So, just for the record, I HATE summer. Not only is it
really freakin’ hot and the sweat & sunscreen combo make me break out like
a 15-year-old on a ProActive commercial, but I don’t have enough resources to
keep the offsprings “engaged” for the entire time they are away from their
respective educational domains.
So I happened across a coupon for 50% off tickets to the
local tour of Ringling Brothers et al. CJ and hubby wanted no part but hubby
took one for the Gipper so we could spend time together. Well, let’s just get
settled in for an adventure…
To begin with, Alex doesn’t have any suitable foot wear
thanks to a growth spurt. After a quick run to Burke’s, lunch, and pleading
that equals the Versailles Treaty, we got out the door sans CJ (because he
“doesn’t do circuses”). Really? I mean, I hate clowns with a vengeance, but
what about the elephants and tigers? Fine, off we go with two ADD kids and a
prayer.
For the love of G-d and all things holy, this experience
goes on for almost FOUR flippin’ hours? Yes, we were held hostage. Oh, but not
before chasing everyone one in different ways. After having cotton candy, AJ
needed to wash his hands. I reminded him to use the restroom which was scoffed
at since I am an idiot. We got 15 feet from the restroom and hubby ran into a friend.
Ergo, Alex needed to pee. Fine. But AJ wants to go in the boy’s room. Well,
since I’m not a boy I can’t go in and since he’s a girl he WON’T go in with me.
STALEMATE. Eventually it all works out.
So after viewing the animals up close and personal and
getting our kajillion dollars’ worth of snacks, we get into our seats.
Unfortunately, we are two seats in from the isle. While the kids pick their
seats, Shelby somehow gets the seat next to the overflowing person next to
him. Sorry, honey! After about 15
minutes, hubby decides to move us down the aisle. Thankfully, the seats are way
better, but the children aren’t. All AJ wants is a smart device to connect to
and Simon has decided to be the moral police. He starts to chide AJ for his
inappropriate lack of appreciation for what we did by buying tickets and the
sheer fact that this is so AWESOME! All along, I had to endure SJ’s commentary
for the length of the show. So not what I had anticipated!
Alright, so many of you read the last installment of the
CJ-Recruit Training saga. We’re home, somewhat rested, and ready to go. Or so I
think. Over the course of the first few days, he is actually MOPEING! At first,
I thought he was just tired and needed the extra time to rest and decompress.
Thankfully, the battalion commander created a closed Facebook page for parent
of the recruits where they posted photos every few days to ensure that they
were not beating or eating our youngsters. Well, of course, once home with
access to all things electronic and internet, the cadets joined the page and
became something of a small crew of few.
Remember, this is the same child that sent his first
snail-mail that started out with, “Dear Mom and Dad, First, I want to say I
love you. This place is hell. It was a mistake to come here.” Which, of course,
sent me into orbit over the whole, “what have I done to my child?!?!?”
syndrome. Subsequent letters improved over time and things were fine by the
time I finally saw him, two weeks later, at graduation. There were tears from
both parents and recruits. It had been a hard two weeks. Check out the photos
on my Facebook page to see the “severity.”
Anyway, back at the ranch Christopher has no idea what to do
with this unstructured free time without his group of young Seaman Apprentices.
While I will say that it was only two weeks, I’m starting to understand my
brother a lot better but that’s another story. While trying to find a job, CJ
decided that he would form a neighborhood physical training group modeled on
what they did at recruit training. Sure, I’ll bite. Well, he was serious. And accommodating.
In order for both hubby and me to participate he started two sessions: 5:30 a.m. and another at 6:30 a.m. How I got
into the 5:30 session is beyond me but I’m there – ready for week two of TWELVE
to start tomorrow. Midweek, he also started another tract at 5:45 p.m. for the
working folk who don’t have some kind of
insane need as the rest of us to look at the neighborhood bats in the wee early
hours of the day. So far, he’s got about seven participants and a few others
are looking to join. Again, not what I anticipated!
And, to think, I literally paid to create this scenario with
my hard earned cash! It was rather ironic that I came to the realization a few
days ago that it wasn’t much longer when we could take all three to the same
event or outing and they would really be into whatever it was we were doing.
What it meant was that they were growing up. What I hadn’t realized is, somehow,
I blinked and it has already happened. Really, what would any almost
15-year-old find interesting at a circus? Apparently, aside from the eight
motorcycles in a round metal cage and a few animals, they aren’t that appealing
to the ten and five year old either? Christopher is taller than I am and runs a
boot camp complete with data and stats? On his OWN initiative! That one came
out of the blue! He does still call me “mommy”
so that is some consolation.
And Simon. My avid video gamer went from things like “Sack
Boy” and “Mario Bros.” to skateboarding games and has taken to wearing flip
flops since I can no longer make him wear sensible shoes. Alex starts
kindergarten this year! Although we’ve finally got him to understand he will be
learning instead of viewing the boobtube all day, he still insists that he is
not attending an actual brick and mortar school and, instead, I am going to
homeschool him. Let’s all say it
together, “Hari Kari!” Not that I don’t love him and would love teaching him,
it is difficult to teach a five year old who thinks he knows more than you do.
Just sayin’…
I knew this day would come. I just didn’t expect to happen
at lightning speed and get sideswiped like a wreck on 610 at rush hour! I am
going to try to be more in the moment and not only after I answer that last
e-mail. I’m going to giggle with them when I’m trying to explain the correct
pronunciation of asphalt (try it and see what I’m talking about!). When CJ want
to have friends over to “hang out,” I will appreciate that he still wants to be
here even if it is with his friends and not me. I know that I’ll be
uber-sensitive to this for a while and slip as time and appointments and karate
and Sea Cadets and Scouts start to pull at me again. Hopefully, I’ll have
another epiphany like this week and weekend to be reminded about what is truly
important and what it is that I really signed up for!
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