Supporting a loved one

If you're like me you've got your hobbies that your passionate about. I've played sports and actively try to get my children involved in things I am interested in. Softball, Drama, Math etc..  There are however times when I realize that my children are their own individual selves. Yes, they've obviously got their brains from their mother.. but when their interests are so far from mine.. I cant help but think about them becoming their own identity. One day they will be out of the nest and I will only be able to look back on what I could have taught them, what I should have pushed them towards.

Today was the first time I allowed my son to choose an interest he was interested in and support him in it, not me pushing him to do something because I secretly enjoy living through my children. More so because he wanted to do something, and I was going to allow him to do it.. Even if it meant me spending 4 hours in a mall with no plan on what I could have gotten done that day. Spending more money than I had planned to on the weekend before pay day.

So what was it that he was involved in you ask? A card game. He went to a local card tournament. No not poker, or texas hold em' but the card game called Yu Gi Oh! I try to listen to him when he explains these card games. Like every parent I nod my head in understanding and reply with "oh, that's cool.." every once in a while throwing out a question to make him feel like you really do care about what hes talking about.

What did I do during my 4 hour LONG stay in the mall? Well I went window shopping, I caught a movie with my husband and my other child. Grabbed a bite to eat at the pretzel joint, window shopped at several areas and even got to complain to the supervisor about the cleanliness of a bathroom and the fact that an employee had signed off that she cleaned the bathroom the following week even though we were only on the weekend. of course my husband hide during this time and joked that we had nothing better to do. Yes, I guess you could say I had some time on my hands.

My son didn't win the tournament. He didn't win anything actually. He did learn a lot about the game that he is interested in. He hung out with people some twice his age. He lost every game that tournament. That wasn't the point though. He gained a level of  maturity that day. He is learning to talk with people that are older than him, and become more sociable. Hes learning whats considered socially correct when your having conversations. He learned that even as an adult you can still enjoy your own hobbies. He learned that his family supported his choices and wants.

He is looking to start a tournament in our home town, so we don't have to travel for him to play. He is an amazing kid, who has shown me that even though he lives in a house with people who don't necessarily like what he likes, you can still follow your own path. You can do what you enjoy even if no one you hang out with does the same. He is not affected by peer pressure. He's not like me. He is his own person and I love him so much for that.

Its X-mas time again! (08)

So this is My Trenty, Its Christmas time of 08 so he just turned 3. The Top 2 are us playing in the snow up in Bakersfield on the Grapevine..(well off the road a bit)
The next 2 are pictures that are at Grandma Caseys house on christmas Eve and Christmas day.
The next photo is a photo of us at Miguelito Park.
This is our christmas tree that we just put up, and we were taking pictures in front of it. I always has him posing for different shots. I love taking pictures, and luckily, he loves to pose!