Going Through Life One Blog Post at a Time
This is the renewal statement for Laura’s subscription to American Girl magazine. I was highly amused by the “Avoid Disappointment!” and “Laura is Counting on YOU!” Um… Yes, she is and yes, I will reorder, but um… Really?!? I think I already knew that.
There is no picture today because the thing that affected me most does not deserve a picture. Today, I was reminded that sometimes people really SUCK. I had to stop at Hy-Vee to pick up a few groceries. On my way out, I encountered an obviously divorced couple that were swapping their three kids. The parents were screaming at each other while the older child begged them to stop and the younger two kids were crying. The older child was grabbing his Mom’s arm and begging her to stop because they were in a public place. It was so sad and I felt really bad for those kids. Made me want to tell those parents to shut up and grow up because those kids deserve better than watching their parents act like toddlers who can’t control their emotions.
It really unnerved me. Maybe because my parents are divorced, or maybe just because I have two kids of my own now who are the center of nearly every decision I make. Do I lose my cool sometimes? Yes. Do I act like an idiot sometimes? Yes. But, seriously…..when your child is begging you to stop being stupid, shouldn’t you stop?!? These two parents just kept yelling. Those two younger children were so very upset and tears were streaming down their faces. I was upset FOR those kids.
My parents are divorced and I was six/seven when it happened. They both remarried to the people they are still married to today. In the entire divorce and even now, my parents never say a negative thing in front of me about the other. Keep in mind that I’m 40 years old now. Forty and they still are NOT negative. I distinctly remember having a serious conversation with my Mom not too long before I got married to Andy. She said, “I hope you never get divorced. It sucks. REALLY sucks. But if you do, remember that your Dad and I got divorced. We divorced each other and NOT you or your sister. It was our job to make sure it affected you as little as possible. Acting like jackasses in front of you was not an option. People do dumb shit when they get divorced, but remember how much you love Andy right now. Pull out *THAT* when you get pissed at him and think about doing something stupid.” How thankful I am for that. Andy and I have been through some pretty serious issues, but any time a negative thought crosses my mind, I remember what my Mom told me. It makes me stop, step back, and take a breath. Andy and I *CAN* make it through even the worst of times. We have our marriage where we promised exactly that to each other. We also have two beautiful, amazing kids who deserve us giving it absolutely all we have. I really wish more people would stop and think about that.
I am the lucky kid. I never had to “choose sides” between my parents. Thank God for that. In case you were wondering, I also gained in their divorce. I got two amazing stepparents and the example that marriage really can work. I’m not naïve. I know that, sometimes, no matter what you do, you can’t make it work. I also know though from my own experiences that, sometimes, if you put your head down and slog, you *CAN* make it work.
I wondered as I was driving home from Hy-Vee if those kids will grow up to divorce their spouses and hate them as much as their parents obviously hate each other now. Some kids gain perspective and realize that they don’t have to make the same mistakes their parents made. Others never learn. They do the same things their parents did because it “worked” for their parents. All I can hope for is that Andy and I set the example that our kids deserve. Maybe some day, they will see something similar to what I encountered tonight and run home to their spouses and kids and say, “Never to you. Ever.” That’s really the legacy that I want to leave them – that Andy and I love them and that we love each other and that you can make it. You really can.
It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon at Roots N Blues N BBQ. We arrived about 1:30 and found a place in the shade by the Shelter Insurance Stage. Not many people were around as it was the “secondary” stage, but it was just great! We heard some fantastic music by Peter Parcek and Mudcat. Andy and I had some good drinks, the kids played on the Kindles, we ate some great snacks, and we all just relaxed. We couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon! Of all the bands we saw, Mudcat was my favorite. Why, you ask? Well, they had a fantastic trumpet player, tenor saxophone player, and a trombone player. Truly great sound!
All in all, we greatly enjoyed our experience and the kids really enjoyed their first music festival. Thanks Roots N Blues N BBQ for a great time and great music!
We went to the Roots N Blues N BBQ festival today at Stephens Lake Park. We have tickets for the weekend so we will go again tomorrow at least for a little while. Today was the “big day” of the festival. We arrived about 12:30 and wandered around a bit before finding a spot to sit for the day. The kids were very excited to come across the “Tigers on the Prowl”. You “vote” for your favorite painted tiger with money and each tiger represents a specific charity. There are ten tigers in all and each are unique. Laura declared that the most important tiger was the one for the Missouri Honor Flight. Andy and I both smiled and we agreed that she is 100% correct!
After finding a place to sit, we spent most of the rest of the day enjoying some great music and drinks (thanks to Jeremy for picking us up and taking us to Culvers so we could enjoy an inexpensive dinner!).
Some highlights from today:
All in all, it was a fun day even though it got extremely cold this evening. I ended up taking John back to the truck about 9:30 and we just waited for Andy and Laura to join us after the Black Crowes were done. I don’t know that we will go again next year, but Andy and I enjoyed ourselves and I know the kids really enjoyed this new experience.
Laura finished her first Brownie badge today! The girls earned their “Snacks” badge. I think she was more excited about this badge than she was when she earned her first petal. Looks like more ironing for Mom is coming!
…which one is the kid?!?
I got a call from the School Nurse this morning telling me that John fell on the playground before school. Apparently, he accidentally got knocked over by an older boy. A second grader found John crying and took him to Laura. Big Sister took crying Younger Brother to his teacher who took him to the School Nurse. He recovered quickly, but, he had a couple of cuts on his arm and leg along with a small cut over his eye. Turns out that after some time had passed he got a nice shiner and a knot too… Ah… The joys of having a boy…
