We all want to raise smart, witty children who are well-balanced. Social but not obnoxious. Active but not driving you up the walls hyper. Kind hearted but not easily taken advantage of. Good looking but not so good-looking that they are attracting the wrong sort of attention. How do you get all of that? Is it even possible? I have absolutely no idea, but you are here, so let’s just discuss something that I found interesting with my own 12-year-old son. For those of you that follow me closely, or follow me at all, it is easy to see I try my best to lead a healthy, energetic well-balanced life that is full of love, life and laughter. Basically the sign that every other women buys for the entrance of her home…right? I’m just like that mom.
I go through great lengths to teach and live a life that I can be proud of. I openly teach my son about foods that are good for his body and the importance of exercising daily. We set daily, weekly and monthly goals. We spend quality time together at least every other day, whether it’s a nice 20 minute walk or bike ride. A chance for him to talk freely with no interruptions from a beep or ring of a phone…or the latest video that has gone viral. Just like the rest of you parents, I am just doing my best. Am I doing it right?! I mean only time will tell. But there is always doubt. Being a parent holds a lot of weight. Should I do this, should I say that? How do I handle this? Am I being too strict? Am I being to easy? Will this action make him hate me later in life? Are the other kids going to make fun of him if I make him do this, or wear that? It is a constant conversation I am having in the back of my head every single day. And I know I am not alone, because every parent I have ever joked about this with agrees with a head nod and a bit of a laugh, including my own mom. So with that being said, we teach them things, and reiterate things that we deem as important in hopes that they are listening, but we never really know if they are.
Until conversations like this:
-Picking up Eli from Afterschool care last Thursday.
Eli: Hey Moooommmiieeee!
Mom: EEEEllllliiiiiii, my handsome man! (yes we greet each other with this much excitement every single day…why not?!?!) How was soccer in after school care?
Eli: We didn’t have soccer.
Mom: What?! Why not, it was a gorgeous day. (Yes, I always have a heart attack when I hear that my son did not get a chance to run and exercise after school…)
Eli: Instead, we had an awesome dance group that came to our school for us! We danced the whole time! They taught us how to have fun exercising!!! They were so cool, and knew all the dances, even the whip!! I got just as sweaty dancing as I do when I play soccer. Look at how wet my hair is. *points to his sweaty head*
Mom: No kidding?! That is so great! I wish they would have fun activities like that for you guys all the time. Making exercise fun. That sounds amazing!
Eli: *went on and on for about 15 minutes about the dance moves, all the other kids and was just beaming with excitement about the entire experience.
Mom: I am so glad you had fun!!! So AWESOME!
**2 minute pause**
Eli: Hey mom. There was one weird thing. Guess what it was.
Mom: I have no idea…… They were dancing to Brittany Spears?
Eli: *gives me a ‘that didn’t even make any sense’ look* NO! They served us pizza.
Mom: Are you kidding me?!
Eli: No. They did. Guess what else.
Mom: Gave you ice-cream for dessert *laughing*
Eli: Close. They gave us candy.
Mom: Oh my gosh. This is what I am talking about. How confusing for these kids.
Eli: Guess what else happened.
Mom: Ha, I dunno.
Eli: I didn’t grab any candy when they came around.
Mom: *smiling super super big inside* Why not?
Eli: It didn’t make any sense to eat candy while I was working out. No one does that.
Mom: Exactly. That was so smart of you! *fist bump* Very good thinking.
Eli: I did have pizza because I was starving though.
Mom: That is fine. You make your own choices. It sounds as if you put some thought into it.
Eli: Yes! A lot of the kids grabbed 4-5 pieces of candy.
Mom: Wow, that is too bad. This is why so many children are over weight. It is too confusing for them. No one is explaining that candy and pizza just negates all the hard work they just did.
Eli: Well, I probably got a double workout because I didn’t eat candy. Right?!
Mom: For sure! Way more benefits from the dancing than everyone else.
Eli: *smiles with satisfaction*
I learned a few things during this conversation.
1. My son really really loves to dance (which I know, but it never hurts to see proof without me dancing with him). Which is awesome because I do too!!
2. He realizes that candy does not aid in losing weight or getting healthy.
3. Grabbing 4-5 pieces of candy is a lot of candy.
4. He understood that he benefited more from the workout by not eating the candy.
5. He relates sweating to working hard.
6. Even though he choose to have pizza because he was hungry, he did realize that pizza was also not something that should have been served during a workout.
This, to me was magnificent! Knowing that my little man absorbs the information I am giving him. Knowing that I am assisting and encouraging him to make good healthy decisions for his body and mind. As a parent, this is all we can really ask for. We are ultimately responsible for the wellbeing of our kids, we are in charge of making sure that no one gets over on them. The only way to do that, is to make sure they are educated, not only according to what the lousy school system insists they learn, but things that matter. How to take care of your body. How to be successful. How to get along with others. How to deal with peer pressure. How to save money. These are all things that are WAY more necessary than knowing what part on Mongolia has mountains (North and West) and which has desert land (South). (that is what my son is learning right now in Social Studies) The schools are not teaching this stuff, so it is your duty as a parent to learn yourself and teach it.
What are your thoughts? What sort of things have you taught your children not knowing if they were paying attention, but they surprised you with?
Awesome things you may have missed on my other social media outlets
In case you missed it! Our most recent Vlog went up. Our first time Geocaching! We have gone out a total of 6 times so far. And each time it is a great adventure! Check it out below! Don’t forget to subscribe for more awesome fun ideas! Have you ever gone Geocaching?