Ski Bum Pics

Here are the ski pics I promised in my last Blog but could not deliver due to technical difficulties!

Top: Harrison sitting in snowbank patiently awaitng his ski instructor to appear and give him his first private ski lesson!

2nd: Taken last year when he was only 2 yrs old and his first time ever out on skis! He has amazing balance! Isn't he adorable!?

3rd: His Apres-Ski routine consists of a well deserved nap as soon as he gets into the car!

4th: Enjoying his ride up to the top of the mountain in the gondola at Sunshine Village in Banff.

Bottom: Proud Mommy and Harrison after a full day of skiing at Sunshine! Don't we look a little bit wiped out!? My legs aren't what they used to be!!!

We had a great day! Hope you enjoy the pics!!! Leave us a comment so we know you were here....I keep hearing rumors that some of you stop by and do enjoy the tales told here, but you are not leaving your comments~which makes it hard for me to believe you were really here! You guys know who you are~just to add a little bit of guilt, I'll see if naming names helps any...Jean-Francois (come on~you need to set the example here!), Melodie, Adam, Louis, Rachael, Mike (you too Daddy!) not to mention my whole entire family!!! No pressure, just some gentle nudging is all! Gee guys...what are friends for!? I'll be watching for those comments!!! And by the way....thanx to those of you that keep up with us regularily and leave your comments for me to enjoy~I always read them and look forward to them~keep it up!!!!

Ski Bum!

I have a lil Ski Bum on my hands! As many of you already know, we introduced Harrison to downhill skiing last winter, when he was only 2 yrs old. My parents outfitted him with his own set of skis and boots, and he couldn't wait to hit the slopes! We took him out a few times last ski season and he did quite well, considering his age! He has been asking us all winter to go back to the big mountains to go skiing, so on Sat we finally had a quiet weekend with great weather, so we packed him up and headed out to Sunshine Village Ski Resort to enjoy a great day on the slopes!!!

As soon as we arrived he was anxious to ride the gondola to the top of the mountain and to get on the chairlift that would take him to the summit! Amazing how much he remembered from last year! He told us "I ride gondola up mountain and eat at restaurant at top!" I got him to agree to start with the magic carpet on the Kiddy Hill, however that was not enough to fill his appetite for adventure and destruction!!! He was determined to get on the chairlift and ride it to the top and ski down from there....no Baby Bunny Hill for this Hurricane!!! After several turns on the Kiddy Hill, with little help from mommy, my Dad booked him in for a private ski lesson! Imagine...a private lesson for a 3 yr old kid!!! How can you tell he's the first grandchild, and a boy after having 2 daughters!? So I pulled him off the hill, not without a huge meltdown, as he kicked and screamed to go on the chairlift, while everyone stared at me as if I were beating him senseless! (which at that point did cross my mind!) I got him to eat some lunch and rest for a few minutes before he had to be at his lesson.

Then we took him down to Ski-School, where he sat in the snowbank, and to which he anwered anything you tried to tell him with, "I'm waiting for my ski teacher...I'm waiting for my ski lesson!" He was far too busy to talk to us! Hilarious! Finally his ski instructor showed up~a nice young Aussie named David, who took him away on a small hill just for the Ski School kids, with big padded colorful blocks at the bottom for crashing into at full speed! We left him alone with his new teacher, and all he did was look back at me over his shoulder and call out half-heartedly "I will miss you mommy!" And away he went to learn how to master the slopes, and soon the moguls!!!

After an hour we went to fetch him, however he was already in the daycare area playing happily with the other kids, so we left him there for the afternoon while we continued to enjoy the adult runs in the gorgeous spring weather, and the non-existant line ups at the chairlifts~it was great! We picked him up from the daycare at 4pm, and he still had it in his head he was going on the chairlift and going to ski at least one run with us! Since, from my last Blog entry, you all know there is NO changing this kid's mind, we reluctantly agreed and caught the last lift of the day, up to a run we knew he could mostly handle! I say mostly handle, because there is one really steep part, that is hard for a little guy to navigate alone, so my Dad guided him down the hill sideways between his legs!

