So last Sunday (yesterday) my folks had their 35th Wedding Anniversary. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not much of a "gift giver". I like giving gifts, getting gifts, sharing gifts, but I didn't get my parents anything. (Sorry) But I would like this to be somewhat of an "ode" to them, because, you know what? I really do like them... A lot.
I never thought about parents as much as I do now, now that I am one. Before - my folks were - well, my folks. Always will and always have loved them. Of course when I was 15 I knew more than them. And now that I'm a parent myself - it's all different.
Apparently the point of being a parent - is to hopefully be a better parent than your own right? It may not always be easy to do. But my folks and I have discussed this before. As a parent, you take the best from your own parents, use it, discard the not-so-great-, and move forward, do better, and try your best.
I have to admit - that the reason I am the way I am, is mostly due to the fact that I did have great parents. (and still do) Let me share some of my favorite child rearing practices my parents took part in.
They: (either my mother or father or both)
Took us to Disneyland a lot. (thank you)
Didn't keep too close an eye on us. (thank you)
Let us have unlimited TV access. (I don't know if I should thank you on that one)
Taught me to "Make nice"
Made sure things were nice and tidy. (or pristine for that matter)
Made me ham and eggs, just the way I liked em.
Took us out. A lot.
Let me take ballet.
Let me play piano.
Let me wear cowboy boots for a very long time.
Got us front row seats. (thanks mom)
Taught me to pray.
Took me to parties. (thanks mom)
Let me play outside alone.
They didn't let me have a dog.
Then... they let me have a dog.
I got to eat a lot of sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. (thanks for the cavities)
Took many pictures. So many pictures in fact, that it's hard to forget things. (Good thing they are all things worth remembering)
Of course there's more. And my mom and dad are both very different, and did many different things for me and my sister. I'm glad they are different, and don't think alike, cuz then things wouldn't have been so interesting.
It was always fun to say I had a saint for a mom, and a heathen for a father. Maybe I wouldn't say he's much of a heathen these days though, maybe more of a... well, I'll just say he's a nice guy.
So, my point is... I'm glad they're still here. I'm glad my kids have them too. I'm glad they get to read books to my kids, and play super friends with them, and that they don't have to work their butts off anymore - at least not in an office. I'm glad that they can still drive. I'm glad they can still kind of see and hear (somewhat), because my kids are definitely worth looking at and listening to. I'm glad that I had kids - more than anything because I think there comes a point in time where you start to forget what it is to be a kid. And even though those memories of being a kid are so vivid, you can't really feel them anymore. Then, you have a baby, have to raise a kid, and it brings it all back. You relive the fun, the feeling that you can do no wrong, and you get to watch these tiny humans smile and laugh, and all you want to do is protect them and help them enjoy the time in their life that goes by too quickly. You try to spare them any pain, because you know by now, most things are just NBD. So you have fun. Cuz it's all that matters. Fun... well... to me at least... fun matters. It may not be everything - and sure things get serious. People get rude. Parents get weird. We get mad. Kids get sad. People die. Friends move. Boys stink. Girls cry. You know... all that fun stuff. But as I always tell my buddies... we can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we handle what comes our way. So, it's much more fun... to have fun.
Happy 35th Anniversary Mom and Dad. It's fun to have fun. So go out today and have some fun with each other. I love you.
