Tag: outdoor play

children, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Road Kill

WFAM
Battery display
Image by aminorjourney via Flickr

The usual group of neighborhood Moms and their assorted kids had gathered in our cul-de-sac.  There were trikes and scooters scattered here and there as well as a rather fancy battery-powered jeep to ride. 

I’m not going to lie.  I was nervous.  Not for my own children but for the children of my friends.  I jokingly asked if they wouldn’t mind signing waivers releasing me from all medical and legal claims against Full Speed and T.Puzzle. 

My initial fears seemed to be unfounded.  Turns out Full Speed was an incredibly skilled jeep driver.  He maneuvered through the obstacles of running kids and toys with complete control.  He knew exactly when to push it, when to let up and when to spin it back away from the gaggle of little ones. 

It was rather entertaining to watch.  I guess all those training hours of  ‘driving’ video race cars at speeds topping out at 200 mph had really paid off.

T.Puzzle looks on as Full Speed hones his driving skills.

Until…

Inevitably the other kids needed a turn behind the wheel.  T.Puzzle took over and what does Full Speed do?  He tries to run along next to the jeep and hold on to it.  All the Moms are screaming at him to “LET GO, FULL SPEED.  GET OUT OF THE WAY!” 

Does he listen?

No.

Does he become instant road kill?

Yes.

Does Mom nearly pass out at the image of a jeep driving over and trapping her oldest son?

Yes.

Will she ever recover?

No.

Thankfully, Full Speed did make a full recovery with only minor road rash injuries.  As for me?  The psychological damage is beyond repair.

children, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, tantrums

Soccer, Sunshine & the Stinky Face

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Disney Sports Soccer
Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday, the four of us hopped on our bikes and headed to the soccer fields.  The mail lady commented on how she wished she could join us in the sunshine as we whizzed by.

Full Speed rode his big boy bike.  No training wheels, no how.

We were golden.  We did some drills (all according to Mad Dog’s direction–my soccer knowledge consists of ‘kick the ball’ and ‘don’t use your hands’). 

The best part was when Mad Dog played ‘keep away’ from the me and the boys.  It took all three of us, intense concentration and sometimes we caught a break to occasionally knock the ball from Mad Dog’s skilled feet.  The boys loved this game. 

Then, Mad Dog tried to have Full Speed run a  ‘dribbling’ drill.  Apparently this means doing something with your feet and has nothing to do with the fine motor control of retaining saliva in your mouth.  Since Full Speed wasn’t good at controlling the ball in this manner; he pouted, cried and acted like a very spoiled two year old. 

The bike ride home was drama-filled and drawn out.  Full Speed refused to pedal (he’s not so great at riding without training wheels yet either).

At least the weather was lovely.

Eventually, Mad Dog had to coax Full Speed home on foot and I had to carry his bike while balancing mine with my free hand.  It was a long walk home.

I’m so thankful for second chances and new days.

So far so good.

I guess sometimes you need to go to the brink of bad behavior before you can return to the land of the well-behaved.
 

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