We spent the day in Platteville yesterday at my brother- and sister-in-law's house. They have three boys with birthdays very close together so they usually have one big big party for them. My brother-in-law, Jason, is a teacher at Platteville high school, and a track coach, and a basketball coach. For the past three years they have organized a birthday party for their boys involving some high school students competing against the younger kids in an American Gladiator style competition. They transform their backyard into an outdoor arena with games like the gauntlet and the joust. It is so much fun and hilarious to watch. Both the high school kids and the kids at the party love it. There are few things more fun to watch than a 6 year old getting all pumped up to tackle a high school senior...who of course puts up a bit of a fight but inevitably goes down.
I am writing about this because I think Julie and Jason are amazing parents. Their boys are awesome. They give their all to their kids and it shows. My feelings of doubting my ability to be a decent parent have been a bit overwhelming lately. It is so mind boggling to think that Travis and I are going to be the ones instilling values and teaching life lessons to this kid. Who says we are qualified? I know most, if not all, people about to have a kid have these feelings. But that doesn't make it any easier to think about. There are a lot of really nice people out there. But there are a whole lot of really not nice people too. Do all the not nice people have horrible parents? Where did they go wrong? Will we make the same mistakes? How can I know what to do to make sure my kid ends up being a functioning member of society?
Me in charge of a human...This is some scary shit and he's not even here yet!
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