Other than that, Harrison tackled the real thing with determination and a great persistant attitude, that will allow him to accomplish great things in life! He never gave up, no matter how many times he fell down on that snow covered mountain! He kept telling me, "I know how to ski. I can do it!" Now you can teach your kids a lot of things, but that kind of persistance to press on through all kinds of challenges, that drive and focus on success is a gift you are born with! I have been both blessed and cursed with an extremely determined and goal oriented child, that does not give up easily. Blessed because this attitude is a wonderful attribute in successful adults, however at times I feel cursed, as they are often the hardest children to parent! As long as I channel it responsibly, he should be the most athletic and career minded kid out there!

So be watching for my Ski Bum on the Canadian Ski Team at the 2014 Winter Olympics!!! For any of you interested, I can send you an original of his autograph now, while the price is still right, however the longer you hold off, the less I can guarantee it will be free!!! Any takers!?

PS I tried unsuccessfully all day to post the ski pics to this entry, however the same message of cannot find server kept popping up, really frustrating me! Not sure if it's my server or the Blogger one that's causing trouble, however I will keep attemtping to get the awesome Ski Bum pics posted for you enjoyment!!!

Hilarious Hurricane

I have decided to add another regular feature to my Blog, titled, quite appropriately Hilarious Hurricane...welcome to Volume 1. Many of you who don't get the pleasure of spending a lot of time with the little gaffer, may question why his nickname is Hurricane. This should clear things up for you....

Allow me to start from the beginning if you will. After 9 long months of all-day sickness (morning sickness? that's for wimps!) a grueling couple of days in the hospital on bedrest, being induced, then a wild ride that lead straight to an emergency c-section early one Father's Day morning I shall never forget, and a little bit of ressecitation required in the OR to get my beautiful baby breathing, I thought the struggle was over and we could take our bundle of joy home and enjoy him! Little did I know that I would also be forced to learn to enjoy many personality traits I never knew existed! Here are some of my favorite Hurricane Harrison Hilarities that I am convinced only exist in my world...I have yet to meet anyone who has as many wild and crazy moments that rival ours so far!

He was very particular about what he wanted and how he wanted it, right from the start, which is why I also nicknamed him Prince Harry from about week 2, long before the Hurricane actually hit! He would scream in the car anytime we travelled less than 50km/hr and you didn't dare stop for a red light for fear of never getting him to settle down again! He had to be held and burped a certain way or else he'd cry until YOU got it right! He prefered to nurse off the right side only and I would practically have to starve him to get him to nurse off the left side. He never took a bottle or a soother. (the pic up top is him pretending to be a baby more recently!) It was up to the rest of the world to fit into his schedule, NOT the other way around.

At 18 mos he fell out of a shopping cart head first, onto a concrete floor, splitting his lip open and bleeding all over me when I picked up his stunned little self off the floor! Don't worry...he was fine, just a little bit scared to go shopping after that! Later that spring, at about 20 mos old he went on a real spree over a 3 week period, and we seemed to be constantly doing damage control after he'd been through somewhere. He called 911 while my dad was babysitting him and had Calgary's Finest storming the house, guns drawn, 2 at the front door and 2 covering the back!!! Next was what I refer to now as the Perfume Incident, where he got hold of one of my perfume samples, got the lid off and managed to drink it all down before I could even get within arms reach of him! That was followed by a call to Poison Control and a lot of Puke Patrol clean up for me!!! The following week he flushed the toilet over and over so many times that it backed right up, flooded the bathroom floor and leaked through to the basement! Not long after that, he ran out in front of a van on me in the alley, narrowly avoiding getting hit and severely injured. The kid's got speed!!!

We've had a few other incidents along the way, most of which have been much tamer than those! However last year while still living out on the farm, he and the dog took a stroll down the 1/2 km driveway, across the gravel road, where we found them playing happily in the neighbour's ditch, all covered in mud, just as the sun was goin down. I was in such a panic, thinking we would not find them before dark, and terrified that he would get hit by a tractor since he set out on his adventure during seeding, when we experience the second highest volume of traffic on that road next to harvest.

