I absolutely love the street we live on. Well, except for that huge section where the blacktop got torn up so its not just gravel and makes a huge mess. But besides that I'm a big fan.
One of the best parts is all the kids. There is rarely a day where our doorbell doesn't ring and somebody is down wanting to play with our kids. I love the interaction he has with them and the little ways they set up kickball games or recreate Bulls and Celtics basketball games.
Occasionally, okay just about every time, somebody ends up getting mad at somebody else and they quit playing. At least for as long as 8 to 11 year old boys can stay mad. Then they realize being in the house with mom and dad is lame and strike a new peace accord.
Last week Ang and I were talking with Carter because he's learning the lifelong lesson called "Being a Leader, Being a Follower". Since he's the youngest, he does more of the latter and less of the former and we'd like. Sometimes this means our toys get broken, sometimes this means they say mean things to each other or Brynn and sometimes it is just kids being kids. My personal favorite is how those kids run like our family has the plague as soon as we say "Time to clean up the toys."
So in the midst of this impromptu John Maxwell leadership lesson at our dining room table, we encouraged Carter to stand up to his friends. Through tears he said "But if I tell them to stop, they might get mad and leave."
Now, being all knowing, we realize this is not true. As mentioned before, being at home with mom and dad is lame. But I get where the manchild was coming from. Sometimes speaking our mind or setting boundaries is tough and sometimes, those friends don't come back.
Which makes you wonder how good of a friend they were.
Could it be that part of friendship is being able to set and respect boundaries with each other? As a person who for far too long hated confrontation and was a people-pleaser too often I too sat knowing I should speak up but was more content with the discontent of the moment than I was with saying what needed to be said.
It's a good thing I've figured this all out now isn't it? I assume the same is true for you.
One of the best parts is all the kids. There is rarely a day where our doorbell doesn't ring and somebody is down wanting to play with our kids. I love the interaction he has with them and the little ways they set up kickball games or recreate Bulls and Celtics basketball games.
Occasionally, okay just about every time, somebody ends up getting mad at somebody else and they quit playing. At least for as long as 8 to 11 year old boys can stay mad. Then they realize being in the house with mom and dad is lame and strike a new peace accord.
Last week Ang and I were talking with Carter because he's learning the lifelong lesson called "Being a Leader, Being a Follower". Since he's the youngest, he does more of the latter and less of the former and we'd like. Sometimes this means our toys get broken, sometimes this means they say mean things to each other or Brynn and sometimes it is just kids being kids. My personal favorite is how those kids run like our family has the plague as soon as we say "Time to clean up the toys."
So in the midst of this impromptu John Maxwell leadership lesson at our dining room table, we encouraged Carter to stand up to his friends. Through tears he said "But if I tell them to stop, they might get mad and leave."
Now, being all knowing, we realize this is not true. As mentioned before, being at home with mom and dad is lame. But I get where the manchild was coming from. Sometimes speaking our mind or setting boundaries is tough and sometimes, those friends don't come back.
Which makes you wonder how good of a friend they were.
Could it be that part of friendship is being able to set and respect boundaries with each other? As a person who for far too long hated confrontation and was a people-pleaser too often I too sat knowing I should speak up but was more content with the discontent of the moment than I was with saying what needed to be said.
It's a good thing I've figured this all out now isn't it? I assume the same is true for you.
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