His Special Day

I bet my son could beat your son in thumb wrestling. Really. Bring it on. My son works out everyday. Sometimes for hours a day. Since it's his birthday today, and he can do whatever he wants, it looks like today he will work out all day--literally.

He got up at 8am and left with his Dad to go pick out a brand-new bike. You'd think that would encourage him to go outside, in the hot, sticky fresh air and ride like the wind. Wrong. He ran in the house, parked his bike in the living room, and plopped himself in front of the much worshipped PS2. It doesn't help any that he got 3 new games yesterday at his birthday party. He did come in once, when I asked him to find a new home for his bike. And in a couple of hours he will come in again, when I have his lunch all ready to eat. Mind you, he won't ask for the food, but I will provide it. That's the kind of mom I am.

I remember being young and my mom and dad making a big deal about my birthday and how I can do anything I want. I also remember liking those days. So I've carried on the tradition. It tells me a lot about my kids. Like Isaac, I've learned that when given the choice he's perfectly fine being perfectly lazy. In fact, he's choosing that. Laziness. He knows I won't come in and make him clean his room. I won't put on the timer and turn off his game when the buzzer sounds. He knows I won't come in the playroom and bring up the fact that he has not read a book today or gone outside to play. But what he doesn't know is that I'm going to come in and make him take a break to practice the piano. I'm sure the PS2 controller has sufficiently warmed up his fingers. I can't let the entire day go by and his only accomplishment be that Snoopy beat the Red Baron!