Have you ever known someone and you really wanted them to like you, and you try really hard but you get the impression that they are just not that into you? Sometimes I get that same impression from my kids.

I, like most mothers, have been known to exert an insane amount of energy trying to ensure that my kids are having a good time. I have pitched a million baseballs, held the seat of a bike less its training wheels and been goalie in so many soccer games I’ve lost count. While my husband is a great dad, he dosen’t try as hard, yet the kids idolize him. He’ll come home from golf and the boys will run to him like he’s just sunk the tie-breaking putt at the Masters. Then, they’ll all run in the house, David will lie on the sofa and the kids will crawl up and sit on his belly and they’ll all watch the Golf Network. All the while I’m left holding the fire-lit batons I’d been juggling all afternoon and thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding me. They would never let me get away with watching TV with them!”

Awhile back, Evan found David’s old UCCB graduation ring.
“What’s this, Daddy?,” Evan asked, while presenting the ring.
David put on the ring and without hesitation said “This is my superhero ring. When I put it on it gives me my super powers,” David tells our two awestruck boys.
He then made a fist and pointed the ring to the sky and shouted “By the power of Gray scull!”
The boys looked as if they were staring at a 7-foot super being that was mutating right before their eyes. As if David had to give them another reason to worship him. He thought his tale was genious and very humerous.

“David,” I said later. “I don’t think you realize the potential implications of what you’ve told the boys,” I explained. “The boys might think they can jump off a roof or run across the street super fast because their Dad has super powers.”
David just laughed and said I was being dramatic- something I hear a lot.
“Tina, every six year old thinks their Dad is a superhero,” he explained.
If left me wondering what they think of their moms. Fortunately, I think I know what my boys think of me.

But just in case, I bought a Wonder Woman costume on Ebay!

I have to admit that from time to time, I have envied my sister Deanna and Steven, my brother-in-law. They have an only child, Ryan, and they are able to just pick up and do almost anything with ease. It seems as though I have to plan and pack before going to the grocery store.

Early Saturday morning we get a call from Evan’s good friend Nate. Nate and his parents were going to see the new Harry Potter movie and invited Evan to go too – how nice.
“You wouldn’t want another one would you?” I joked.
Only the sign of times to come. Soon Evan will be spending his Saturdays with his friends and won’t care to hang out with boring Mom.

Although the timing is perfect because Colin and Evan have been driving each other crazy, I’ll have to find a way to entertain Colin without his brother.
“We can play GameCube” Colin whispered in my ear. “I’ll tell you which buttons to push.”
I played GameCube with Colin while the laundry piled up outside the dryer door. I was getting greatly disturbed by the wrestling game, so I suggested we play the racing game.
“We can’t, Mommy, it’s only one player,” Colin explained.
Perfect, I thought. “I’ll fold laundry and watch you play.” I couldn’t get that one-player-only game in fast enough.
As I watched Colin rip the transmission out of the virtual car, it occurred to me that if Evan were here, these boys would be entertaining each other on this rainy afternoon and my house would be clean. How does my sister do it with an only child? I thought.

“I miss Evan,” Colin said
I did too.
I decided laundry could wait and we snuggled and watched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, which just so happens to be about brother turtles.
“Do you wanna fight, Mommy?,” Colin asked sweetly as he looked up at me.
I laughed. “I don’t think so honey, but Evan will fight with you when he gets home.”

I’ve commented before on just how different my 2 boys are. Never was that more evident than when I recently took them for a bike ride. The first glaring difference? Evan, my six year old, insisted on changing his shirt so as not to risk getting the one he had on dirty. He changed into a golf shirt and neatly folded the other one into his dresser. The one he put on, he buttoned right to the top. I then had to battle Colin for 10 minutes to get him to change the shirt he had been wearing for 3 days. It was covered in blueberry jam, and was 3 sizes too big. I lost that battle, by the way. Evan spent the next 5 minutes putting on his helmet, knee, elbow and wrist pads and double knotted his sneaker laces. I had yet another battle with Colin to put on his helmet. This time, I won the battle. He also felt that it was time to take off his training wheels, and he might very well be ready, but I’m not, so the wheels stay on.

