Claudia’s Chapter

Countdown to Disaster August 24, 2006

If the news would stop speculating on what could happen in the real estate market, and more time just reporting on what home sales are, I wonder if the market would actually be experiencing a slow-down.

The more buyers read that the market is slowing, or about to burst, I would assume the less likely they are to buy. They of course, just make the impending doom, well, happen.

Whether it’s the war in Iraq, or the Real Estate bubble, could I please just get more news and less hype? I think news has often become more like VH1 countdowns than objective reporting on what actually already happened.

In 2003, we had “COUNTDOWN to IRAQ”!!!!—

Now we have “Countdown to the Real Estate Bubble Burst”

Oh, and what do you know, the burst is now being reported on as occurring! Shocking!

Perhaps reporters could try headlines like “COUNTDOWN to the end of Hunger”

“Countdown to More Quality Jobs!”

“Countdown to Better Education!”

“Countdown to the end of War”

Why “why?” is the hardest question, August 21, 2006

Lately very few minutes pass which are not drowned with the word “why”. Thomas entered this phase a little while ago, and based on his enthusiasm for the word, Christopher has taken it upon himself to also use it as often as possible in conversation.

From Thomas:

“Why do I have to wear pants?”

“Why can’t I eat with my hands?”

“Why do I have to go to bed?”

“Why can’t I have all the toys?”

“Why can’t I stick my head out the car window?”

“Why can’t I jump off the barn roof?” (this was just absurd)

“Why, why, why,

So many of his questions are focused on basic manners rather than some philosophical understanding, that I was found myself actually consulting Emily Post for wisdom.

“A knowledge of etiquette is of course essential to one’s decent behavior, just as clothing is essential to one’s decent appearance; and precisely as one wears the latter without being self-conscious of having on shoes and perhaps gloves, one who has good manners is equally unself-conscious in the observance of etiquette, the precepts of which must be so thoroughly absorbed as to make their observance a matter of instinct rather than of conscious obedience.”

This helps…but really “why?” I get that following the basic rules of etiquette help keep society functioning. One need only imagine an office, where some chose to wear clothing appropriate for the beach or for bed to work, to get a glimpse of why the simple task of getting dressed in the morning has more than benign consequences.

I certainly, do my best to ensure that Thomas follows the guidelines: wearing clothing and using utensils etc. But at times when the “why” question is thrown at me, I have a hard time rationalizing why I am applying adult standards of dress and conduct to a small three year old. Though, I guess how else does one become an adult? Perhaps the next question I should be prepared for is “how”. But I think the internet will be really helpful with that one!

Personality traits for better or worse August 12, 2006

Well, I didn’t write much this week because I was off on vacation with my family. Alex and the kiddies and I journeyed up to a lake in NH for the week with his parents, brother and sister. From Storyland to canoeing to Weirs Beach, one need not think too long about a National Lampoons slash Dirty Dancing movie to get an idea of the place we landed for the week. It was a great relaxing adventure coupled with good company. Of course, no week with toddlers in tow would be complete without at least one or two instances to make me either A) assume my kids will someday bemoan the trials of these years to their future psychiatrists, or B), make me dread what will become of them if they do not find themselves there.
So to relay:

1) Storyland is a very interesting place designed for young families in northern NH. Think Disneyland for toddlers. It’s quite nice complete with calm rides, MotherGoose characters, nursing stations for moms and more. We found ourselves early in the day on a 20 minute wait for the antique car ride. Family after family waits patiently for their turn, and then files in by groups of 4 into a car for a short ride around a track. Given the general ages of the kids I was actually impressed with everyone’s patience.

But I could feel it, the sweltering, simmering inferno of a toddler tantrum about to blow. This is how I feel whenever we wait with the kids. When we experience a delay I feel myself wanting to scream:”Don’t you people know we are dealing with a time bomb here??!!” “These kids are gonna blow!” I’ve never actually done this, and for the most part I think people go out of the way to move things along for our under 4 crowd. So I can’t explain the indignation I felt, when a few early teens decided to get on the cars 1 by 1!!! Did they not see the line behind them? Who were they to feel so entitled? And of course, who was I to feel so well, offended by it? While I certainly don’t think they were horrible kids, I just kept thinking I want to raise the kind of kids who will look around, and NOT hog an entire ride for 1 person at a toddler park!

But, who am I to worry about a bit of entitlement on the part of my kids…what about the deep, horrible abandonment issues I fear I’ve put in place??

You see:

2) One afternoon, Alex and I decided to take a canoe ride around a small part of the lake. We showed the kiddies the canoe we were about to go on, climbed in and left them on the beach with their grandmother and uncle while we set off.

This was apparently one of the cruelest things I could have done as I heard Thomas screaming “SHE’s LEAVING ME!!!” “SHE’s SAILING AWAY!!!!!!!!” The “she”, of course, referred to me: Mother of all abandonment. While Alex and I tried to enjoy our moments of paddling around a small island, the screams of Thomas wafted over the lake, the guilt drowning me in a way the water never could. So we paddled back and I feigned confidence in my decision to Thomas.
While a mature, developed side of me knows rationally that I didn’t do anything wrong, and that if anything, Thomas learned that I actually always come back, a less reasonable, more emotional side of me felt absolute horror of putting my child in that emotional state because I wanted to take a boat ride.

How hot was it today? August 2, 2006

Ok, so we  in the Northeast are definately experiencing a heatwave with the heat index up around 105.

So how hot was it in the land of toddlers, babies and four-legged creatures with fur?

Let’s see: I knew it was too hot when:

The boys wanted to sit on the deck with juice.

Thomas actually laid down on the slide.

My cats seemed to position themselves in front of the refrigerator in hope that someone would open the door.

Thomas asked when it would snow again

No one fought me on bath time because I made the water really cold.

Christopher threw up in his crib.  (he’s a really healthy baby, but when things are uncomfortable for him, he has a tendency to throw up)

My cat meowed at me when i turned off a fan.

That’s right.  All true.  It’s just too hot.