Today we took some time out of our busy end of the school year to honor our girls and their culture at a local powwow. They wore their jingle dresses and "danced" in the circle. If was fun.
Well, mostly.
Taya would like you to know it was just too hot, thank you very much, and she wanted to go home and take a nap.
She let us know this by walking into the center of the dance arena, throwing herself backwards on the ground and wailing at the top of her lungs.
This forcing her very white mother (me) to walk in front of a very observant group (everyone else) to the very center of that dance arena to go and retrieve her very cute, but very non compliant child (Taya).
She would not, absolutely not, dance in the beautiful jingle dress that took hours and hours to make.
She wanted juice and a nap. Cultural awareness be damned it wasn't in HER plan for the day.
Sometimes even the best of intentions can be undone by an overwhelmed two year old.
Parenting is hard.
Its full of mistakes and second guesses and worries and wonders and trying your hardest and still not know the right answer all the time.
Parenting teenagers is brutal.
Let's say that together. PARENTING TEENAGERS IS BRUTAL.
My kids are GOOD kids. Great kids, and its still B-R-U-T-A-L.
Did you know there are horrible things in this world that want to destroy MY kids?? Did you know that they are faced with such enormous temptations that I cannot even fathom?
I know they think I am ruining their lives. And all I can do is pray that I am not. I hope one day they understand how very, very, very, very much I love them and only want the very best things for them.
Until then I am going to pray and drink alot of wine.
And not really stress about the future cultural implications of my grouchy, strong willed, totally amazing two year old who didn't want to dance.
Because oh baby did my one year old love every second of it.
And that's what parenting is about.
You really just never, ever know ANYTHING.
4 comments:
I hear you on the not knowing! Glad to see that at least one of them had a great time, great pictures
parenting in GENERAL is brutal. teens, toddlers, everything.
and its not so much "did the baby appreciate what was done today" but "she'll appreciate it when she's older and sees that mama has made the effort all along to include me in my cultural activites even when i was too little to know i needed it."
good on you for doing that, and OH GOODNESS those babies are so beautiful in their dresses!!!
parenting teen boys is tough...they are often quiet and hold much of what is going on in their lives inside...until they explode...or until them make a BIG MISTAKE!
but, we try to give them the right tools to cope...we bring them to Sunday School, surround them with fellow Christians who will correct them as their own and hold them accountable...we teach them right from wrong...we teach them Jesus and His amazing model for unconditional love and strict guidance ... however, when that teen does something that he knows is wrong... we are hurt...deeply hurt...it hurts in the gut, in your core....but as we have modelled Jesus' life...we also model His forgiveness...and help our child(ren) to see that, and help him to heal from his hurt for disappointing you....and how to make retribution for their actions.
Parenting teens is brutal....but utterly amazing at the same time.
Praying for you now!
Veronica - that is it exactly. I dont want to over dramatize -- my boys are really good. The issues we deal with are minor but FEEL big and your description of teenage boys is so true. Thanks for sharing.
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