it is friday afternoon and i will be driving around from 3:15pm until 7:15pm taking my kids various places. when did this become an acceptable way for a 40-something-year-old to spend a friday afternoon and evening? and to sound even more old-lady than that last sentence - no wonder these kids are obsessed with selfies, and themselves in general. with every activity that we drive them across town to, we are telling them that their activities and their lives are the most important thing and that nothing is too much to ask of your parents. and some adults i know would even support that thinking.
i can tell you that randy joe and ronnie didn't think like that. i was loved and cared for and had plenty of opportunities. sacrifices were made for me. but friday nights were not spent driving me to my activities. there was no travel soccer. sure, maybe an occasional dance recital or gymnastics meet but weekend opportunities for them to hang out, listen to steely dan and smoke and drink (it was the 70s), were not negotiable. or at least as i remember it.
ronnie didn't fret over what to put in the gift bags at mine and my sister's birthday parties. in the 70s, only the person who had the birthday got the gifts. the guests got to attend a party - and eat cake. no, they didn't get their face painted, or have a jumpy house to play in. but still, there was cake. one with thick, crisco and sugar icing flowers all over. none of that whipped shit from publix.
the other day in barnes and noble, i saw that they are now selling a birthday elf-on-the-shelf. i don't know what our kids will do when they grow up and realize that no one gives a shit about their birthdays. i also feel sorry for any guy that ever wants to propose to a girl who grew up in the early 2000s. what will he ever do to top her high school prom invitations?
parents today didn't grow up like this - so why are we raising our kids this way? we all grew up in a time when kids were told to go outside and play while the grown-ups talked and had fun. we sat at the card table with the other kids, while the adults got the big table. now, i feel like parents put the kids first. they are the most important thing. let's tell them that. let's show them that by giving them everything they could dream of asking for and them some. let's show them by driving them all over the state every weekend for their soccer games. let's show them by giving them the biggest and best birthday party ever with the most expensive treat bags! let's show them by completely sacrificing our entire adult lives in every possible way.
now, i know you (all three of you reading this) are thinking, "when did nicole's blog turn into a big fat rant?" and the answer is - on friday, between 3:15 and 7:15pm.
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