Now come the potty training adventures! If you've been keeping up with us on this Blog, you know by now that I have stopped buying diapers in an uphill battle to get my nearly 4 yr old son potty trained! Well...like I said, it is not without accidents that we will achieve this great goal, but with patience, persistance and positive parenting. (I think...I don't know anymore!) After a week of doing so well, he came upstairs from playing hockey in the basement, only he wasn't wearing any pants. UH-OH. I knew something was up, so I immediately let him lead me back downstairs (to the scene of the crime!) only to find that he had pooped and peed on the floor, then taken out his hockey stick and used his own poop as a puck! YUP. There was poop everywhere!!! I felt angry, discouraged and frustrated...now come on...even the world's most patient mom (which I am NOT!) would begin to crack under that kind of performance!!! It's a delicate balance between coming down too hard and giving him a Potty-Complex, turning him off using it even more, and being had by a 3 yr old and allowing him to think he got away with something! I only slightly freaked out, just enough to scare him a little and to make myself feel better, then I regained what composure I had left, cleaned it up with his help and carried on. That was 2 days ago. Things in the potty department have been a little shakey since then to say the least. Today he peed his pants and told me, "I decided it's OK to pee my pants!" YOU decided? Like I said, this is a child with his own agenda, and nobody, NOBODY is going to tell HIM to use the potty or do anything else their way! I refuse to buy more diapers, so I guess he's going to have to get used to walking around in wet pants, until HE decides it's OK to pee on the potty, and not in his pants!

Now...does any of this leave any of you with any other questions as to why he is famously known as the Hurricane around here?!

Diaper Free!

Now I don't want to speak too soon and jinx myself...but I think we may have done it! I think we may officially be free of diapers forever...or at least until I have my next kid~which now that I am diaper-free may never happen! I'm thinking it might be hard to go back once you've been to the other side!!!

Last Wed we went shopping and I was down to one diaper, so I asked Harrison if he'd like me to buy more, or if he'd like to try wearing Big Boy underwear. He looked me in the eye and in a stern voice replied, "No more diapers! Big boy underwear!" I decided not to tempt fate and thought I'm not asking that question twice! "Big boy underwear it is then, for my big boy!" is what I said, as I gave him the world's biggest hug! Wow...what a breakthrough moment that was! Then I began to kick myself for not having asked that a year ago...although I do have a vague recollection of asking that very same question several times, only to be met with a glare, a pout and a defiant NO and the beginning of a power struggle and a battle I just was not prepared to fight for the sake of diapers! However, last week his decision was made by him, and he alone. He had taken back his power, and as long as he feels in control of what is happening to him, both of our lives are easier!

So there you have it! I came home from shopping, took off his diaper and put underwear on him and told him to use the potty, then went into the bathroom and placed the stool I bought quite some time ago for this momentous occasion in front of the toilet and waited...and waited...and waited! Not sure what I was waiting for...I guess either for him to go on the toilet or for him to pee his pants...either way it would be a learning experience he would need to endure! I was pleased and proud as he ran into the bathroom himself, pulled his pants off and climbed up on the toilet and peed!!! Hooray Harrison! Who would have thought I'd be SO thrilled about pee?! He even made it through my whole afternoon run on the bus in underwear without peeing his pants~now we were getting somewhere! Since last Wed, he has only used a pull-up at night and worn his big boy underwear all day, everyday, with very few accidents! He even woke up Sat morning totally dry, and did a big pee on the potty for me as soon as he got up! I couldn't be happier!

We had one major setback Fri afternoon, about 5 mins before it was time to go on my afternoon run on the bus~of course! He knew he had to poop, but couldn't hold it and didn't want to go on the toilet, so he took his pants and underwear off and pooped all over the dining room carpet! Lovely! I didn't get mad for fear of turning him off this wonderful new experience of potty use! So I stayed as calm as one can with poop all over the floor, down his leg and all over his hands, with only minutes to spare before rushing out the door to work, for a job where being on time and keeping a strict schedule is imperative to keeping your job!!! After a deep breath, I explained to him that next time he feels the poop coming, he needs to tell me and do it on the potty, not the dining room floor...or any other floor for that matter!!! He promised me he would, but had not done so until he made good on his promise today by pooping in the potty like a big boy for the first time!!!

I am elated! Proud of him and his determination and willingness to co-operate. Proud of me for being so patient and allowing this to happen on his schedule, making it easier on both of us. Pleased that we have reached another milestone in the long line of many, that we as parents get to check off as a testament to our success! And although he is not what I would consider 100% potty trained, as we are still experiencing accidents and ups and downs in the whole potty department, since I am no longer buying diapers, I can say for certain that we are indeed 100% diaper-free!!! (it's all semantics!)

