Hard to believe but summer is officially here! Not that it feels like summer since the last few weeks have overall been a monsoon. I’m sure we’ll get another collective 1 month of actual summer weather as per usual.

So in my last blog post I mentioned Q started soccer. As of yet, I haven’t needed to drink to get through games. This is a plus. Mostly for the other parents. Some kids are really advanced for their age and some are still in the “I just want to wave at mom and dad and pick my nose” phase. Overall they should just call it “Herding Cattle” instead of soccer. Q knows how to dribble and has managed to score at least once a game, which as competitive parents, makes us extremely happy. He still hasn’t grasped the concept of being aggressive and going after the ball more. And yes, we are THOSE parents who say things like this to our 4 year old when he is taking breaks. My husband is better than me at positive reinforcement after he gives pep talks. I’m the mother saying things like, “You’re not paying attention – FOCUS!”, “KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL!”, “PULL IT TOGETHER!” So last week a dad from the other team looks at me and gives me a dirty look. Keep in mind his daughter was the one who caused a delay of game because he was doing her hair. I’m not even kidding. Because I have a word vomit problem I said, “What?!” to which he ACTUALLY replied, “You should just let him have fun.” Again… because I can’t let ANYTHING go I replied, “Fun doesn’t make you a better athlete.” I’m such a jerk. When I told my husband about this incident he just laughed. I said, “Well good grief… do you think Lebron’s mom kissed his boo boo’s and coddled him when he was 4?” My husband looked at me with zero expression and said, “Lebron? Quinn is not and never will be Lebron. Did you see that dance he was doing on the field? Yeah….”

And the fun continues. My husband informs me last week that he is signing him up for t-ball in July and basketball in August. Things have changed so much from when I was a kid. When I was 4-5 I think I was still playing with Barbie’s, coloring and chasing the farm cats around our yard (I had a very fulfilling childhood I swear). I don’t think I even understood what organized sports were until I was in 5th or 6th grade. It’s also important to mention I had the athletic prowess of a flamingo. But for kids now, it’s almost imperative that you figure out what they want to do so they can focus on what they really love. We’re in deep you-know-what if our kid just continues to say, “I just want to do everything!” I also think it’s important to note that if one day our son says, “I hate sports and don’t want to play anymore” we won’t be upset. He just better put that energy into school and becoming a doctor.

The biggest “challenge” for us right now with Q is that he has zero stranger danger instincts. We don’t want him to be shy or completely afraid of people, but what do you do when your kid literally wants to talk to anyone and everyone? And no matter what we say or do, he doesn’t listen/pay attention to us. Example: My husband takes Q to buy a grill. Q wants to talk to the sales person about God knows what. Husband tells Q to be quiet. Q gets irritated and basically flicks the sales person in the privates and says, “HEY! I’m talking to you!” In all fairness, it got this person’s attention, but honestly… Example 2: We are eating dinner and NDSU football player Johnny Crockett is there signing autographs (on a side note – I had no idea who he was). Q walks right up to him and says, “Hey… you play football?” When he said yes and asked Q if he did, my kid replies, “I play everything. What’s your name?” He tells my kid his name. Q states his entire name including middle. Johnny Crockett signs a picture and gives it to Q. Q asks if it’s him in the picture and says, “Oh.” and hands it back to him. Johnny tells him he can have it and Q asks, “What am I supposed to do with this?” I finally get him to leave and when he realizes he played for the Bison, Q states (loudly) “WHAT?! DADDY… WE DON’T LIKE THE BISON!” See? ZERO fear and completely unaware of how to act in public with strangers.

We’re going to have to start taking him out on a leash and muzzled. If anyone has advice on how to curb this, suggestions are welcome.

On a positive note, he’s grasping that he can’t say bad words. My husband’s parents swear like sailors and we’ve been told Q usually calls them out on it. We can’t even say “crap” without him scolding, “DON’T SAY THAT!” We’re actually pretty proud of this. He needs to understand that he’s going to hear these words and even if he hears us or other people say them, he still isn’t allowed to. Especially since he’s starting pre-school next year. I have told my husband many times the last thing we want is to be called into the directors office at our son’s Lutheran/faith-based preschool and be told our kid has a potty mouth. However, Q is over the moon since he heard the song “Shut Up and Dance With Me” because now he can SAY the word without actually getting in trouble whenever he hears the song. When we explained to him that he can only say this when this song is on the radio he asked why. I finally pulled out that phrase all new parents swear they will never use: “Because I said so.”

This last weekend my best-friend and I took a little girls trip to see our favorite 90’s boy band (now more of a Man Band…). It might have been the third time we’ve seen them… in a month. Don’t judge me.

But when we were there we talked about when we were 10-13 yrs. old – in thick of our childhood obsession. I always felt like I’d have a girl… just so I would have to go through what my parents did. Having to deal with a young girl obsessed with some band/singer and asking me to buy her everything associated with them. I’m pretty sure I owe my parents thousands of dollars for memorabilia and Big Bopper magazines they bought me in those few years…. God decided to spare me so far and gave me a son who never asks for anything but new sporting equipment. If I can skirt through life just having to buy new athletic  shoes every sports season, I’ll consider that a parenting success and blessing.