The Tower of Terror

One recent wintry Saturday morning, the family is lounging around the house after a nice big breakfast as per usual.  Since it is the weekend, I decide to take advantage of the help and set myself to work on the kitchen.  I am busying myself in the kitchen attempting to make a dent in the dirty dishes while Jeff plays with the kids.

I am not really paying attention to what they are doing because I am focused on trying to reduce the filth a little and my ears are only tuned in to the "screaming in pain" alert level.  (If I ever woke up and my house was spotless, I would FOR SURE know I was in the Matrix.  But that's a whole other post.) Plus, Jeff is watching the boys so I know they are in excellent hands.

After a few minutes in the kitchen, J yells, "Mama, look at me!  Look at me!" So, I glance up from the sink and see the picture above.  (No joke.  I kid you not.)

My first reaction is "Oh cheese and biscuits!  That looks dangerous. I don't know about that slide."  Then I watch J slide down the slide smiling and laughing, then my second reaction is, "Look at my sweet boy having so much fun. I'll be sure to watch him so he doesn't get hurt."  (And my third reaction is, "Wow.  Jeff made another cool contraption for the kids to play with/on/under.")

Every parent has different ways of parenting.  From my observations, there seems to be a few prominent styles.  Some of the most prevelant styles appear to be laid back, helicopter, kamikaze (You know who you are!), or a mixture.

I freely admit that I am a helicopter parent.  I am a helicopter parent because I am a wigster.  (What is a wigster? A wigster is someone who "wigs out" on a frequent, daily basis over lots and lots of life happenings.)  I have always been a wigster (or a "worrier of sorts" if you will) but it seemed to intensify after having kids.  Even though, I will say I think I have mellowed out after having my second kid. (The people who know me are probably laughing hysterically right now.  But, I HAVE mellowed out, honestly, even if it's just a little.  You gotta give me that.)

Jeff and I have differenting parenting styles, thus we like to do different things with the kids.  When I am playing with the boys, we do things like color, paint, do puzzles, play trains, and ride bikes.  (Nice, safe quiet things.) When Jeff is playing with the boys, they do things like wrestle, run through obstacle courses, jump off chairs onto the bed, "see if you can knock me down while wearing a pillow" and the tower of terror (as pictured above).

Maybe it's our different parent styles.  Maybe it's because they are all boys and boys like to be active (very, very active).  Maybe it's because I am more of a worrier and Jeff is more laid back.  I'm really not sure.

But, that's okay.  I think it's great that J and L have Jeff and I who love them more than life itself.  It's doesn't really matter what your parenting style or how you spend time with your kids.  It just matters that you do.