Thursday, April 29, 2010

Talking to My Child About Obesity

Our family history is not the heathiest, to say the least. We have history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc. etc. etc.
My son is tall and right now, very solid, for being 12 years old. The problem is, I want to make him realize that some of the things he eats are so bad for him. We don't eat out hardly at all - maybe two times a month, and then it's either for breakfast or Chinese, not fast food. Our family also has a bad history of being overweight. That is something that I have struggled with for MANY years. I am sorry to admit that I have been down the eating disorders road... both of them. It is something that is hard to live with and you never really get over it... there is no miracle "cure". My son is unhappy with his weight and he wants to diet, but I know he just needs to change his eating habits. I guess it all depends on how badly a 12 year old wants to change.

Friday, April 23, 2010

My Tween and Electronics...

Has anyone had “experiences” with kids and electronics? Our house seems to have had its fair share…

First, let me give you a little background. I am a 40-something mom, who grew up with no video game system (a what?) I dragged my feet, over and over, and stood my ground. I was not going to be the one to buy a video game system… no matter what kind! I did not have one, my theory is that there is no reason to need one. Yes, want one…maybe. Need one…no.

My son worked hard and earned his own money…and he actually saved up…which is what he bought his first Game Boy with!

It seems like once we have one system, the world starts spinning in hyper drive. Someone gave us a system for the tv, then he bought a DS, then someone sold him an Original Game Boy (which did not come with the detachable light… Awwwwwww) Another friend then gave him an original Atari. Okay, so now we have more game cartridges and game systems than we know what to do. For the love of Pete, he is the only child in the house… I sure don’t play those games. I couldn’t play them with a joystick on the big arcade machines, what makes you think that, as I am getting older, with reading glasses and stiff hands, that I would even think of trying the hand-eye coordination. I get nauseous just watching roller coaster advertisements on tv. Oh sure, I can hear it now...let’s call the paramedics because mom got sick while playing a hand-held video system. Yeah… NOT!

Now, the games are all labeled and put together…thrown into boxes, labeled with masking tape, and sitting in our basement…with all the other boxes of “I gotta haves”.

By the way, we never did determine which cords go with which units, and/or if they even work. One Game Cube system can never have too many controller… I think last count it was 5 or 6. Do they work? Hell if I know… I don’t think he does either!

And then there are ear buds for the MP3 players. First I made him use them on a portable CD player because I refused to buy him an MP3 (I know, I am a mean heartless mom who doesn't care... boohoo... sob... sniff...). The first set of buds, they eventually died because a tween boy and dollar-store merchandise do not necessarily go hand-in-hand, unless it’s giving the store more money for something they keep breaking!

The second pair, he borrowed from me. The last thing I told him was to keep them in the case when he is not using them. Can you see where this story is going? It was only a couple days later when he picked up a bud from his floor. Gee, I think something might be missing… Yup! Both buds. Apparently cats do not like to play with buds while they are attached to a 4-ft cord. Makes it kinda hard to run, play, and not be noticed. So, to solve the problem, get rid of the extra baggage… Now we have enough toys for all three cats… two ear buds with the squishy cushions on them and one long cord with a plug adapter. Woohoo!! Guess sharing came first in their mind. The third pair then got lost and the forth had the wires broke (because wrapping them tightly around something, pulling the wires tight and bending them the wrong way would seem like the logical thing to do!) I don’t understand why they even come in a case, if it doesn’t work! Damn cases, what's the use anyway?!

In the midst, we have managed to lose one MP3 player (headphones and all), several video game cartridges (maybe they shrunk when they went through the washer and dryer?), and a couple cell phone chargers.

I know, all these items are hidden somewhere with all this missing socks that never come back out of the dryer! Or maybe the mice are having a dance party – listening to the MP3 player… 'cuz I don’t think those buds were broken… yet!

Oh yeah, one more for you… a friend of mine gave him a small MP3 player. I was against it because he should not be able to have one if he isn’t responsible enough to keep track of it. I finally gave in. Now, all I hear is how it’s full. He wants a different one, with more memory. Gee, I guess the common logic of deleting some songs is obviously something far-fetched. Can one person truly listen to 400+ songs at once? I bet he doesn’t even know what songs are on the unit????????

Oh well, until next time.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Let me introduce you to my tween – Part I


Being a mom can be hard enough some days, but being a single mom in her 40-something stage of life, now that’s just difficult.

I have a child, who will soon be leaving the tween stages and turn into a full-fledged teenager (heaven help me!).  He is a good kid and I love him to death, but one of these days…

First, he is up at the crack of daylight, which is a good thing… since I don’t have to fight with him to get out of bed. But then again, it does have its bad side… he feels the need to wake me up to ask permission to make breakfast. In my theory, as long as it doesn’t involve sharp cutlery or using open flame, I think there is little damage that can be done to cold cereal or untoasted pop tarts… or even a cheese sandwich.

He hates combing his hair, and when he does, I am not sure if it actually touches his hair or if he is using some magical force to push the hair back into place.  Oh, and then there is the bangs. It must be today’s style to live your life looking THRU your hair. I brush it to the side and he casually flips his head and puts it back where it was. After the first three times, I learn my lesson and stop… probably should have just left it alone to being with, eh?

This is actually the first child I have found who doesn't run naked through the house when the water in the tub gets turned on!! He is actually drawn to it… This child can run up the water bill with the best of them.  He can soak in a hot bath, with or without bubbles, until he turns into a prune and you need to cut the steam with a knife. Another is the shower – I was always taught to wash my hair first and then bathe. Not him,  he takes this wonderfully hot, lengthy shower, for quite a while, and then, once it’s so hot you can’t breathe, then it’s time to wash the hair.  Ok then!

To be continued…

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Self-Esteem

Low esteem runs in our family, at least with my son and I My son is taller than most in his class, he wears glasses, he has a slight weight issue... and now we throw in braces. My son is in a spin, not sure what to think or feel. I feel helpless, not sure what to say. Is it bad I feel this way?!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

School Issues

My child is in middle school. This year and the transition is hard. I am struggling as a parent. I don't know what to do. We have experienced bullying, cyber-bullying, and many other issues. Any thoughts?

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Today's Cartoons

This morning, my son was watching cartoons. I could not believe what was on. What happened to Bugs Bunny and Road Runner? No wonder our kids are the way they are. And we let our kids watch this? It's bad when we don't have to censor the movies, but we do have to monitor cartoons.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Is sleep optional?

I have found that being so busy, I seem to hit a rush of energy and I don't seem to have any thoughts of sleeping, at least until I stop moving. Is this normal, or has someone figured out how to fit 30 hours in a day?

Just want to say Hi.

Welcome to my blog... This is my life... Wanna trade?

I have decided to start this journey, as a way to express myself and possibly address issue as they arise. I am new to this, so please bear with me as I get my sea legs here.

Hope you enjoy my journey... or is it an adventure?
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