Monday, Anti-Chronology

I had a coffee morning today, mummies and little ones. Very few today, compared with last week's crowd. I love getting my baby fix on a Monday!

Yesterday morning, the boys and I went to help a group of conservation types hack back the rhododendron bushes which are trying to take over the whole of Dorset. Fun with saws and other manly things! It was a beautiful sunny day, cold but we got good and warm sawing and dragging and making huge heaps of cuttings. The boys worked hard.  It was fun and great exercise. Afterwards, we took Chas' remote control sailboat, 'Paradise', to the pond, which was frozen! Chas had to sail on one melted bit of the pond. We thought that a motorized rc boat, with a hammer installed in front, would be good for clearing ice. Then we thought, perhaps trained ducks? Or maybe a flamethrower. Suggestions welcome.

When we got home, I said "No, you cannot go on the computer." Which was SO UNFAIR!!!!! I mean, they had helped clear the bushes, right? And they had HAD fresh air and exercise, right? So therefore they had earned a whole afternoon of internet and computer games RIGHT? I am a terrible mother. Max said that he had HOMEWORK to do online (optional homework, due at the end of February). He is going to TELL his teacher today that I would not LET him do his homework. I was unfazed.

Sam and Max said "There is nothing to do!" which is a sure sign that there has been too much computer time here (they have been spending way too much time playing computer games lately). So I said "Go and be bored then, boredom is good for you. Builds character." So they stomped off to their room, where they were soon playing a game where the beds were planets, and they had space ships and colonization strategies and battles. I peeped in, and they said "WE ARE NOT HAVING FUN!"

Chas started building a huge balsa glider. He's not that into computer games anyway.

Then Sam and Max helped me make carrot muffins, which was NOT FUN EITHER. Then they drew and coloured, and read books. BOOOORING! Poor things, I completely ruined their weekends. Their LIVES.

Friday night was Chas' party, and some of his school friends came over. Other friends too! I let them make their own icecream sundaes, which they thought was cool (sigh of relief) and they made a lot of noise banging on the drums and playing guitars and keyboard.

All in all, a great weekend. I am now the mother of a teenager, who is one hundred percent awesome. He's got lovely friends. He's helpful, pleasant, and hard-working, and I am so proud. As for Sam and Max, they may one day forgive me for their traumatic childhood.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I was the same mom as you this weekend! I made my kids walk away from the TV/Wii and BE BORED. They did wonderful things and had a blast despite my evil tendencies to inflict suffering on them.
aclare said…
That's terrible! You have ruined their ENTIRE childhood! Heheeee... When I was a lttle boy (as my father used to say), my cousin and I used to spend ALL summer building the most fantastic lego town! It was awesome. We used up every piece! But then we were also deprived and didn't have TV or computers either!!
Unknown said…
I hope their hand - eye coordination doesn't suffer for the lack of computer gaming time. I hope. :)
It's all a balance and parents get to strike it. There such fine young men and boys I wouldn't worry!
Ndinombethe said…
I just lost my whole comment :(

Anyhoo, was saying Zac has been begging me to play "just an hour" of his video game before football. Horrid mothers...

so nice chatting yesterday. Now that I have my new laptop sorted out I can be in touch more often.

Max's blog is brilliant!!!!!!!
Kath McGurl said…
Happy Birthday Chas! My lad had a lovely time on Friday so thank you for having him. He forgot to bring his bike lights so ended up walking home. But he's 13 too, and we have to let them have their independence now, don't we?
The Mother said…
Those teenage years are sneaky. Some start out well and go downhill, some the other way round.