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

My very good highschool friend Angela writes regular column type entries on her Blog (www.heavenlyshudders.blogspot.com) under the same title each time, only changing the Volume number. Since I did just plug her Blog (it's a must to check out!) I am hoping she won't be mad at me for stealing her ingenious idea! So here it is...introducing my new regular column, aptly named "Out Of The Mouths Of Babes" Volume 1. It is fairly self-explanatory.

Since Harrison really started talking nearly a year ago, I've noticed his vocabulary steadily increase along with his comprehension, and his use of language and grammar has exploded. Amazingly enough, he is quite proficient at getting things in the right context, which he's learned from listening to and participating in conversations around him. Here are a few of my favorite examples of some of the things he says to warm my heart and bring a smile to my face daily!

He has his standard repertoire of answers he draws from for daily questions, such as "I think/don't think so" and "I guess/don't guess so" or "I will try/try not to". There's the usual "yes", "no", "maybe" and "sure". And the ever so sweet "sure I can mommy"! Then when he's angry and frustrated (and probably copying me!) he says, "I mean it!" in this frightfully angry tone, as he furrows his brow and pouts! (Is that what I really look like!?)

My absolute favorites would have to be those once in a lifetime moments that steal your heart, and force you to memorize everthing about that moment, like the sound of his little 3 yr old voice and the inflection he uses to emphasis his point~ before it's gone and nothing but a memory. I find myself frozen, savoring that sliver of time that is pure childhood innocence, that will vanish with toddlerhood, only to be replaced by less naive grown-up comments. Those precious spontaneous and in the moment times are too few and become farther between with age, making us cherish them even more when we are blessed with them. Here is one of those awesome moments...

Harrison and his Daddy were playing a game of "hide and chase", where Harrison likes to run and hide and have you chase him when you find him! Daddy decided to mix it up a little and hide on Harrison, but before Harrison could find him Daddy jumped out and startled him, to which Harrison replied, "You almost scared heart out of me Daddy!" How cute is that?! And how perceptive is that?! Every one of us has been startled by something unexpected and felt the physical reaction in our chest.

Last night Harrison was fighting bedtime and looking for any excuse that seemed to be a good one to keep from going to sleep. He told me "I'm wooking for somesing". (looking for something!) When I asked him what that could be, he answered "I don't know yet. That's why I need help! Come and help me." Somehow, searching for something that we had no idea what it could be, seemed like an exercise in futility, especially 1/2 hr past bedtime!!! However, it was pretty cute! (and no it didn't work at extending his bedtime~told him to keep searching in bed and it would come to him!)

This last story is by far my favorite! He was laying on the floor in the living room with his pillow and blanket and not feeling well, when he got up and said to me, "Mommy, I just can't sweep." (sleep) I told him he didn't need to sleep, just some quiet time would do fine. "No Mommy...can't sweep cuz giant meteor falling out of sky and crashing into ocean splashing watey (H2O) everywhey (everywhere)". He blew my mind with that last part! Where does he get this stuff?! Appearantly watching the Discovery Channel will make your child appear smarter than they really are!!! Turns out Harrison had been watching a show about meteors with my Dad, and had decided he wants to be an astronaut when he grows up! And here I thought he was a genius!!! Amazing how much they take in and process when we don't even realize they are paying attention!

All of this out of the mouths of babes....

Budding Scientist

Today we enjoyed a day of fun and learning all wrapped into one as we headed to the Calgary Science Centre! Harrison is just starting to get interested in basic science principles, dinosaurs and outer space. He had so much fun exploring the wonderful world of science through free play, all at his own pace! As you can see from these pictures, once I find something he is keen on it's easy to engage him! Perhaps I should invest in an annual pass, as it looks like there will be plenty more days like this one ahead of us!

There he is riding a red ant~Yeehaw and Giddy Up Cowboy!

He also enjoyed hitting glass jars with different amounts of water in each one to listen to the pitch they make. However from the way he was wailing on those jars I think I have more of a drummer on my hands than a melodic musician!!!

There is a whole section of small plastic PVC-like tubes and couplings that can be linked together to build things. He enjoyed standing them all up in the holes in the floor, making what appeared to be a mini-jail! Please let this be foreshadowing of his police career and not his criminal one!!!

