I watch television shows like “Survivorman” and “Man vs. Wild” with keen interest.  Not that I’d ever find myself in a situation where I’d have to urinate in the water to attract a shark so I can jump on top of it, wrestle it, and have some protein for dinner…

Still, I wonder what kind of boys these TV hosts must have been to grow into men knowing this.  What kind of heart attacks did their mothers have as the boys brought in bark to boil for tea or edible bugs for dinner.  Did the moms stress when the kids went camping with their scouting troop?  Did they hyperventilate if Dad took them hiking?

I have never had boys to raise but my friends who do say they are very different from raising girls.  Boys - they say - tend to be more boisterous and fearless.  They won’t blink an eye to climb up on a roof to jump onto the back of a truck.  They will scamper up a tree to throw down a parachuted plastic army guy.

The worst that happened to my kids is when my oldest climbed a bookcase that wasn’t attached to the wall.  It fell over, but was thankfully stopped by another piece of furniture before hitting my daughter.

What’s the most dangerous thing your child did while growing up?

My friend’s husband passed away over the weekend after experiencing head trauma from a fall.  While my friend is grieving as adults do, her daughter may need special care as she copes with the sudden loss of her stepfather.  We have already talked about grief counseling for the teenager because when a child at that age loses someone close to them, their already fragile emotional state can be shattered.

According to Hospice, there are several signs that parents must watch for when a teen is in a state of grieving.  Parents should watch for dropping grades, depression, risk taking, too much sleeping (or not enough), slipping relationships with family and friends, and denying that there is a problem.

One of the best things to do is talk openly about the loss of a loved one.  Do not hesitate to seek help from a trained therapist, group counseling, or a church group.  Teenagers are naturally social beings and by spending time with other people who understand the pain they are feeling, they will be able to cope more easily and eventually recover.

Another option to consider is a “bereavement camp” for children ages 7 to 17.  Located in California, Texas, Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts, the camps are free of charge and “include confidence building programs and age-based support groups that break the emotional isolation grief often brings.”

For more information about the camp, visit their website here.

My friend texted me yesterday that she needed prayers.  Her husband had a seizure and they needed a miracle.  I was finally able to talk with her this afternoon about what happened.  When he seized, he fell and his head hit the cement driveway.  His brain has swelled to the point where there is now no brain wave activity.

I have been praying for him.  For her.  For the whole family.

This accident reminds us about how life sometimes changes suddenly and drastically.  Tim had his share of demons to wrestle.  When he was good, he was very very good.  But when he was bad, he was terrible.  However, the tragedy of someone in his 40’s suddenly cut off from talking to his family and the family’s subsequent unexpected loss is devastating.

Today, this weekend, this year … take a few moments to tell the people you love the most how much they mean to you.  Take the time to give a hug.  Hold hands.  Bring someone a cup of coffee or chocolate milk.  Make some toast and share it.  Or make a cake to celebrate nothing in particular, but everything good in the world.

We have but one life to make the most of and how many of us really capture every moment that we can to create happy memories?

Photo by Evelyn Giggle via flickr creative commons.

I hated being sick when my children were little.  Now that they’re old enough to somewhat take care of themselves, I’m not wracked with as much guilt (piled on the already feeling physically bad) when under the weather.

When they were little, I depended on the TV to entertain them when I was sick.  I’d manage to crawl out of bed to feed them breakfast and lunch, change diapers, give them something to drink.  But actually engaging them between sneezing and coughing was almost impossible.  Thank you Belle and the Beast for hours of babysitting.

I apologize for not writing these last few days, but you’ve guessed it.  Sick.  Again.  Until I’m vertical again… get well soon.

Today was the first day back to school for my sophomore.  Oddly, this year it really hit me that the baby is growing up - almost too quickly!  One would think the freshman year would do it, but because my oldest daughter started college last year (I had two freshmen), her moving out had more of an emotional impact than the baby’s first year of high school.

The second year of high school, though.  She has a new principal this year, although it’s actually the one she had in middle school.  He’s a strict overseer and that will be good given the way her school has been out-of-control these last few years.  There is one staircase with a bad nickname because at the bottom is the hiding place where high school “couples” go.  He’s already put a stop to that.

The school is also much cleaner - he brought over his head custodian who brought in his people.  All trusted to work hard and do what has to be done.  They’ve already painted the school hallways.  Now they’re working on the rodent problem.

When is your first day of school?  How much did you spend on new clothes?  School supplies?  For my two girls, I spent about $400 on clothes and $100 on school supplies.

Flickr Creative Commons photo by Kevin Dooley.

My daughter always jokes about the names she plans to eventually give whatever babies she has (Umserriah for example).  She also jokes that she plans to call me Meemaw (um, no).  However, one set of parents seriously named their child Adolf Hitler.

And now they’ve officially lost custody, according to Ron at PopFi,

CPS officials maintain that the children aren’t being removed from parental custody due to their parents’ Nazi beliefs, but due in fact to allegations of mistreatment by Joseph Campbell against his wife and three children.  Despite no evidence of physical abuse, there are notes from Jeannie Campbell where she says she fears for her life, and little Adolph Hitler is displaying unusual aggression (albeit not for a child with that unfortunate name).

While I wholeheartedly disagree with their political and world views, people do have unalienable rights - including raising their children if they are not being harmed or neglected.  Of course you could argue that even naming their children what they’ve named them is damaging, but are they fed?  Do they go to school?  Are they safe?  It will be interesting to see how all this plays out.

I was going to make this a “Wordless Wednesday” post, but I couldn’t go without commenting on the hilarity of the Awkward Family Photos site.

Go to Awkward Family Photos if you’re feeling blue because they’ll be sure to lift your spirits!

I found a web site today called 1000 Awesome Things and am completely smitten with it.  Instead of focusing on bad things like so many of us tend to do … “my back hurts” or “the kitty carrier smells like urine” or “flooding destroys 289 homes” the site focuses on positive things.  More specifically, awesome things.

Like picking up things with your feet. Like digging a hole in your mashed potatoes and making a gravy lake. Like getting in the car to find someone has filled the tank. AWESOME!

I needed this one today,

Jam your elbows in that stomach, breathe in those shampoo fumes, and squeeze your knees into the puffy cushions while spooning into a quick catnap on the couch. As drool drips, skin warms, and a slippery sweatfilm slides between you, just smile, close your eyes, and fade into a quiet cuddly moment with someone you love.

Ahhhh… enjoy a moment of awesome every day.

My kids never received a regular allowance, however if they did certain chores around the house they did sometimes receive money.  Keeping their rooms clean, setting the table, doing the dishes once in a blue moon were expected.  They’d also have to run the vacuum cleaner, dust, and keep their laundry picked up off the bathroom floor.

However, when the kids went “above and beyond” like washing the car or trimming the hedges or cooking dinner, they were rewarded with some allowance.  Or if we had company coming and had to do a cleaning blitz throughout the entire house, I’d pay them $10 or so.

I find myself agreeing with Miranda Marquit’s thoughts on the subject,

I agree that teaching children the importance of hard work is important, and teaching them to earn money is important. But I’m not paying my seven year old for chores he should be doing because he’s a part of the family. I am trying to teach him that there is satisfaction derived from doing good work as part of the family, even if you don’t get paid for it.

Allowance is definitely not a “gimme” in my house. The kids get everything they need - from clothes to food to money to attend a football game or see a movie.  To get these things, they can do their chores.  To get extra, they can take on babysitting jobs, wash the cars, or other non-standard chores.