We biked to Bayview school and the kids had a great time driving around the walkways. Evan was so careful to use a ramp from the walkway to the driveway so that he wouldn’t fall. Colin purposely drives off the 5-inch drop from the walkway to the driveway. He and the bike both fell.
“Mommy,” Colin sobs. “My bike’s hurt.”
He gets back on and continues riding.
“Crazy Colin!” Evan said of his brother.

As I write this the kids are in bed. Evan has tomorrow’s outfit laid out on the floor, his shirt first, then shorts, and underwear under the shorts, and about a foot down, you’ll see two socks, right about where his feet would be. Colin has on that same blueberry-stained shirt. Trust me, if he ever takes it off, it’s gone.

I certainly don’t prefer one to the other and couldn’t imagine our lives less one of these amazing little personalities. I look at Evan and wish I had as big a heart as he has, but I worry that he will have it broken. I look at Colin and I wish I could be that fearless but then I worry about, well, his survival.

So whatever way you look at it, I’m left worrying.

After my son Colin announced that his favourite sports were swimming and Game Cube, I thought it was time to become one with nature. Since David was in a golf tournament (again), I packed up the kids for a night at Mersy River Chalets with no laptops, iPods or Game Cubes allowed. I did, however, bring a cellphone. I’m not that crazy!

We checked into our adorable and spacious cottage, then went for a walk on the boardwalks along the gorgeous river, kayaked and went to Kedge. We had a hummingbird visit us and several squirrels. We put out some of our whole wheat hot dog buns and waited to see how close the squirrels would come. The squirrel just looked at us.
“He’s not buying it ,Mom,” Evan said about the squirrel.
“I think you’re right, Evan,” I replied.
After visiting the teepees and struggling to answer all of the boys’ questions about Indians, we went back to our cabin.
Since I was never a good Girl Guide, I melted the marshmallows in the microwave to make smores, then we got ready for bed. I have to say that for a minute, I regretted my decision to not bring my laptop, not that we had access to the internet, but at least the kids could have watched a movie. We had a TV but only one inappropriate channel. Nothing better to do but read and then go to bed. We were beat after a busy day.

The next morning I was packing up the truck while the kids raced their bikes down the wheelchair ramp.
“Mommy, can we have slushies,?” Evan asked.
“I’m pretty sure we won’t find slushies in Mersey River, Evan, but sure, if we see a slushy sign on the way home, you can have slushies,” I replied, feeling confident that we wouldn’t.
Around Caledonia I was having serious caffeine withdrawal symptoms and couldn’t find a Tim Hortons sign anywhere. But wouldn’t you know, we did find slushies.

Consider this a public service announcement to all parents. Rock paper scissors, as we know it, has changed. I figured this out while negotiating with my six year old. He challenged me to a game of rock paper scissors in order for him to stay up a little later than his usual bedtime. And yes I know better than to give into negotiations but I felt very confident that I would win seeing as I am the all time champ of rock paper scissors. I figured he’d do rock so I did paper.

“Sorry Mommy, I beat you. Atom bomb burns paper,” Evan says while making an O shape with his hand.
“Atom bomb, there’s no atom bomb in rock paper scissors,” I exclaim.
Evan gave me a “ You’re so yesterday” look. So I thought I’d use this as an opportunity for him to educate me on rock paper scissors 2007 edition. Now I’ll educate all of you.

You’re welcome

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS YESTERDAY

paper covers rock
scissors cut paper
rock breaks scissors
Simple, straight-forward, to the point.

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TODAY

Atom bomb blows up everything
but eraser can erase atom bomb
dynamite explodes everything
however, scissors can snip off the string thing on the dynamite
fire burns everything
but of course water puts out fire

Are you confused? Instead of trying to get all of this straight, I’d suggest that you just don’t play rock paper scissors with your kids. Even if you try, I’m pretty sure they can just make up new ones as they go. I did explain to Evan the version that we played as kids. He gave me the same look that I gave my mother when she would give me the “life was much simpler then” speech. You know the one, when they walked to school uphill both ways. I heard one story about how my mother’s siblings all shared one pair of boots in the winter. One would walk to school and throw the boots back home to the next sibling. That’s quite an arm since it was about a 5-mile walk, uphill both ways.