What trip to the science centre would be complete without a walk on the moon?! Here is my little astronaut taking his first steps on the moon! So glad he made the trip home again...I was beginning to miss him!

And there he is looking at a butterfly under the microscope. They also have spiders and larvae at various stages. He loves bugs and anything creeping crawly~he's a boy!!!

Speaking of which, his most favorite part of the whole experience was a new and temporary display they've aptly named Grossology, and it's all about the human body and the smells it makes and the rude noises it's capable of producing!!! Well...what boy can resist a Burp Machine that belts out loud belches?! Or the Toot Noise Maker, where you get to produce authentic "human gas" noises?! They also have a Barf Maker, a Skin Crawling Wall (like a rock climbing wall) complete with hair, blisters, scabs and warts (yuck!) and a Smell Making Machine, where you get a nasty whiff of a human body odour (use your imagination!) and you must guess which repugnant smell it is!!! But my son's favorite was this giant mechanical guy with a faucet for a head and spout for a nose that dripped a giant green Booger while informing you of the many uses of snot!!!

Like I said before, it was learning through play and fun, breaking all conventional teaching methods...but this kid's no conventional kid either!!!!

Bathroom Breakthrough!

WOW!!! You'll never believe what just happened! I put Harrison down for his quiet time, like I do every afternoon at this time, and carried on with my routine. I heard him turn the radio, followed by jumping on the bed, then peeked in to see the light on as well. I knew he would not sleep, but as long as he doesn't come out for at least one hour and does not destroy my room (he has quiet time in my bed) it's all good! About 1/2 hr later I heard the bedroom door open, some bumping and crashing, the sound of little feet in the hallway, followed by a commotion in the bathroom. What now, was all I was thinking as I headed toward the loo, wondering what I might find. I had visions of water everywhere as he splashed under the tap of running water, sleeves soaked and a mischievious smile upon his face~like so many times before! Why did I ever think that bathroom stool would be a good investment?! Well...I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong!!!

As I turned the corner into the bathroom, what do you suppose I saw?! My own little Prince Harry, diaper off and tossed aside, sitting bare-bum upon his royal throne, with the biggest, broadest, proudest smile I have ever seen!!! "What are you doing?" I asked, even though it seemed rather obvious, I had to be sure, since I could hardly believe my eyes!!! "Going potty," he replied! That is like music to my ears and the most wonderful words he could speak! "All by yourself?" I asked cautiously. Again that million dollar smile as he flashed his big bright baby blues at me! "Wow! Good for you!" I beamed with unimaginable parental pride, rushing over to hug him, trying not to disrupt the important work at hand and knock him off balance! "I told myself I had to pee. Waiting for pee to come out!" he explained. And so we waited, and sure enough it did!

I realize that all of you adults accomplish this everyday, without such pomp and circumstance, however to me, this is a sweet and glorious victory!!! He might as well have scored the winning goal of the Stanley Cup or brought home the Nobel Peace Prize for attaining World Peace!!! For I could not have been prouder of his feat today! This is one of those breakthrough moments that make you proud to be a parent!

I am not sure if he was just trying to avoid having quiet time, or actually recognized the signs of a full bladder, but you can bet that I did not care that my routine, nor his nap was interupted for that! His actions today support my theory that if you just leave them in diapers long enough, they will potty train themselves...eventually!!! Until we see if there shall be a repeat performance, I am going to bask in the glory of this bathroom breakthrough, that to me is pure bliss!!!

Powerful Parental Personality

This is a PS to my last entry. As you read, I am trying to figure out if it's personality or parenting that molds our children into the people/adults they become. After reading the comments, discussing it with a few more people and pondering the point further myself, I have failed to include a couple of key points, that I did not think of until now. That perhaps both (parenting and personality) play a role in the way our toddlers turn into preschoolers, however I now think that parenting does play a larger role, and as far as I can tell, I have failed miserably in that department!!! The other possibility that did not occur to me until I gave it more thought, was the parent's personality!

Now I believe I'm on to something! I thought perhaps I could blame this all on his personality, then after more intense consideration, and a whole lot of people telling me that is ridiculous, I was forced to look deep within, and accept the fact that I am responsable for how he turns out! Therefore, it's both my parenting style and my personality that are affecting Harrison, not his personality! I am afterall the adult, and he the child~making it up to me to change my ways to better suit him, not the reverse!

