Protocol for Children's Birthdays

So, I was calling a few of the parents of my son's friends. Along the way I talked to a friend during this and they mentioned that "you will probably only invite the 4 year olds anyway right?"

I had not thought of that, since my son gets along with a wide range of children in the age group category. I actually just wrote down the names of the kids that he mentioned that he wanted there without thinking about how old they were.

Is there some unspoken protocol out there that says that you stick to your child's age group when planning a children's Birthday party? That was the question in my mind, and of course there must be somewhere, but I said to my friend that I had already invited the children that my son named and that did not mean they were 4 years old...

Actually, it doesn't matter to me and I know it does not matter to my son, so I guess we are outide of protocol on this one...I guess I just never knew and never thought there were expectations of anyone.

Doesn't matter though, I will be glad to welcome any of his friends who wish to celebrate with them even if they are not 4 years old.

Actually, he even has adults that he treasures and they are coming too, hummmmm, but I think they are not a part of the children's age protocol thing...at least I am not aware of it...

Funny thing, I think this is where my world (kinship society) and the mainstream just collide, and I choose not to follow the mainstream...

Anyway, it was interesting...

Smoovey Moves

Here is my son...just a dancing away, and having a blast, and he says "Mommy, Mommy, I have smoovey moves, and continues to do his little...smoovey move." I just about lost it I laughed so hard.

I wish I had taped him, it was such a great sight too see...

I luv my bundle of joy!

God Tells Me Not To Eat

So, I think it is humanity even when we are young to try to alude to the fact that God would be the one to tell us we are to do something or direct us, when in reality it is just us trying to convince ourselves or others that it is divne that we should do something.

So, here is my son today and anounces to me when I said that he needs to eat supper, "God Tells Me Not To Eat." He laughed and ran away, and I had to laugh, and then scold him and let him know that he should not tell me that in that way. It was a joke, and I had the small thought about it, and shook my head.

Little boys and their rationality, they are a treasure.
LOL

Birthday...

Well, my son's Birthday is coming up quickly, and I still haven't decided on how we are going to do this. LOL...I dunno, I guess the first thing is that I am narrowing down who he wants there. I know that he wants to see his Uncle Mushom and Auntie Kokum, but for the rest of it...I am semi prepared as I have all the gifts and accessories.

I guess I will sort the final details this weekend...my bad...this summer has just flown by...

Oh Well,

Research

I had to go to the University Bookstore yesterday to see if I could get a book, but alas it was not there...but I took another little adventure instead...which is my ritual when I end up there.

I went to look at the children's books, crafts, and other fun things they seem to stock. I picked up a puzzle for my son and some First Nations story books for him. It was great I get to read to my son and buy some books in order to research what is already out in the market for First Nations Children's books at the same time.

I sat down to read them all last night, and by the end I was so relaxed that I actually just wanted to go to bed. Isn't that the way a bedtime story should feel I thought to myself. A nice little story that makes you feel like you are relaxed and whole.

Anyway, food for thought...I will look around some more, and with my meanderings I will be able to read my son a few wonderful stories too...

Cree Prophecy

When all the trees have been cut down,

when all the animals have been hunted,

when all the waters are polluted,

when all the air is unsafe to breathe,

only then will you discover you cannot eat money.

Cree Prophecy

Little Ones today and Little Men tomorrow

I was reading my son a devotional for kids, and the simple lesson was that sometimes people do things they should not do, and we can't do anything about it, but what we can do is to choose to play with someone safer.

It was quite a simple lesson, and I liked it. As adults we choose the same thing, if someone is not good for us in our lives and they just get us in trouble we can choose to be with someone else who will make more positive impacts in our lives.

It is a small lesson now, but my 3 year old will be a 10 year old and my 10 year old will be a 14 and 16 year old when these choices become alot harder. It is easier for him to learn how making better choices now, than to suddenly only learn that for the first time when he is older. It is just like the lesson that what you put inside emotionally is what you will be emotionally.

My son doesn't know how to make those choices right now for himself about inputing things emotionally so that he will be a better little man, so that is my job as a parent to watch what is a positive for him and a negative. He reacts differently to different things because of his life experiences. It is sad that a three year old has already major experiences that impact him this deeply, but it does because of divorce. He is alright, but there are things that bother him that don't bother other kids just because of it. He will never watch Shrek because of it, and not entirely because of the cartoon itself but because of Shrek 3 really.

I had asked friends about the movie, but you know other kids don't go through the same thing as your own so you can't always know...but now I do...so I know better.

If I let him watch whatever and didn't care and never had any boundaries on what went into him I would end up with a whole load of behavioural problems. It would not just be a huge thing to deal with for me but it would also be a problem for my son, because he is not old enough to understand that what he is watching is what is causing him problems. My son would also have other issues at pre-school, which has happened from time to time, and I have done what I know how to do to help him through and make changes too. It is not anyone else's fault, but it is the environment that I allow and that environment that I have to correct after the fact at times that I have to work with, and lovingly do.

It is not a gift to our children to blame the world for their idiosyncracies, and teach them it is us against the world, because then it is a lesson that the they have a right to act poorly and to treat people poorly and that our children do not have a responsibility to be well themselves.

It is not a good lesson for success, so in my own small ways, I am glad for little stories that help me teach my son in a simple way that there are simple choices that we can make to make our lives better. To add to that it is up to me to help him make better choices and understand in small ways that if he is scared of something that he can say so, and not have to agree with anyone else just because and choose not to watch something too.

He will be a very understanding little man and a very sensitive one, and that is not bad, because he is my son and I understand that he gets some of the sensitivity from me so I have to help him manage that better too.

Life is a learning time, moment to moment to moment, and we are just the guides along the way, and the people responsible for helping to keep our little ones safe, the best we can...