TEENAGE SPOIL PREVENTION

Do we all remember those days?  How things have changed!  Problem is, our hearts get bigger than our brains when it comes our turn to raise the teenager.  Back in the day, we didn't have mom and dad dishing out the doe for this and that.  With that being said, it never really bothered us all that much.  We still managed to have a good time and find other means.  These days, we are having a hard time saying "no" when the hand comes out wanting.  It is time to bring in the reigns a little to teach responsibility about earning the things you have and want.

We are very fortunate that he is much more responsible than we were at that age.  He has given us no reason to not trust him at this point.  If he goes anywhere, he always calls and checks in frequently.  He is involved in multiple sports, very active in church, and yet still manages to keep an A average in school.  Sometimes, we make him slow down so we can see what he looks like.  Don't get me wrong, despite his continued show of responsibility, we still never under estimate our children; there could always be a first.

We have told him to concentrate on school and enjoy his teenage years.  Therefore, not to worry about getting a job for spending money unless he wants to during the summer.  It is time to clarify that he still must earn that spending money we dish out.  It has gotten to the point to where he expects the hand out when he comes to us.  When we try to reign in slightly and tell him "no" at times, you can hear the sigh and disappointment that he didn't "get his way."  Observation... we have spoiled the child.  It is time to back up and regroup before it gets out of hand.

LESSON LEARNED:  Don't spoil the child by always giving in.  No matter how responsible they are in other areas, they still must learn to appreciate the things they have and earn the things they want.

Teresa

GAME NIGHT

Last night was a breathe of fresh air from the norm.  I counted 13 kids and 10 adults.  And yes, I still have my sanity, lol.  Once a month we try to get together for game night.  The guys network 3-4 XBox 360's and play Halo... even the 3 yr old.  By the way, he can play just as good if not better than some of the others.  I grilled tons of hotdogs and every one pitched in.  It was a double event night this time being we were the host house for a friend of ours.  He wanted to have a surprise B-day party for his other half.  She was definitely surprised and teary eyed.  All the kids got along great with no issues.  We used to do this every Saturday night, but the frequency caused the whole thing to lose its purpose.  Once a month has worked out very well and everyone seems to really enjoy themselves.

LESSON:  Make time out of your busy schedule to make time for your family and friends from time to time.  Life is extremely fast paced and this enables us to spend that quality time needed for all.  We are also guilty of not spending enough time with the people we love and care about as much as we would like to.  We hope to get better in this department.  Life is too short to waste it.

Work In Progress

Hi everyone!  Well, as you can see, this is a work in progress... so please bear with me.  This whole blog thing is new to me.  My honey is an awesome teacher... there is hope for me yet.  Hats off to Michelle for her encouragement!  

I have to shrink the picture file size before I add any.  Pictures will be coming soon. Stay tuned, lol.

You will find, as time goes by through the blog, that there are a lot of things I have been introduced to... football, wrestling, nascar... who would have ever thought, lol. I sure do love my honey (giggle, giggle)

Gotta get my things organized for errand day tomorrow.  I will talk with yall soon. (can you tell I'm country, lol)