When we were camping in California over the 4th of July, Luke and his brothers and parents took all the kids on a little hike. Luke took the camera and going through the pictures was hilarious. The kids climbed this tree and in every single picture, no matter how high they were, a dad or uncle or grandparents is holding on with a death grip. Now, I always thought it was the dads who would let their kids be more adventurous, but here is concrete evidence that I was wrong. Strawberry is a climber and loves to scramble over the top of playground equipment and up any tree she can. And I have no problem with it because I was the same way as a kid, but I refuse to help her, no matter how stuck she thinks she gets, and she has figured out what to do 99% of the time. If she knows I'm not coming to the rescue, she has to be more aware of her limits and will be less likely to fall and hurt herself, right?
So it made me wonder, is it the moms or the dads who shove their baby birds out of the nest so that they learn to fly on their own. Is this just the way Luke and I are, he's the protector and I'm the pusher? Is it because of the whole "daddy's girls" and "momma's boys" thing? Or was this just a fluke? Luke said he did it because he knew he'd be in big trouble if he brought back a broken kid. Plus, you get my kids around water and I'm the one hovering over them. It would be so fascinating to know where our motivations come from; what combination of previous experiences and decisions lead us to be the kind of parents we are in different circumstances. Maybe I'll go back to school and get a degree in Psychology. Can you tell I'm bored? Luke is sorely missed around here.
5 comments:
Very interestng...
Hey, how are you feeling?
Huge, slow, lazy, sleepy, heartburny and lonely. :) But otherwise pretty good. Our new ward is already very supportive and 5 families from church live on our street so I'm being pretty well taken care of. Mormon are great. :)
I love reading your blog, Bethany. It's one of my favorites. Anyway, I think it depends on the couple. I think that I am of the persuasion to let them figure their way out of their own messes, but in a situation like the picture shown at the camp out, it wasn't like Nate was being a rascal and climbed up there on his own. If he had done that, I would have played the "you-got-up-there-on-your-own-you-can-get-down-on-your-own" card, but since it was a "planned activity," I figured I would be helpful. Anyway, keep up the good blog work, Bethany!
Jared Cowley
Thanks Jared. And I love your picture. It looks exactly like you. And now the picture of the kids on the tree makes more sense. You guys were shoving them up the tree against their will. Dad's are definitely the pushers. :)
Push'em up the tree and let'um jump, unless there are Mommies you have to answer to. Then be very, very careful. I have always been amazed that my sons all survived growing up with me.
I loved the little adventures we took the kids on. Being a grandpa is so much fun..... and so tiring!!
I'm with Jared, you have a great blog. But so does Angi, Kate, and Megan! I try so hard to be fair, right??!!
Keep us posted on your baby progress.
Grandpa Cowley
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