This weekend was filled with a lot of football. Saturday was all about USC football with the boy. We ventured out to the desert (aka Riverside) to hang out with some friends to watch the Steelers vs. Raiders game. But what I took out of this weekend wasn't that I'm a really good girlfriend to go watch all of these football games (which I do enjoy, by the way). No, what I realized more and more was what kind of kids I want.
I realize I might have lost you there. There's not a clear connection between football and children, especially when you throw in a tailgate or two along the way. But, my dear friends, let me show you how this is done.
While watching USC win, there were two brothers sitting in front of us. I'd peg them at about ages five and three (or younger) and they were THE cutest. Both were geared up in USC red and gold from head to toe; my favorite were the ears sticking out from under the too-big baseball caps. I was skeptical of the parents at first. The mom had her nose pierced like a bull and had a half-shaved head with crazy-big earrings. I totally judged. But the boys put my judgement to shame. They were extremely well-behaved and I could tell that they genuinely loved each other by their actions. The older brother would push the little brother back into his seat if he got too close to the edge. They shared a water bottle. The older boy pointed out the airplane because he knew his brother would get a kick out of it. They didn't cry. They didn't scream. They weren't running around. But they were still happy, funny, friendly kids. So I have to give mad props to the parents for the way those boys were acting; I'm sure it's not easy raising two young boys.
Take-away lesson number one: Raise kids who know how to behave in public but still have fun.
On Sunday I had the pleasure of hanging out with two little girls who are six and three. They reminded me so much of me and my sister; they played really, really well together. They spoke the same language and fed off of each other's enthusiasm. They were so creative! At one point, I found myself in a "doctor's waiting room" with an un-diagnosed illness. After that, we were at a crazy dance party. And then, of course, they had to take me to the yoga show.
My favorite part of the day, though, was when they were running around in the backyard (which was mostly dirt and rocks) barefoot. They weren't worried about their feet getting dirty or stepping on painful stones. They were having too much fun showing me their chickens and swing set. This struck a chord in me. Most of our backyard growing up was gravel and although the first couple of steps out there always stung a bit, once your feet got used to it, the darkening sky at the end of the night was the only thing holding you back from a whole day of playing.
Take-away lesson number two: Teach girls that it is perfectly acceptable to be dirty and running barefoot is freeing.
These are obviously only two things that I hope to instill in my children. But it's so good to see that children can grow up without iPads or distractions from their parents (which I didn't see at all this weekend). Kids can be kids. That's what I want.
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