Crossing the Line

I have a pretty good sense of humor, especially about being a nerd.   I'll admit, I'm not above poking fun at other nerds, either.   Case in point, while sitting at breakfast in my hotel's lobby before going to Star Wars Celebration VI, and after hearing several conversations around me, I posted to Facebook that I suspected I was not actually nerdy enough to be attending the convention.   The fact remains, however, that I did attend the convention.  In fact, I had a great time at Star Wars Celebration VI.

In middle school and high school I was bullied.   A lot.  And I confess that I have said unkind things to others in the past.   I'm not proud of it, and to this day I still feel guilty, even for stupid things I said and did in elementary school (Tiffany and Jason, I am so sorry!).

That said, I generally take teasing with a grain of salt.  Someone makes fun of you, you cope.  If it's genuinely funny, you laugh.

William Shatner calling out the Trekkies on SNL?   I'm a fan of Star Trek, but that sketch was funny.

Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog, interviewing Star Wars fan in line for Episode I tickets?  I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and that segment was hilarious.

This?  I didn't find especially funny.
"What the Force??? Most bizarre Star Wars convention sightings.

One expects irreverence from SNL and Triumph.  But several websites for news stations posted the "What the Force???" slideshow -- not in the opinions and editorials section, but as a link from their main page.

Countless members of the 501st Legion -- people from all walks of life who create and wear movie-quality Star Wars costumes and raise millions of dollars for charities annually -- felt the slideshow was derogatory and certainly did not belong on a news network's website.  Some even called it cyberbullying.

Members of the 501st sent emails to the news networks.  One by one, the slideshow was removed from the news sites, accompanied by responses of apology.  Most of them.   A news station out of Miami, Local 10, has not only informed disgruntled 501st-ers that they "have better things to do," they have reposted the slide show, first (briefly) with the 501st Legion logo, and then on their Facebook page as a link from a photo captioned, "NEED YOUR THOUGHTS!  Posted this Star Wars convention slideshow a few days ago, seems to have caught on today.  Some people are upset.  WHAT DO YOU THINK????"

Juvenile?  I certainly think so.

I admit, if I found the photo captions on the slideshow even remotely funny, I might tell the stormtroopers of "Vader's Fist" to get over it and learn to take a joke.  Honestly, though, I found the captions to be insulting and inappropriate.   I don't feel like I'm taking anything too personally, though maybe I am.   I just thought it was tacky.

Basically, what bothers me is the news station is sending the message that it's okay to make fun of someone who has different interests than you as long as someone else gets a laugh out of it.   Here's the thing:  If someone's feelings are hurt by something you do, and you insist on continuing the behavior because you think it's funny?  That's being a bully.  Plain and simple.

Plus, someone went out of their way to go to Star Wars Celebreation VI and photograph people (people who, again, raise MILLIONS for charity with their costumes) just to make a few bucks off a mocking slideshow.  Tell me again just who it is that needs to get a life?

Summer Days, Drifting Away

It's August.   School has started in my county, and in the diocese in which I teach.  Once again, I find myself wondering where my summer went.

Here's where:

The threes are worse? Seriously?

We are in the throes of the "Terrible Twos" here.  Once again, I find myself at a complete loss, as an only child who has never really had much exposure to small children.  I keep trying to reassure myself that this stuff is normal and my son isn't really demon spawn.

I find myself fighting battles I don't want to fight, and having to put my foot down a lot harder than I really want, because I can't show weakness.  I can't let him think he can get his way by acting the way he does.   I know that somewhere in his little toddler brain it all makes sense somehow -- that really, the screaming will work this time.  That it's okay to not do the things Mommy says, or not wear shoes, or a jacket, or clothes at all.   That it's okay to kick or hit, even though every time it lands his little tantrummy butt in time out.

He's so sweet, and so smart, and his vocabulary is amazing, and if he could just use his words, everything would be fine.   Use the words before the meltdown and the time out and the hug and make up, and we would save so much time.  And sanity.

The other night, after telling the boy that I understood that he was upset and if he wanted to cry about it that was fine but he had to do it in his room because nobody else wanted to hear it, I walked back into the living room and exchanged exasperated looks with my husband.

"I hope we're not screwing up royally," I said to him.   "This is a developmental thing, right?  He'll get past this eventually?   Please tell me he's not going to grow up to be awful."

The best he could offer was, "I think so."

Good Manners

If TLB wants something, he must ask for it properly.   "May I have _____?"   He doesn't always remember.  Sometimes it begins as "I want _____,"  but he gets nothing from us until it becomes a request with "please" on it.

This morning, TLB wanted Daddy to go to the play room with him, but Daddy was still eating breakfast.

"Come on, Daddy!"  TLB insisted.

Daddy calmly explained that he would happily go to the play room with TLB as soon as he was finished with his breakfast.

Misinterpreting the delay, TLB changed his approach:  "May I have 'Come on,' please?"

Blogging on the Go

Nothing really to say here, except that I can now blog from my phone. Which pretty much makes my blog like Facebook, except I can't play "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" on my blog.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Part 3)

It had been my intention to enroll TLB in swimming lessons last summer, but tubes got in the way.  This summer, after a clean bill of health from TLB's ENT, I started shopping for swim instructors.  By "shopping" I really mean soliciting my Facebook friends for advice.

