What? Me Worry? – A Parenting Moment

I’m smiling on the outside. But on the inside………….

A typical conversation in my household:

Princess: “Mom, you worry too much.”

Before I can respond, Diva pipes in. “That’s what moms do.”

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I’ll admit it.  I am a mom.  And I worry.  A lot.  But I have to ask, can you worry too much?

A teenage girl is missing in my community.  The police suspect that she was abducted from her home.  From her home.  There is always a report somewhere about missing teenagers or accidents that claim a young life.  You don’t have to look hard to find something that will paralyze you in fear.  But that isn’t any way to live.

I dropped my girls off at mall on Saturday afternoon.  The plan was for them to hang out with friends and catch a movie.  I put on a brave face but behind that mask was a scared woman.  I know I have to let them go.  They have to experience things and learn to navigate the world.  I just want to hold them close and keep them in the house with me all the time.

I reflect on my own childhood and remember feeling that my mother suffocated me.  I wasn’t really allowed to go anywhere or do seemingly normal things like go to a Friday night football game.  I remember thinking I had the meanest mother in the world.  Now, I am not saying her methods were right but I do understand the emotion behind it.  It was done out of love.  When you are a parent, everything is motivated by love.  I know now that I may not always get it right. But I love my children.  I won’t ever apologize for that.

I still worry.  I probably always will.  But I will also beat down fear and allow my girls to grow.  And pray that they will always be safe.

#WriteLikeCrazy

#WriteLikeCrazy

In an effort to continue with my new-found commitment to get back on a writing schedule, I have decided to join the #WriteLikeCrazy plan started by the author, Tayari Jones.  Side note:  If you haven’t read “Silver Sparrow” by Tayari you are missing out a great novel.

Anyway, my goal is to spend at least one hour a day writing.  The writing can be a blog post or research for a story.  The point is that I need to be doing something every day that moves my projects forward.

To all my writer friends, check out her website and join the movement.  Got a goal?  Feel free to share.

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5 Reasons Why I Hate Shopping – A Parenting Moment

 

Seems harmless enough? Don’t be fooled.

School starts here in another week.  That means its back to school shopping for our family.  I don’t look forward to this at all.  Here are the top five reasons I hate shopping with my kids:

1.  Being female, people may assume that I would enjoy shopping no matter the occasion.  Those people would be wrong.  I am more of the get in, get out type of person.  I don’t like to linger over the racks.  I don’t like the crowds.  To me, shopping is one of those mundane tasks you have to perform in order to be considered a civilized member of society.  Like bathing daily.  Or going to the DMV.

2.  My girls, however, love to shop.  All you have to do to make Diva’s life  complete is give her an unlimited budget and a ride to the mall.

3.  When did we decide that all clothes designer would only produce small, tight, and revealing articles of clothing?  Why must every pair of jeans get progressively tighter under the guise of being skinny, super skinny or something called jeggings?  It makes for some stressful conversations.

4.  Speaking of clothing sizes, who are they making these clothes to fit?  Barbie?  I am really getting tired of having to explain to my medium-sized daughter that she needs a large because of the snug cut.  A medium is really a small in today’s fashion world.

5.  Auntie Ann’s Pretzels. I can’t walk past this spot in the mall without being compelled to buy a pretzel.  Those things are evil.  But oh, so tasty.

Do you have a back to school shopping story to share?

 

I Love Basketball – Olympic Style

Any reader of this blog knows that I love NBA basketball.  (The Lakers got Dwight Howard.  Not sure what to make of it.  More on thoughts on that later.)  The 2012 Olympics  were must see television for me for the chance to see our best athletes compete in track (women rule), gymnastics (Gabby Douglas), swimming (Michael Phelps), tennis (Serena Williams) and basketball.

Congratulations to both squads for bringing home the gold.

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images

AMAZING

U.S. gymnast Gabrielle Douglas performs on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women’s individual all-around competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012, in London. (Gregory Bull/AP)

 

Like most people in the world, I’ve been watching the Olympics.  Isn’t this amazing?