Having kids is a wake-up call, as you see yourself in them, both your strengths and your weaknesses. Now my challenge as a parent becomes guiding him in the right direction, respecting him as a whole human being, weaknesses included! It becomes more personal when it's your own weaknesses facing you, creating the biggest challenge. Since they are my weaknesses, I obviously don't have a handle on them, making my job more difficult trying to help him work through them. If I knew how to work through them, they wouldn't be my weaknesses now would they?! Since I don't want his life to be difficult, I'd like him to learn from an early age how to deal with his impatience, his stubborness, his anger, his temper and his physical aggression. (also all my weaknesses except the last one~so far anyway!) Like my very good and wise girlfriend Angela said (in the comments in my last entry) it's something we are both learning together, like a dance. Most days I feel like no one sent me the steps to that dance...is it too late to get them now?!

The conclusion I have come to, is that it's not the child's personality that matters, but rather the parent's personality and their parenting style that most affect the child's behaviour and attitude. And after taking a good look at mine, I need to make some big changes in both of those departments before I see any results! Like Dr Phil says, "you cannot change what you don't acknowledge". Now that I see the problem, it's only a problem if I don't fix it! Looks like some self-improvement is on my agenda for the next while!!! I have only failed if I don't try!!!

In my defense, I really thought I was more patient and understanding and better suited for this job! I knew it would be hard work, but I didn't realize how much my personality and weaknesses would come back to haunt me, nor did I realize just how many weaknesses I had! It's an uphill struggle to change your personality, but he's worth every bit of it to me!!! I fear that I came across as not enjoying him or being a mom~which is not true. I love my son like crazy and really enjoy being his mom. I feel honoured to have been chosen to be the parent of such an amazing human being, full of life, spunk and spirit! I also know that these traits that make life more challenging as a parent, will turn out to be the most rewarding as he heads into adulthood, with a love for life and an un-ending will and determination to reach his goals!!! He has a beautiful soul and the biggest heart of any 3 yr old I know! This Hurricane will travel far on life's path, leaving a legacy of love, kindness and generosity behind him!

Parenting Vs Personality

It's an age old question that began long ago with Adam and Eve...I am almost certain! Anyone who is a parent has pondered this thought and would like to blame the Personality side of the debate. Those of you without kids think there is nothing to ponder and would gladly pin it all on the Parents! Here is your chance to set the record straight with my own little study in psychology. After reading this, please post your answers in the Comments section, where I will be closely studying and comparing the Parent to Non-Parent responses!

Before Harrison I was convinced that there were no bad kids, only bad parents. And what I couldn't do if only I could just get hold of some of those brats in the mall for a couple of days...I'd straighten them right out! Sure is nice to be child-free and have all the answers! Then June 2002 hit and in enters Hurricane Harrison, centre stage, Prince Harry~King of the Castle!!! Well wasn't I humbled!? I now know for sure God does have a sense of humour! It was like He was waiting for me to pro-create so He could show me "what for!" Judging all those innocent people, who like me only months or years before had all the answers too, but now stood there completely stumped by a preschooler. Blaming them for their child's tantrums as I stood by with all the answers, unwilling to share my infinite wisdom, watching them struggle, while we as perfect strangers mumbled nasty comments under our breath! What kind of parent would allow their child to act like that in public?

I now know what kind of parent...one just like me! I found out the very hard way that I don't indeed have all the answers. I am completely humbled by the experience parenthood has brought me, and am mortified when I remember how presumptious I was to even think that I had all the answers! There is nothing more humbling that finding out you really don't know a darn thing, and everything you thought you knew is wrong, and nothing you try works! That, to me, is the definiton of being humbled~and if parenthood doesn't do it to you, I'm afraid nothing will! So now that I was "one of them" (a parent!) it was increasingly harder to point a finger of blame, wouldn't that be hypocrytical? Besides, it didn't take me long to figure out that we needed to stick together and I would soon need as many of them as possible as allies!