What my son didn't need was a "Mommy & Me" water class.   He was already comfortable in the water.  That was part of the problem.  He had absolutely no fear.   I ruled out the Y's toddler swim class, and other similar courses around town.

Ultimately, I decided on Waterlilly Swim School, which teaches Infant Swim Self Rescue.   As soon as I heard about this, I knew this was the program I wanted.  Unfortunately, as it was already well into June by the time we were able to start lessons, there was a considerable wait to get into classes.   In the meanwhile, we enrolled in another swim class just to pass time, and at the end of the class the instructor informed me that that was pretty much all she'd be able to do with him until he was older.  I knew better, but I let it go.   TLB had had fun for a couple weeks.

Finally, I got email notification that TLB would be able to begin his ISR classes.   It wasn't at the time I'd initially wanted, but I was able to make it work.

The first class was a briefing of what was to be expected, and a short time in the pool with the instructor to get TLB acclimated to the pool and the environment.   Ms. Gretchen informed me that sometimes the children get upset during their training, and that the best thing I could do was be positive and encouraging.  I assured her that I'm not the sort of mom who freaks out when her kid cries, and that I wouldn't interfere with the lessons.

Throughout the first week of lessons, Ms. Gretchen assured me that TLB was doing really well, but I was convinced he could do better -- or at least do what he was doing without all the typical two year old whining, crying and complaining about stuff he doesn't want to do.   Don't get me wrong, TLB loved to swim.   He just didn't want to float.  And in ISR, floating is kind of key.

So I resorted to bribery.  My son will do pretty much anything for a lollipop (poop on the potty, for example), so I informed him that if he did everything Ms. Gretchen asked him to do without crying, he could have a lollipop.   We made lots of progress that lesson.

For a long while, I had underestimated my son's ability to understand because of his limited vocabulary -- in my mind, only the stuff that came out was the stuff that went in, kind like that old Far Side comic about what we say to dogs and what they hear.  I have since come to realize that my son is not a dog (you'd think the banana episode would have tipped me off), and that he understands much more than he's able to say.  So I began coaching him.   It began with little pep-talks on the drive to swim school, but it gradually began to work its way into my "encouragement" during his lessons -- to the point that the mom of the child who followed TLB's lesson remarked, "Look how smart he is.  He's actually listening to you."

I don't know whether is was Ms. Gretchen's excellent instruction, my mad coaching skillz, or that my kid may be "Son of Poseidon" (according to Uncle Roland), but by the end of TLB's second week of lessons, Ms. Gretchen was convinced he was going to set a record for completing the course.  I don't know whether he actually did or not.  I do know that, according to the website, the average child takes about 35 lessons to complete it, and TLB did it in 16 (plus two days of testing and resetting).

Here is a link to a video Ms. Gretchen made of TLB's last few days of swim lessons (including one picture of a kid who isn't TLB). I tried to embed it, but for some reason it only wanted to embed half the frame.  Yes, he's swimming in his underwear for much of it, as his "reset" lesson was done at the spur of the moment after his winter clothes test and I hadn't brought his trunks.

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=f13d78f3aae28203149c3b&skin_id=1603&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Part 2)

Shortly before my summer break started, my husband and I purchased annual passes for Walt Disney World.   Their monthly payment program made it possible for us financially, and as we live only a couple hours away from the Happiest Place on Earth, we are likely to visit frequently.

TLB visited all four Disney parks this summer.   Although he had been to Walt Disney World at 6 months old, he was really more like a piece of baggage than a visitor at that point. I don't mean "baggage" in the negative, relationship issue sort of way.   It's just that we carried him around, but the trip wasn't really for him.

This time, it was all about him.   It was the first time he could really take in the experience and enjoy it.   In a way, it was a first time for me, too.   I've been to Walt Disney World literally hundreds of times, but this was my first real time experiencing it with my child.   The whole experience was different than any Disney experience I remember.

With a toddler, you do different things.  

You stand in line for character visits. 

You watch the parades, instead of using parade times to take advantage of slightly shorter ride lines.  

You ride Dumbo and the Carousel instead of roller coasters.   

You stay two nights in a hotel instead of making it a day trip, so your kid can spend midday napping in a dark, air-conditioned room.  

And you somehow manage to have the most magical time of your life.

Our trip to the Magic Kingdom was my favorite, because we experienced so much that was new.   We ate breakfast at the Cape May Cafe at the Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and were visited by Goofy, Minnie and Donald.   We stood in line at the park to visit Daisy, Pluto, Mickey and Minnie.   We danced at the "Move It! Shake It!  Dance Party" on Main Street and again at Chip, Dale and Stitch's dance party in Tomorrowland.   We let TLB stay up past his bedtime to see the Main Street Electrical Parade, but left before the fireworks.

It was our first Disney trip in over a decade that we didn't spend an evening at EPCOT to see IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.   This is tradition for our family, as my dad was the manager of the production team that built the barge that carries the Earth globe.   We did see the show when we visited over Memorial Day weekend, but TLB was terrified by it (to be fair, it does start off rather loud, fiery and violent).  So we gave it a miss this time -- we'll pick up the tradition when he's a little older.