much time outside as the heat is really unbearable and not a great thing for the little ones. We set up the fun sprinklers and water toys in the backyard but after twenty minutes or so they start to look like they have been wandering in the Sahara for days. I am starting to get an idea of what people go through in the Northeast in the Winter when it’s too cold to go outside. Needless to say, I can’t wait for Fall!