My Grandma Wolf gave birth to 9 children, 8 of them boys. One she lost as a toddler to some sort of fatal fever, as was all too common in the pre-WWII years. And when my Pappy went away for four years to fight in the Pacific she was on her own raising three small children. I am certain 4 boys in little over 4 years was not a surprising event in the late 1930's...but I am quickly finding that 2 boys less than 2 years apart is a hair pulling challenge at times. I find myself talking to my Grandma often, either silently or even out loud, mostly in terms of "How the hell did you do all this?" or "Really? Does poop ever become 'unfascinating'?" and most commonly I hear myself saying "Help me do this right..." Grandma wasn't perfect, but she did it right. To this day she is revered and honored by the Wolf family as our Matriarchal Saint. While Pappy contributed his dutiful share, Mammy Wolf went above and beyond, and in this little girl's eyes she was an angel. I have never heard a higher compliment than the times I have been told I am like my Grandma when it comes to my parenting. Granted that comes with some hollerin' and a swat on the butt now and then...but that just comes along with my hillbilly DNA, no matter how peace loving my hippie soul is...
This brings me to the present. I am now a single Mom sharing custody of a 5yr old and a 7yr old. We shall call them Boo and Bubby as they have actually been carrying those nicknames since they were born. (poor Boo had to answer to BooBoo for many years, but we've since given him a more dignified name...just Boo!) My boys are the stereotypical farm boys, trucks, tractors, mud and mess...and despite my distaste for violence they are fascinated with cowboys. 8 Seconds and Young Guns II are big faves around here. I gave up on sheltering from the old west violence, it's far better than modern machine gun, serial killer, psycho with a chain saw violence they would see in many of today's movies. And ya ya, there is the foul language. Well trust me it's nothing they haven't heard before...this is redneck territory, only "liberal" is a foul word around here.
So tonight my little cowboys put me through the rodeo. Bubby is in 2nd grade, and Mommy is in homework hell! Boo is in Kindergarten and he is in carrying only a tiny load of homework home. This is all very upsetting to Boo, who for two years has watched big brother carry home fun and exciting papers and books that had to be tended to every night. Now reality has sunk in...he is only 5. He can't do math, or read the "big book", or write spelling words every night. Here is where the HELL comes in for Mommy. Despite offering a number of distractions such as looking at a book, playing on the computer, coloring or practicing writing his name, Boo is insistent on interrupting big brother's homework time. Drama after drama...tonight the laundry list included "I have a scratch" "But I can't do that alone" "The computer is too hard (the kid has mastered it better than I!)" "My teacher threw my coloring paper away" "_________ (insert name) did _________ (insert offense) to me on the bus" "Nobody pays attention to me..." Blah blah diddy blah. All while I am trying to listen to required reading, dictate spelling, work on predicate use - -PREDICATES...in 2nd GRADE? WTH?--, and go over math twice since Bubby had some issues with today's 'in class' worksheet.
To say the least this evening bit the big one with an hour and a half of homework! I am sure one of the reasons I can't remember my mother (whom I lost 10yrs ago) helping me with homework is because I didn't HAVE ANY until I was old enough to tend to it myself. Unfortunately she too was a single mother, and my school work was rarely a priority for her, putting food on the table was. I am trying hard to be a more dutiful "student parent" than I was as a "student". I lucked out with a few extra brain cells that carried me through school with decent grades, but had I had the encouragement I am sure I would have been making straight A's. So I am working hard to pay attention to each detail of the boys' daily school happenings. Bubby is at an age where homework is still fun, and it's also quite fun to rub it in Boo's nose that he has GOBS of homework while Boo has next to none. I have tried to assure them both that someday there will be nothing but bitching when it comes to homework time, but so far that is in one ear and out the other.
So while all this fun and exciting homework time is going down, Mom is dreaming of a good book in front of a roaring fire in a log cabin with a 2 feet of snow on the ground and hot coffee in my hand while getting a foot rub from my honey and perhaps getting distracted from my book....hmmm... sorry, got a little lost in my own world there for a moment. Anyhoo, in my frustration I found myself saying something to Boo that I think would have made my Grandma Wolf laugh. In exasperation I finally turn to my fussing Boo, acting like a 2 year old in his tall lanky 5yr old body and said:
"Son, you're just gonna have to Cowboy Up!" Between Grandma Wolf and my Mom I can faintly hear the chuckling in the distance...
P.S. as I wrapped this up I noticed it was way too quiet in the house, to my surprise the cowboys have put themselves to bed and have escaped to dreamland. I wonder if Boo's dreams are filled with the excitement of the Wild West, racing through the brush on his trusty stead outrunning the law with his clever Billy the Kid style....or the excitement of bringing home a butt load of homework for Mom to help him with...maybe a mix of both. Counting bullets perhaps??