Consider this a public service announcement to all parents. Rock paper scissors, as we know it, has changed. I figured this out while negotiating with my six year old. He challenged me to a game of rock paper scissors in order for him to stay up a little later than his usual bedtime. And yes I know better than to give into negotiations but I felt very confident that I would win seeing as I am the all time champ of rock paper scissors. I figured he’d do rock so I did paper.

“Sorry Mommy, I beat you. Atom bomb burns paper,” Evan says while making an O shape with his hand.
“Atom bomb, there’s no atom bomb in rock paper scissors,” I exclaim.
Evan gave me a “ You’re so yesterday” look. So I thought I’d use this as an opportunity for him to educate me on rock paper scissors 2007 edition. Now I’ll educate all of you.

You’re welcome

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS YESTERDAY

paper covers rock
scissors cut paper
rock breaks scissors
Simple, straight-forward, to the point.

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TODAY

Atom bomb blows up everything
but eraser can erase atom bomb
dynamite explodes everything
however, scissors can snip off the string thing on the dynamite
fire burns everything
but of course water puts out fire

Are you confused? Instead of trying to get all of this straight, I’d suggest that you just don’t play rock paper scissors with your kids. Even if you try, I’m pretty sure they can just make up new ones as they go. I did explain to Evan the version that we played as kids. He gave me the same look that I gave my mother when she would give me the “life was much simpler then” speech. You know the one, when they walked to school uphill both ways. I heard one story about how my mother’s siblings all shared one pair of boots in the winter. One would walk to school and throw the boots back home to the next sibling. That’s quite an arm since it was about a 5-mile walk, uphill both ways.

Consider this a public service announcement to all parents. Rock paper scissors, as we know it, has changed. I figured this out while negotiating with my six year old. He challenged me to a game of rock paper scissors in order for him to stay up a little later than his usual bedtime. And yes I know better than to give into negotiations but I felt very confident that I would win seeing as I am the all time champ of rock paper scissors. I figured he’d do rock so I did paper.

“Sorry Mommy, I beat you. Atom bomb burns paper,” Evan says while making an O shape with his hand.
“Atom bomb, there’s no atom bomb in rock paper scissors,” I exclaim.
Evan gave me a “ You’re so yesterday” look. So I thought I’d use this as an opportunity for him to educate me on rock paper scissors 2007 edition. Now I’ll educate all of you.

You’re welcome

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS YESTERDAY

paper covers rock
scissors cut paper
rock breaks scissors
Simple, straight-forward, to the point.

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TODAY

Atom bomb blows up everything
but eraser can erase atom bomb
dynamite explodes everything
however, scissors can snip off the string thing on the dynamite
fire burns everything
but of course water puts out fire

Are you confused? Instead of trying to get all of this straight, I’d suggest that you just don’t play rock paper scissors with your kids. Even if you try, I’m pretty sure they can just make up new ones as they go. I did explain to Evan the version that we played as kids. He gave me the same look that I gave my mother when she would give me the “life was much simpler then” speech. You know the one, when they walked to school uphill both ways. I heard one story about how my mother’s siblings all shared one pair of boots in the winter. One would walk to school and throw the boots back home to the next sibling. That’s quite an arm since it was about a 5-mile walk, uphill both ways.

We love our babysitter, Ethan. Well, I should clarify. He is not our babysitter, he hangs out with our kids, and we pay a small fee. Evan would take offense to the term “babysitter”. He is six after all, and much too old for a babysitter.

Before Ethan, the only video games our kids were familiar with were Leapsters and GameBoys. One rainy day, Ethan brought along his GameCube. Evan was hooked. I came home from work one day and Ethan and Evan had hooked up the GameCube to our projection device which we got for Christmas, and couldn’t figure out how to use. They were playing hockey on this life-size movie screen.

“Look at what Ethan did, Mommy,” Evan announced when I walked into the rec room.
“Yes, I see. Wow Ethan, how did you do that?” I asked in amazement.
“It’s easy, you just hook the…” and from then on I couldn’t tell you what he said, but the point is, Ethan taught Evan something really great. No, not only how fun video games are, but that you can sometimes figure out a better way to do something.

As delighted as I was, I quickly put everything away. The last thing I need is for David to figure out that he can watch the Masters on a movie screen!