Some Easter Humour

Happy Easter everyone!

The Push

As a parent of three, there is always a sense of having to push.  Parents out there will understand:  pushing to clean up your room, to get along with your siblings, to remember to brush your teeth on your own.  I am always very aware of the push, and very wary of pushing "because I said so" (you know, they way your parents did).

We are a skiing family, however, consensus on that definition varies among the family members.  We come up to the local ski hill every weekend, we don our skis and head out.  The kids are signed into lessons, despite their pre-season negotiations not to.  As parents, we have decided that it is about quality family time--skiing during the day, board games, movies, etc. at night--and developing some life long recreational skills.  We have a number of great families that meet up here every weekend.  The dads ski together while the kids are at lessons, the moms hike, snowshoe and sometimes ski with us.  Evenings are full of pot luck dinners, kids sleepovers and visits.  We tell the kids that this is important and fun.  Sometimes, we tell them so much that it seems kike we are trying to convince ourselves.

And, you know what?

It's working.

The kids are really starting get it.  I mean they really seem to dig it.  All three are turning into great skiers (snowboarder, my middle one would correct).  All three are developing a healthy--and measured--sense of responsibility, accountability and, gulp, independence.  They are learning to make some really good decisions around friends, around finding something positive to do, and about making some of their own "fun" arrangements.  Most importantly, they seem to be appreciating the trust we have given them to make these choices.

And then there is the skiing.

As a parent, there is nothing more satisfying, more moving, than helping your children find something that they really like and then watching them do it.  I am not talking about earning spots on all star teams, about competing at the highest levels, rather about participating in something that they love doing because they love doing it.  I am starting to see that and it's pretty cool.  Watching a 10-year-old snowboarder follow me down through a mogul run without problem, dart in and out of the trees and shoot out hitting a perfect 360, only to continue down the slope is awesome.  So is watching a 4-year-old, fearless, telling me that the runs don't seem steep anymore.  And so is cruising through powder halfway up your shins, and hearing the swish of your 12-year-old's skis as she follows right behind your back ski tips.

So, have we created this passion for our kids?  Is it something that they wouldn't get into without us?  Probably, but that's our job.  That's the push we give them to try new things, to get up off the couch and be active, the break from the electronic world of their generation.  And that push goes far beyond activities.  It goes towards friendships, work habits at school and community service.  And it works in reverse;  they push me.  Not in a push back way (although the first teenager will be upon us soon), but in the "look at life way".  It's hard not to join in on the fun when a child invites you.  It's hard not to have fun when you watch them having fun.  And, it's hard to be too serious, that ever-debilitating adult quality, when someone unjaded by the rat race world of jobs, responsibilities and taxes does something because "it sounds like fun".

So, in my case, the push for me is to watch the kids and to try and remember how to be one.

Pep Talk

Kid President thinks that we all need a pep talk, and I agree.

He wants everyone in the world to do something to make some else feels awesome.  He wants everyone to feel awesome.  So do I.

He thinks is would be awesome if everyone could do a dance.  Man, I agree.  If only I could dance like him.

Why does it take a kid--and not just a kid, but one who actually calls himself kid--to say it like it is?  Why does it take a kid fill my soul, to recharge me, the way Kid President did?  I don't know, but that's why I love my job;  I get to work with awesome people like him every day.

People, some not much higher than my waist, who say and do things with such conviction.

Who aren't jaded with "adult" experiences.

Who believe that you can do anything that you set your mind to.

Who don't give up.

Who taste and savour their experiences with passion and excitement.

Who eat life with such big bites.

Who believe that they can change the world.

My life is awesome because I get to be inspired every day.

So, I am going to help Kid President spread his message, starting with the people who will do the most with it.  Tomorrow, when I teach my reading group, we are going to start with this video...

...and then we are going to dance.

My heart is beating and that means that it is time to do something, so I am going to take the path that leads to awesome.  Lets create something that will make the world awesome!

Please, share this video.

Hug Your Kids

Wow, today was an unbelievably challenging day.  There's really no need to write down everything difficult that we had to work through; it was just one of those days.

But today was also a day when a teacher made a huge difference for me.  In the middle of all today's craziness, phone calls home, meetings with students and parents and itinerant staff, an email came to me from my son's grade 4 teacher.  It was titled "Make your day", and was a copy of my son's writing for the day where they were to pick, and then write about, a role model.  My son, sniff, picked me.  See below:

My Hero

Mar 1, 2013

Who is my role model? Who do I admire?  Well I admire my Dad.

My Dad is a very good man and I want to be just like him when I'm older. I want to be a principle just like my dad.    

He took me on a big hunting trip in Mable Lake. My grandpa has property there so we stayed in his trailer. The bad news was we didn’t get anything, but the good news was we saw like 12 deer.

My Dad also takes me fishing on father's day. My grandpa, brother, some friends and just last year we met a new friend named Kenny who lives in Japan. There is kind of a secret place that we go to. We do that every year and catch lots of fish. My dad last year rented us a cabin at a place called Hothume Lake. We invited some friends to fish with us. That was fun.

My dad and I also play some video games together. One is called skylanders were you put figures on a little portal and you be them on the game. After my dad's work is done he checks all the stores to see if there are any new ones.

Also he makes the best cakes. When I turned 8 he and I made the best hamburger cake that was about a foot tall. It was so good. Plus he makes outstanding pies. He makes Cherry pie, apple pie, rhubarb strawberry pie, my favorite Cocoanut Cream pie and more. It's to die for.

Well that's my dad. That's my role model and I want to be just like him when I'm older.    

That sure put things into perspective.  What a wonderful way to end my week.