The Family

Mullet Man

kanniduba3 Comments

So in less than three weeks, Mr. Baby Boy will turn a whole two years old.  (What will I call him then, I wonder?)  It has been apparent to me for some time that I must must must take the boy to get his first haircut.  For months now  Zan and Neighbor Man have been threatening to cut it off one curl at a time so I don’t notice right away.  Despite his jeans, blue coat, and Converse sneakers, he’s been called a “she” more times than I can count in the last three months, and that alone is reason enough for Zan.  Big Girl braids it and says, “Mom…look.  He NEEDS a haircut!!!!”  When she began calling him Mullet Man, I was shamed into thinking they might all be right.  So, on Friday, my sweet baby boy will lose his sweet baby curls and will look like the little boy he’s grown to be.  Of course, I had to get a photo of that frizz ball of a mullet that has grown on the back of his head before it’s gone.  I took this photo an hour ago while he was mesmerized by his favorite movie. 

A Necessary Evil?

kanniduba6 Comments

Necessary?  I’m not sure.  Evil?  I’m not so sure about that either.

Big Girl, who is eleven (and a half) and is now in Middle School, has been asking for a cell phone for years, and incessantly begging for one for months.  We have firmly been saying no for months.  The truth of the matter is, that while our mouths were saying no, our heads were saying maybe. 

As Big Girl has been earning more freedoms, her need for more independence is beginning to overtake my “need” to keep her tied to my apron strings.  However, Zan and I wanted a bit more peace of mind before allowing her to venture too far away from us, and a bit more peace of mind can be bought for the price of an average cell phone.  The point of no return in this whole cell phone saga, was the “mall adventure.”  She and a friend were allowed to go wandering in the mall while I shopped.  We had walkie talkies so I could contact them and they could contact me.  Halfway through the shopping trip, the batteries died on the walkie talkies, leaving us to find each other without them.  Although I earned a few more gray hairs, and thoughts of child abuctions flooded my weak little mind, this adventure ended very uneventfully, and we were reunited by chance, walking out of stores across the corridor from each other at exactly the same time.  *whew!*  This was the day I went from, “She doesn’t need a cell phone,” to “I need her to have a cell phone.” 

We surprised her on Friday night, taking her out and letting her pick her phone.  “Unfortunately,” I needed a new one too…*ahem*…(Isn’t it preeeeettttyyyy?!!)  You see, Verizon has this feature called “Chaperone.”  I can track my daughter’s phone, knowing where she is, what speed she’s travelling at, and I am alerted if she leaves the “safe zones” that I set up.  A very cool feature.  I am not naive enough to believe that this will keep her safe, but there is some comfort in the idea that I will be alerted the minute she leaves “the mall” for example.  The fact that we can be in contact with each other by text or voice anywhere, anytime is also a comfort, not only to me, but to her.  As an added benefit, she’s been texting with long-distance cousins all weekend too, which will keep them close when we’re far apart.

So, we took another step toward untying a knot in the apron string…lots more knots to go, thank God.  I wish they could stay young forever.  Have we done right?  Who knows.  Only time will tell.  Right now we are her heroes.  And it really is fun to play a hero now and then.

My Son, Michael Jordan

kanniduba9 Comments

Yeah, so what if he’s only 20 months old?! 

Okay, so here’s the thing.  I’ve been telling you that Mister Baby Boy has an affinity for balls.  (Not just his own…toy ones too.  And what is WITH that anyway?!)  His obsession with balls started when he was about 9 months old.  By the time he was walking at 12 months, he could bounce and catch them, and was rolling two balls at a time up his legs, so he could palm them both and bounce them at the same time.  We bought him a little toddler basketball hoop for the deck, and he makes shots from four to five feet away.  No foolin’.  We’ve known he’s a bit advanced in the basketball department for his age, but he can’t really talk yet so we figure it’s all a wash…We joke, “Yeah, he can’t talk, but he can dribble a basketball!  That has to count for something!”

So, last night we’re at the YMCA for Little Girl’s gymnastics class.  Mister is obsessive as usual and spends his time attempting to sneak into the Big Kid play room where there’s exercise equipment and you guessed it…BALLS!  This time there’s a different supervisor in there, and he says, “Here…you want a ball Little Man?  I’ll get you a ball!”  And proceeds to watch my son in awe as he bounces and catches the ball like it’s second nature (which it is) and begins dribbling one handed.  Turns out he’s the basketball coach and program director.  He goes on to tell me that he runs a basketball for tykes class for 3 and 4 year olds, but that Mister’s skills are stronger than any of his four year olds.  “Holy cow!  He catches it every time!  And I’ve never seen a kid that small dribble one handed!  They always dribble two handed at first.”  He then tells me he wants him signed up for the class next session, and that he’ll waive the age limit for him.

So here’s the thing…advice needed here cyberfriends.  HE’S A BABY!!!!  He won’t be two until February, and the next session starts in January.  Do I sign him up and let him play with the big 3 and 4 year olds?  Will he get tromped on?  He’s getting to be a very good boy now that he understands more, but I don’t think he’ll be able to follow the coach’s directions…(although the coach wasn’t concerned about that.  “My four year olds don’t listen to directions either,” he said.)  I know he has a talent, but should we really be tapping into it this soon?  I don’t want to squash the interest with a “formal”  class this soon…but then again, he might have a BLAST!  *sigh*

He’s so damn little and cute with that big ol’ basketball.  What should we do?