When Is It Okay to Be "Mommy Protective"?

I've been facing an issue just this past week concerning my son, the Boy Scout. In the normal world you'd think Boy Scouts are just that Boys, but it seems his troop is different. When I say different, I mean the troop has one of "those" parents.

This particular parent, let's say it's a father for the sake of the story and for the sake of the truth. I receive a call from the father telling me my son, the Patrol Leader, is being too "heavy handed" on the patrol. A patrol is a smaller group of Scouts within the troop and my son was graciously voted their leader for a period of six months. So, my son is being too hard on his son and the Patrol in general. The father then asks me to speak to my son about his "behavior" and perhaps he should be more "nice".

I immediately put my work hat on, instead of the Mommy hat. The Mommy hat would have allowed me to tell this father to stop babying his child; to tell his child to grow a nut and talk to my son, the Patrol Leader if he had a problem with his leadership and being too harsh; the Mom in me really wanted to come through the phone line and smack this father for being a whiny parent...but luckily I put on my business hat, my business acumen.

I rationally (and calmly) told him I'd ask my son about his leadership skills and that perhaps he (my son) should speak with his Patrol about said skills. I also added that I felt my son was a fine leader and yes, sometimes he was a bit harsh, but he was leading a patrol of very young boys that were similar to herding cats in a rain storm!

I was hopeful that a call to our Scoutmaster, the adult leader, would put this whole thing behind us. I talked to my son, he agreed to talk to his patrol and to talk with a few of the adult leaders...DONE! Lesson learned, move on; he needs to be taught additional leadership skills, let's get him signed up for Scout Leadership Training Course (big duh, he's only 12 1/2 and this is his first leadership position).

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I have not been reprised of the entire weekend's events and I'm not sure that I really want to know all the details; but I've been told that the father attended the camp out this weekend and asked the Scoutmaster for my son's resignation. I am also told the Scoutmaster courteously told him to "pound sand"!

That may be all I need to hear, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be holding a grudge for this father as I move forward in life. I can't guarantee I'll be wearing my business hat next time I see him either; I kinda hope not. I'm a pretty fierce defender of my family, especially the one that herds cats!

My Zebra Friend- an Example of Better DNA

HEADS UP *Put on your "far reaching train of thought" cap for this one, but somehow, I made a connection.

I was driving past our Noah's Ark farm this weekend and noticed for the second time, the donkeys were being mean to Alfred, the zebra. If you read earlier posts' you know I'm not lying about our neighbor having an ark of animals; Alfred is the zebra.

It got me to thinking about our society being mean or showing disdain for people that are different from themselves. I wonder why "we" (again as a society, I'm sure you aren't like this) tend to hone in on peoples differences and showcase to the world how much better "we" are?

Is it our genetic DNA that wants to take over as Survival of the Fittest, Only the Strongest Survive? Surely within that same DNA, we have Nurture the Weak, Take Care of Those in Need gene too; don't we? Doesn't God tell us the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth?

I've seen our Superiority over Inferiority many times, and I unfortunately feel certain, I've been in that "Superior" group. What in the world is wrong with me! I'm not any better than anyone else on this planet, I know there's an abundance of better people than me, so what makes us act in such ways?

Maybe it's our own insecurities, our own lack of self-confidence and worth that allows us to belittle those less fortunate, those people smaller, weaker and at times more simple than us.

I wonder, what did Alfred do this weekend that made the two other donkeys bite and kick him? Two against one, never a fair play in any book. I watched as Alfred, simply laid down and after a minute or so, the donkeys tired and walked away. We're they jealous of Alfred's beautiful stripes, the fact he was NOT monochromatic or we're they just picking on the weak? I'm not sure, but I hope that I can change my outlook on life and not be a "jack-ass".

And yes, God did tell us "the Meek shall inherit the Earth" in the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-10. I should start "Being" those attitudes; I think the Alfred's of the world would agree.

When Did He Start Shutting His Bedroom Door?

I can't seem to pinpoint the exact date, maybe it's been a month or more, but I'm sure it's only been in the last week. My son has begun shutting his bedroom when he goes in for the evening to "do stuff".

Stuff, is categorized as watching tv, reading a book, doing homework or just hanging out. But all that used to happen with the door open; it wasn't until two nights ago when he was cleaning his room, I noticed the door was shut. I guess it's part of growing up, he's starting to mark his own private space, a place to call "his".

I remember when I was very young, the thought of closing my door scared me. I'd be in the room by myself and what if a monster came out of my closet; no one would know, because my door was shut. I can't remember when I started closing my door, just that one day it was absurd to think my door would EVER be open, at least not while I was in it. It just happened, I guess I started growing up, marking my private space too.

It's happening at our house and I have to respect it, like my parents respected mine. I look back now, and I'm sure my Mom was heartbroken; my Dad saddened by my need for privacy, I was growing up.

I'm feeling those same emotions now.

I understand his need to be independent, to have alone time, to mature, to be a ruler of his own domain, to grow up... but don't grow away. And if you do, I'll leave MY door open, in case you need to come in!

