My Kid Is Turning Into His Parents

Last year we discovered that our son needed glasses.  We'd had no idea there was a problem, but he complained of headaches.  I took him to the pediatrician with the expectations that it would be allergies, but Zane failed the vision screening.   He didn't even make it past the second line!  Off to the pediatric ophthalmologist we went, and soon Zane had his first pair of glasses. 

He did not like them, of course.  No kid does.  But once he realized that he could actually SEE the board in the classroom, I think he figured out that he needed them.  His grades started coming up.  And he started reading better.  So much better, in fact, that he started reading all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. By himself.  I didn't actually think that he was reading, because the books have tons of pictures, and he is eight.  But he passed an AR test, so he had indeed read the book. 

And it's not just that he wants to read.  He also wants to carry ALL of his books around with him at all times.  I've noticed that his backpack has been astonishingly heavy on several occasions, and I've had to limit him to a single book.  Zane will comply, but then he will come home with seven or eight large tomes acquired from his school library.  It hit me one day that I used to behave similarly as a kid.  I still hoard books. I used to carry around a book or two, just in case I ended up in a line somewhere with nothing to do.  These days I have my phone to distract me, along with the Kindle App. 

Zane has also become proficient in technology with his tablet.  He spends an inordinate amount of time on his tablet, watching movies, playing games, etc.  My son sees me on my laptop often, but he also sees his father on HIS tablet, playing games, watching videos, and reading.  Lately Zane doesn't want to do much running about or playing; he wants to sit on the couch and play on his tablet or read a book. 

Just like his mom and dad. 

I don't want my son to be an introverted couch potato like his parents.  I want him to continue to be an extroverted, active boy.  This means that I will have to start modeling the appropriate behavior. I'm still recovering from surgery(that open wound is healing soooooo slowly!), but I can walk.  I really have no excuse, except that I'm feeling a little lazy right now, at the end of the school year. 

But once school is out, Zane and I are going to have an active summer.  We'll get up early and walk the dog, when it's cooler outside.  We'll go downtown and check out the Alamo and the different museums in town.  We'll go exploring.  We have passes to SeaWorld, so we can spend time there, as well.

Goodness--after all that activity, I may need a nap.  Or two.   And better walking shoes!

Stealing Time

 


I haven't had a lot of  "Me" time lately.  Between work and getting everyone ready for everything after work, I haven't had much time for me. I can't remember the last time I've been able to read uninterrupted for longer than five minutes.  By the time I've been able to sit down and work on my blog posts, I'm practically passing out at the keyboard.  I should just go to sleep and worry about it in the morning, but darn it, I need my time.  I've become very stubborn about that. 

I'm an introvert.  I need quiet on occasion.  I need to retreat inside my head for a little while every day.  That is just how I am.  When I can't do that, I get grumpy, then confused, forgetful, and anxious. I understand this aspect of my personality, and I do try to allow myself some of that quiet time. Unfortunately, life doesn't always cooperate, and my batteries get very low, and they stay low, just when I need to be on top of things. 

So how does one recharge a depleted battery when there's no down time to do so?  Perhaps a mini-vacation to a spa?  Maybe just a mental vacation, a few minutes of meditation.  Power napping?  Looking at pictures of sleeping cats?  Take the dog for a walk? 

Everyone seems to look to me for answers.  I should be able to come up with a solution for this, but my brain seems to be complete mush right now.  I guess I just need to sleep. And nap.  Maybe retreating into dreams will help me recharge.  I could dream about the quiet places...

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post (in the sidebar). .
• Link up your post here. 
• Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

An Innie in a World of Extras

I dread the holidays. Not just because I seem to fall into a deep depression every year around the beginning of December(December 9th, to be exact), but because somewhere over the years I became a severe introvert.

I used to be more extroverted. I used to go out dancing every Friday with my friends. I traveled places alone. I used to approach strangers and strike up conversations with them. I randomly bought drinks for interesting-looking people I didn't know just because I wanted to talk to them. Now, it is all too much.

They say that extroverts become more energized around lots of people. I become drained. I can handle a few people, people I know, or perhaps one or two strangers. If there are too many people around, I feel like I can't focus on anything.

Part of it is brain-related; my brain tries to hear every single conversation around me instead of concentrating on the person who is in front of me. So while I am trying to listen to my mother talk about Aunt Susie, I am hearing a conversation in the next room about football, and I am also listening to what my nephew is saying in the front of the house. Before anyone freaks out(OMG! She's like Superman or something!), I don't actually comprehend all that extra noise, but my brain certainly tries. But you can see where this would be an issue. (and yes, restaurants present special challenges.)

Part of my sudden reticence is also that I am much more attentive one-on-one or in small groups. Not only do I have an easier time with following conversations, but I can focus on the person. Any more than five people, and I can't keep track of who is talking, let alone what is being said. Then I start to get nervous about missing something important, hurting someone's feelings by accidentally ignoring them, or saying the wrong thing. I didn't really used to care about saying the wrong thing, but I have a son now. That changes everything. I don't want someone to be cruel to my son because of something that I said or didn't say. He doesn't deserve that, but people are what they are. Karma and all that.

So I'm an introvert now. If we go to a party and you can't find me, I'm probably hiding in the quietest corner I can find, watching everyone else having fun and wishing I could be home, curled up with a good book.