I'm out of the house once, and Hannah needs to talk to me, so Kit shows her how to use the phone to call me. A logical thing, he knows she needs to learn this, so let's start learning. She dials the wrong number. She says 'oh I'm sorry I'm trying to get my mom'. "You're too young to be on the phone get off the phone!" harps an older woman. She finally reaches me and is in tears.
All the kids are out front playing. I'm not. They're playing street hockey, their usual thing. They know all about cars, they know about the hidden turn at the end of our street, how you need to listen for the car before you'll see it. A car they do not 'know' from the neigbourhood drives up, honks at them, and this older woman (see how nice I'm being?) yells at Leif to get inside, where is your mother, you shouldn't be on the street! In tears, my dear son APOLOGISES to her, saying he's sorry he upset her, he's doing his best to keep his sisters safe while they play. She honks and yells some more, and drives away. Leif is in tears for a long time, as I try in (in vain) to make things better. I said "what kind of person yells at little kids?". We re-visited a topic that we've touched on before, that just as many people aim to spread happiness, others aim to spread poison. They just barf their venomous thoughts all over you, and you are so stunned by their anger and rudeness you have no idea what to say. This has happened to me so often since I became a parent, and I still have no ability to deal with it. As much as I know that person is not going to 'hear' me, is not going to be open to my explanation, I still hope to be able to calmly chat with them, and not just stare dumbstruck as they lay into me.
I explained that we are like fish that are swimming upstream. That our culture promotes everyone swimming the same way: girls do this, boys do this, families do this. And when you do not swim that way, you need to work harder to keep your direction, to remember why you do what you do, and have that beacon ahead of you, guiding you through the masses.
I don't know if any of it helped. I'm not going to bring it up again, these two incidents, because I know it will just remind them of that crappy feeling. I can still recall two times when two (different) men reamed into me, and I have to distract my mind so I don't get upset and frustrated yet again. There's nothing to be done about it now. For now the lesson is simply that sadly enough, there are mean jerks out there. You need to seek out nice people, and remember that includes yourself, that you are nice and good, no matter what other losers say.
Fuck. What a lesson.
H'okay, onto to brightness, finding the light and joy.
Hannah is so very excited, want to know why?
She's on a soccer team, just like her brother. Her regular soccer classes ended last week, and she had been expressing her frustration with them, because it's always new kids each term, that they come to class knowing nothing about soccer. And so they do not know about passing, and proper play, and it frustrates her to wait for them to learn (which never happens in just one term). So I asked Steph about her joining Leif's club mid-way through the year. Sure, they'll sneak her in, she's good. And this discussion happened the weekend of team photos. So I found out her new team, took Leif's uniform off him after his photos and made it all fit Hannah. We found her team, took the pic, and got the practice schedule. Her coaches are very nice, and hopefully she'll connect with her teammates over the weeks of practices. She is so excited, did mention that? Photos to come soon.
Leif has cause for excitement as well this week, in an odd sort of way.
His first sports-related injury, woohooooo! He took a hockey stick to the face, to the tender yet hard cheekbone no less. His dear friend Taro feels awful, but both think it's pretty dang rad.
This week had the usual skating lessons and aikido, both of which the kids love, and they are really catching on. Skating is hilarious to watch, as Leif tries to be fastest, but cannot stop at all, while ever-cautious Taro comes along behind him, slow and steady, and Hannah does her best to catch up, which means falling down more than anyone. There are no tears of frustration, well, except mine because I cannot get their damned skates laced tight enough.
It has been raining for days now. If I were a believer I'd be building my ark. Instead here's a lot of indoor activity, some more suited to the inside life (World of Goo and Monopoly) some not so much (hockey and dodgeball come to mind). Hannah is 3/4 through the 3rd Harry Potter and Leif is plugging away at number 5. It is a tough read; so much Quidditch talk and it is bigger than the other books.
Among our many indoor ventures, we've had "the celebration of the coming winter with our Mandarin tea with animals" installation.
Also much role-playing has been had, with all 3 kids re-enacting the "Freeing Of Dobby" scene with Ivy as Dobby, Leif as Lucius Malfoy and Hannah as Harry Potter. Ivy calls her Mister Potter and runs from Leif shreiking "No Lucius Malfoy you're a bad guy!". It's theatre at it's bet.
Hannah and Ivy played "Overly prepared Robber on Horseback with faithful steed", as seen below.
As any good cowpoke knows, after a hard day of riding what goes down best is a nice smooth glass of water. But first, you hitch your horse up outside the saloon.
Then it was Ivy's turn as the robber. But there was no willing horse to be found.
We're slowly adding the music from Charlie Brown's Christmas to our piano playing. We're just tinkering, but it's coming along. I've found a place to buy the sheet music, so I may get into that and they'll see it and follow or not. You never know what activities will spark their interest.
Ivy's forever asking me where the Sun has gone at night and then supplying the answer herself (Japan).
All of us are struggling with a cream-cheese-on-crackers-with-red-pepper-jelly addiction. Man is it good!
I leave with Hannah's latest creation, she calls it "you know, those Chinese dogs?" I think she means a Fu dog. So this is "Fu Dog of block crayons". Only the gifted can see the dog.
C
1 comment:
AS always, you rock, your chickadees are gorgeous and you inspire me. :)
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