Kristy and the Spiderman

today i'm celebrating wins ... and the friends who help us spot them when we're too wrapped up in life to see them on our own!

i take my job as "parent" seriously. the way i look at it, i chose to bring two children in to my life and this world (with more than a little divine inspiration!). my vision of parenting is much more than simply "good health, good manners, good grades" ... i'm really striving to raise two humans who will make a difference in this world.

as such, i'm constantly on the lookout for areas where i've engaged in "unintentional" parenting ... in other words, where i've said or done something without examining how that will impact two very impressionable young people.

if you are a parent, you most likely have experienced the "telephone magnet syndrome", a unique afflication occuring in many 3 year olds causing them to morph in to high demand monsters the moment they sense you're on the telephone. wyatt is unique in that he doesn't necessarily want MY attention. he wants the attention of whomever is on the other end of the line.

the other day i was speaking with a new friend/business associate and wyatt was clamoring at my feet to talk too. i wasn't comfortable yet thrusting this individual in to a conversation with my son so i ever so sweetly told my precious 3 year old that this individual "probably has much better things to do than talk to you right now."

ouch.

there goes my mother-of-the-year award.

i immediately cleaned that up with wyatt and you know what? he got it. i've decided the art of forgiveness can best be learned by watching a child.

my friend kristy is a really good sport when it comes to chatting up my little guy on the phone. must be something in the water out there in rhode island. nice folks.

kristy and i were talking the other day, just catching up, and she could hear wyatt doing his thing in the background ... suffice it to say there were capes and spiderman underwear involved - he was in full-out imaginative play - and she asked if he wanted to talk to her.

assuming the answer would be "YES" and that he would tear off his cape in order to take the call, i handed the phone over and asked him, rhetorically, "do you want to talk to kristy?"

"nope"

hmmmm ... unusual ... not what i expected ... possibly rude as the phone was already dangling in his face ...

but in the moment i chose to let it go. in the past i might have attempted to force it ... i might have pointed out how rude that was ... i might have apologized all over myself for his actions.

but that day i just let it be.

kristy's response? "it doesn't get any more authentic than that does it?"

and you know what? she's right.

say what you mean and mean what you say.

"wanna talk?"

"no."

end of conversation.

so today i'm celebrating that i honored wyatt's authenticity rather than pushing him in to doing or saying something just to make me look good.

i'm celebrating his being a "say what you mean and mean what you say" kinda guy.

i can already hear his future spouse thanking me ... assuming he's given up the superhero "man panties" (as he calls them)!