The Crumb Gnome Attacks My Kitchen Nightly!

It's gotta be a mysterious force or little gnome, that each night runs through my recently cleaned kitchen counter tops and hardwood floors and scatters crumbs and other interesting food products.

I've just about given up wiping everything down each evening after dinner. I meticulously clean the surfaces of each counter so they shine brightly as I turn of the lights for the evening. But somehow, in the morning, CRUMBS!

I've also recently acquired a Peanut Butter Bandit, he strikes in the middle of the night and helps himself to a spoonful (or two, I'm not sure) of Peter Pan Crunchy Peanut Butter. I'm not so concerned about him, at least he puts the spoon in the sink, most of the time anyway.

And finally, there seems to be an outbreak of PopTart Thievery. This one strikes in the middle of the night as well, accompanied by an insatiable desire for milk. The thief, unfortunately, leaves his crumbs in our bed...hmmmmm?

Well, it seems that I have many odd things happening during the night, maybe it's time to set up a video camera; or just giggle each morning at the crumbs, peanut butter and silver PopTart wrappers that are left for me that NOBODY did during the night! Yea, that sounds better.

Why do Sunday's feel so different?

I really believe Sunday is my favorite day of the week. There just seems to be something so magically about Sunday. It's the only day we all sit down a the breakfast table and share a meal. Usually I shuffle around each morning going from the espresso machine to the refrigerator to put together a suitable breakfast for the boys and then off to tackle the day.

But on Sunday, everything seems fresh, the pace is slower and more peaceful. The pans don't clang together as loudly as they do on a Wednesday when I'm out of cereal and am forced to cook eggs and bacon. My boys don't seem to be as grumpy when they tumble out of bed; their hair is still as messy, their pj bottoms are still askew on their little frames, but somehow, it all works!

I enjoy cooking breakfast with my better half; he's certain his pancakes are the best and on Sunday, they really are! He makes the pancakes with a different ingredient each week, sometimes its bananas, maybe a double hint of cinnamon one week and we are really treated when chocolate chips enter the scene WITH the bananas. Whatever it is, we're all enjoying a peaceful and joyous morning.

That harmony seems to follow us through the whole day. At church we sit as a family, sing as a family and worship as a family...again it's magical!

On the way home, we plan what the rest of the day has in store for us. Can a friend come over? What's for lunch? Do we have any gardening to do? Can't I simply lay by the pool and sip a cool glass of wine? Sunday seems like everyone gets to do what they want and we do it together.

On Sunday, we're a family with no stress, lots of laughs and hugs, but most importantly, we're a family and there's the magic!

I'm Afraid Noah's Ark is Down the Street

I'm thinking we all may need to start working diligently on our relationship with God. Not only has it rained for what seems like FOREVER, but my neighbors have recently purchased two camels! As if two camels weren't enough to pique my curiosity, they also have a zebra, a miniature buffalo, two funky looking deer, a slew of horses and a bunch of cows.

They live on about twenty or so acres and their house sits far from the road. I'm wondering what's going on behind their house. Maybe there's an Ark back there; it would explain the pairs of animals, it might also explain the rain?

If I see elephants or wildebeests' I'm getting my rain boots and life jacket out! Yea, I'll be the "eccentric lady" in the neighborhood; so if you see me now you know why. Just wave and send up a prayer for me, I need all I can get!

Until I think of something more interesting,
HAM

How Long Can It Really Take to Name Your Blog?

Apparently quite a long time. I'm sure I put WAY too much effort in trying to think of just the right name; one that expressed my inner most thoughts and personality. One that made you (the reason I'm here) say, "wow, she's got great insight into this crazy universe! I should follow her every waking thought!" We'll maybe not that prolific, but I'd would have liked something close to that train of thinking.

So, I ended up with TeamPlatypi. It's actually the most perfect name for my blog, but what exactly does it mean? Allow me to tell you.

A platypus by definition:

platy·pus (plat′ə pəs)

noun pl. platypuses -·puses or platypi -·pi′ (-pī′)

a small, aquatic, egg-laying monotreme mammal (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) of Australia and Tasmania, with webbed feet, a beaverlike tail, and a ducklike bill.

In short, it's a rather odd animal, it loves the water and the males have a venomous spur in it's hind legs it uses to attack predators.

A family of platypus, or platypi, would be a unique sight for sure. And that my friend, is exactly what we are! We're a mish-mash of two families, created by some unknown force (aka God) and we will fiercely fight to protect one another, but normally we can be pretty fun and docile.

We all love the water, specifically we are ocean-loving sailors. We get away to the warm waters every chance we get, just to relax, sail and dine on the treasures from the ocean. We know we are lucky and hopefully don't lose sight of that too often.

My thoughts tend to be very random, but I truly look for the humor in everything I encounter. I hope you enjoy my stories, my thoughts, my passions and sorrows.

I work on developing a great ending tagline, but it might take awhile!

HAM