Whether it was out of sheer desperation, or not wanting to feel any more guilty than we already do as parents by blaming ourselves, I set out to find an alternative to my young son's spirited behaviour! It couldn't all be my fault could it?! That is when I discovered the possibility of personality!!! And his was plentiful! Did I ever mention the time he was 7 months old and threw his first major tantrum? We were shopping (this never would have happened with a girl!) and he went stiff as a board in the seat of the cart, threw his head back and started to scream at the top of his lungs! An older lady passing by asked if he was having a tantrum. I answered, "it sure looks that way doesn't it?" After asking his age, she soothingly put her hand on my arm and in a sympathetic voice said to me, "you are in big trouble dear!" If only I'd known how deep of troube she meant! It only got worse from there, and from what I hear the teen years aren't a treat either!

And so the great parenting debate began. Parenting vs Personality. Nature vs Nurture. Call it what you will, but it consumed me, and I vowed I would not give up until I had an answer! Here I am 3 yrs later still searching for an answer that may never come, and arguing with people that personality does play a role in your child's behaviour to some extend! It's hard to find an answer when everything is still a question. Is he spirited because of the difficult pregnancy, the intense labor and the emergency delivery by C-section? Did I spoil him by picking him up every time he cried as a baby? Which I did only thinking it would make him cry less later since he would be secure knowing that his needs were being met. Was it sleeping with him in my arms due to my own selfishness, wanting to be as close to him as possible for as long as I could? Was it perhaps the one time I did leave him to cry it out in his crib for the first time at 1 yr old, as I sat bawling my eyes out in the other room, while his Dad tried to reassure me in vain that he would somehow survive the crying? (maybe Harrison would but I surely would not!) Then came my separation from his Daddy. This would no doubt scar him for life...great more guilt. Maybe I am a horrible parent and it's manifesting itself in my child's spirit and I've contaminated his innocent and peaceful soul with my own greed, insecurities and weaknesses? Yup...he's ruined for all eternity thanks to the lack of my parenting ability.

How could this job be so hard? It doesn't seem hard at the onset. How hard could it really be to feed a newborn every few hours, change their diaper a few times a day and put them back to sleep? If someone had told me that you have to feed them every 2 hours (not few hours!) around the clock, 7 days a week for 6 weeks straight, change their diaper a few times an hour (not a day!) and once they are born and wake up from that delightful sleep-like-a-baby snooze they only seem to do in the hospital, you can never get them back to sleep again...I may have reconsidered the position!!! If only it were that easy! I really do believe that's why it's only the people without kids that presume to have all the answers, because once you've been there, it becomes clear how hard it is and you realize you don't have a clue. You know better than to tell someone else what to do, or how to do it, since you yourself are still stuck on the steep learning curve! They are probably no different than you and are just trying their best under intense pressure, wondering what parenting has to do with any of it, when clearly it's all personality's fault!

This is when I investigated the effect of personality a little more deeply. Was my parenting making him more of a challenge, or was his challenging behaviour now affecting my parenting style? Parenting style...if only I had style I wouldn't be in this mess! Perhaps that is what I am lacking...style. Did I create him and all that he is and has become, solely by parenting alone? Or could it be that this little soul came to me, pre-programmed just the way God intended him to be, and I am merely here to guide him on his journey, the best I can, praying everyday that I have the courage and the strength to not let he or God down? Truely humbling it is to be a human doing God's work here on earth.

Please post your answers to my Parenting vs Personality questions in the Comments. Do you think that parents are to blame for their children's spirited behaviour, and that there is a quick fix or simple remedy that works without fail to keep their children from melting down all the time? Or, do you believe that children are born with their own agendas and parents are only along for the ride, struggling to keep up with their spunk and spirit and ever changing needs? And that perhaps some things, no matter how hard we try, we will never have the answers to?

Hurricane's Hockey Pics~for real this time!

Here we are! Finally! I got this to work and the pics posted! That only took me 2 weeks! Hope you find the pics worth the wait!
As you can see he's concentrating really hard on gettin that puck down the ice...when he loses his balance and it's game over!


These bottom ones were taken on a different day, and as you can see he didn't have much better luck staying up on his feet! The kid's got determination I tell you!!! My fave pic is the close-up one with the big "I'm so great!" smile!!!! Would you like his autograph now or when he's a big rich and famous NHL star?! It'll cost you a lot less now....but I do have a fee as his manager though!!!

Enjoy the pics now that they are there!!!!