This brings me to the present. I am now a single Mom sharing custody of a 5yr old and a 7yr old. We shall call them Boo and Bubby as they have actually been carrying those nicknames since they were born. (poor Boo had to answer to BooBoo for many years, but we've since given him a more dignified name...just Boo!) My boys are the stereotypical farm boys, trucks, tractors, mud and mess...and despite my distaste for violence they are fascinated with cowboys. 8 Seconds and Young Guns II are big faves around here. I gave up on sheltering from the old west violence, it's far better than modern machine gun, serial killer, psycho with a chain saw violence they would see in many of today's movies. And ya ya, there is the foul language. Well trust me it's nothing they haven't heard before...this is redneck territory, only "liberal" is a foul word around here.
So tonight my little cowboys put me through the rodeo. Bubby is in 2nd grade, and Mommy is in homework hell! Boo is in Kindergarten and he is in carrying only a tiny load of homework home. This is all very upsetting to Boo, who for two years has watched big brother carry home fun and exciting papers and books that had to be tended to every night. Now reality has sunk in...he is only 5. He can't do math, or read the "big book", or write spelling words every night. Here is where the HELL comes in for Mommy. Despite offering a number of distractions such as looking at a book, playing on the computer, coloring or practicing writing his name, Boo is insistent on interrupting big brother's homework time. Drama after drama...tonight the laundry list included "I have a scratch" "But I can't do that alone" "The computer is too hard (the kid has mastered it better than I!)" "My teacher threw my coloring paper away" "_________ (insert name) did _________ (insert offense) to me on the bus" "Nobody pays attention to me..." Blah blah diddy blah. All while I am trying to listen to required reading, dictate spelling, work on predicate use - -PREDICATES...in 2nd GRADE? WTH?--, and go over math twice since Bubby had some issues with today's 'in class' worksheet.
To say the least this evening bit the big one with an hour and a half of homework! I am sure one of the reasons I can't remember my mother (whom I lost 10yrs ago) helping me with homework is because I didn't HAVE ANY until I was old enough to tend to it myself. Unfortunately she too was a single mother, and my school work was rarely a priority for her, putting food on the table was. I am trying hard to be a more dutiful "student parent" than I was as a "student". I lucked out with a few extra brain cells that carried me through school with decent grades, but had I had the encouragement I am sure I would have been making straight A's. So I am working hard to pay attention to each detail of the boys' daily school happenings. Bubby is at an age where homework is still fun, and it's also quite fun to rub it in Boo's nose that he has GOBS of homework while Boo has next to none. I have tried to assure them both that someday there will be nothing but bitching when it comes to homework time, but so far that is in one ear and out the other.
So while all this fun and exciting homework time is going down, Mom is dreaming of a good book in front of a roaring fire in a log cabin with a 2 feet of snow on the ground and hot coffee in my hand while getting a foot rub from my honey and perhaps getting distracted from my book....hmmm... sorry, got a little lost in my own world there for a moment. Anyhoo, in my frustration I found myself saying something to Boo that I think would have made my Grandma Wolf laugh. In exasperation I finally turn to my fussing Boo, acting like a 2 year old in his tall lanky 5yr old body and said:
"Son, you're just gonna have to Cowboy Up!" Between Grandma Wolf and my Mom I can faintly hear the chuckling in the distance...
P.S. as I wrapped this up I noticed it was way too quiet in the house, to my surprise the cowboys have put themselves to bed and have escaped to dreamland. I wonder if Boo's dreams are filled with the excitement of the Wild West, racing through the brush on his trusty stead outrunning the law with his clever Billy the Kid style....or the excitement of bringing home a butt load of homework for Mom to help him with...maybe a mix of both. Counting bullets perhaps??
2 comments:
You can't hardly allow Young Guns II in your home if you haven't yet thoroughly educated them on the original. For a Hollywood western fighting against seemingly insurmountable odds (Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen BOTH?!) that movie's still a classic!!! "How come they ain't shootin' us?" "Cause we're in the spirit world asshole, they can't see us!"
ROFLMAO!!! It was pure accident, one day I thought Oh Hey let's watch Young Guns and I could only find the second one. I am personally much more fond of the first movie, absolutely...."Did you see the size of that chicken?!" but Boo has a fondness for Arkansas Dave Rudabaugh! (He's a bit of a show off like ole Davey boy) Someday I will have to educate them on the true history, sad to say the second movie especially is nearly pure fiction.
Ok see even my comments are novels...GEEZ!! LOL
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