Teacher's Pet
My kids are very different than I was as a young girl. The most obvious diffence is that they are boys. But, basic anatomy aside, my kids have strikingly different temperaments than I.
And, frankly, I don't know what the hell to do with that.
I was the fat kid with glasses who loved nothing better than to while away the hours with my nose buried in a stack of books. The library was my personal heaven, second only to the Scholastic Book Fair. I looked forward to the spelling bee every year, and preferred to spend my time in class with my hand in the air rather than passing notes to the cute boy next to me (who was probably too busy calling me fatty pants or turtle neck to notice that I would be a stunner at the end of my 26 year awkward phase...).
I was your classic Teacher's Pet. I did my homework, early and often, followed the rules and collected gold stars. I was quiet, focused and driven to be the best even at a very young age (legend has it that I declared my desire to attend Harvard at the age of 5). While I did play JV and eventually Varsity softball, my role was more to raise the team GPA than RBI stats.
Now I have 2 boys. And they are B-O-Y-S in every sense of the word. If you ever want to finish the philosophical battle of the impact of nature versus nurture, just spend a few minutes at BadAssMama Central. My boys were going "vroom, vroom" with Matchbox cars before 6 months. They have never seen Star Wars or any movies with fighting in them, yet Wrestlemania/light saber smackdown takes place every night at 6pm. Sharp. I already shop at a wholesale club for weekly groceries just to keep up with their obscene appetites (heaven help my bank account when they are teenagers). But, thank goodness they do eat so much because if they didnt't they would likely shrivel into nothing given how much they MOVE. Every day. They are zooming - both physically and verbally - from the moment they rise (still at an ungodly hour...) to the second they collapse in the bed - kicking and screaming - each night.
I think this is really one of the biggest challenges of motherhood - how do I help my kids become the best version of themselves that they can be, without trying to make them into mommy clones. Now, don't get me wrong. There are a few character traits that I'd like to pass along. But just like our parents wanted us to have more opportunities than they did growing up, I don't just want my kids to be better versions of me - I want them to be the best version of their own unique selves.
That would just be SO much easier to do if they were more like me...
And, frankly, I don't know what the hell to do with that.
I was the fat kid with glasses who loved nothing better than to while away the hours with my nose buried in a stack of books. The library was my personal heaven, second only to the Scholastic Book Fair. I looked forward to the spelling bee every year, and preferred to spend my time in class with my hand in the air rather than passing notes to the cute boy next to me (who was probably too busy calling me fatty pants or turtle neck to notice that I would be a stunner at the end of my 26 year awkward phase...).
I was your classic Teacher's Pet. I did my homework, early and often, followed the rules and collected gold stars. I was quiet, focused and driven to be the best even at a very young age (legend has it that I declared my desire to attend Harvard at the age of 5). While I did play JV and eventually Varsity softball, my role was more to raise the team GPA than RBI stats.
Now I have 2 boys. And they are B-O-Y-S in every sense of the word. If you ever want to finish the philosophical battle of the impact of nature versus nurture, just spend a few minutes at BadAssMama Central. My boys were going "vroom, vroom" with Matchbox cars before 6 months. They have never seen Star Wars or any movies with fighting in them, yet Wrestlemania/light saber smackdown takes place every night at 6pm. Sharp. I already shop at a wholesale club for weekly groceries just to keep up with their obscene appetites (heaven help my bank account when they are teenagers). But, thank goodness they do eat so much because if they didnt't they would likely shrivel into nothing given how much they MOVE. Every day. They are zooming - both physically and verbally - from the moment they rise (still at an ungodly hour...) to the second they collapse in the bed - kicking and screaming - each night.
I think this is really one of the biggest challenges of motherhood - how do I help my kids become the best version of themselves that they can be, without trying to make them into mommy clones. Now, don't get me wrong. There are a few character traits that I'd like to pass along. But just like our parents wanted us to have more opportunities than they did growing up, I don't just want my kids to be better versions of me - I want them to be the best version of their own unique selves.
That would just be SO much easier to do if they were more like me...
