We had two major events yesterday, we had bad news and good news so bad news first... Poor little Shelly Ann had a doctor appointment and had her next round of shots - three in all. When David took her to her two month checkup she had to have shots. He described her face as changing color, starting at the top of her head and flushing down to her chin, she changed to an almost purple shade of red and then came the cry. One loud long heartbreaking wail that went on forever until she finally had to take a breath and then continued the cry that said nothing but, "why would you do that to me????" That's exactly what happened again yesterday. And as her mom I felt that horrible sadness in my heart for knowing that she counts on me to protect her and I had stood there and held her arms while the nurse stuck needles in her legs and hurt her. I felt like I had let her down or betrayed her trust and for all of you reading this who don't have kids you may think that I was being irrational or over-sensitive. But those of you moms who have been through this know what I'm talking about - we make decisions for our kids with their best interests in mind (health, education...) but it still breaks our hearts to see them in any kind of pain (physical, emotional...). Elizabeth Stone sums it all up: Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
And now for the good news... Archer got a new look yesterday! His hair has been in his eyes for a couple of months now and he never seems to be willing to sit still for a haircut. Yesterday afternoon I'd had enough and took the boy to Grandpa's Barber Shop. Luckily Grandpa had an opening in his busy schedule and agreed to shear off the long hair. Voila! Archer looks a year or two older and he can see again!
And now for the good news... Archer got a new look yesterday! His hair has been in his eyes for a couple of months now and he never seems to be willing to sit still for a haircut. Yesterday afternoon I'd had enough and took the boy to Grandpa's Barber Shop. Luckily Grandpa had an opening in his busy schedule and agreed to shear off the long hair. Voila! Archer looks a year or two older and he can see again!
2 comments:
Dad sent me a picture of Archer's new look...he looks great! Good job Grandpa...but don't count on the rest of the family for business. I have a feeling your 'one style fits all' won't work for the girls...and maybe even some of the guys. Love you guys and can't wait to hang out on Saturday!
Dad wrote me an email with the following:
It is really special to read your postings because they bring back lots of memories. Being a parent means having to say no to lots of things and children don't like to hear it. Is there an inverse relationship between how often you say no and how well your kids turn out? And vice versa, the more times you say yes, the worse your kids turn out as teens and adults? I wasn't sure about posting that, so I'll just leave it on this e-mail, but you can add it to the comments section of you think it is a worthy theory.
Stay cool.
Dad
I think it is a worthy theory - you can say yes all you want, thinking you're keeping the peace and keeping the kid happy but what does that teach? That everything in life will always go your way, people will just hand it over and if it doesn't go your way you can cry and then someone will DEFINITELY hand it over? I have to say thanks to Dad for saying no, and for making us speak up when ordering food at McDonalds, because every little lesson like that is what adds up to an adult that can handle life independently and responsibly. Thanks Dad!
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