Your first recital...

Hi Max!

Your first recital was last night. Yes, you are 2 years old (and call tell me so!). It was an interesting night. Two of your parents' weaknesses came to a head last night. They combined to take away from your experience. I'm not sure if many parents would think about it, but of course, I think about everything. What most would see is a little boy (taller than anyone else in the class) who was uncomfortable, crying, and perhaps a case of stage fright from being in front of a large audience. Here's what really happened and I bet a lot of parents can relate...

We are to be at the Community Center at 6:40 p.m. Mom who enjoys a busy schedule manages to get home to order pizza to get there early at 6:00, but in the meantime has to get a Webinar e-mailed to me while I wait in the office (with high-speed Internet access) to send it out to our BOOSTers (clients). The first effort blows up because these are huge files. The video editor had tried to compress the video and it did not turn out well. I needed the original. She uses the service to send over the larger file. I waited...

Mom also had to get you dressed and ready in your nice clothes. I waited until 6:00 and at that point, it was time to go. No file and wouldn't have time to forward. I get caught in rush hour traffic and a 20-minute drive now takes 30 minutes. I get to the house at the same time as the pizza. We eat quickly and make it out of the house at 6:45 (we are five minutes late). We arrive at 7:00 - time for the event to start. I need to be more conscious of time. If we get there early, you are comfortable and relaxed and have had time to separate yourself from mom a little bit. You would have had a chance to get used to being with Finley, Brenna and the rest of your class. Instead, we rushed in, put you in front of all the people, and you blew up. It was almost embarrassing (if I got embarrassed :).

You immediately started looking for mommy and once finding her, you did what gets her attention most. You whined. Then she made a look as if, "oh, so cute, he needs me." Then it was all she wrote. You went ballistic. I picked you up but there was one and only one thing you were looking for at that point - the caressing, motherly mom. The sympathetic looks followed as mom held you.

I wonder what it might have been like. Let's say, we get there early (I vow to have you EARLY to every event from now on). I take you in and get you with the class. Mom stays behind so you don't have that "crutch". You get comfortable with your class. Mom sneaks in late to watch. You belt out Jingle Bells. The crowd applauds. You love it, ham it up, and smile. We all get cookies afterwards and you sit on Santa's lap - comfortable, smiling, and fun-loving.

Lesson learned. Be on time. Have a plan to maximize YOUR experience. Please forgive us. We are new at this parenting experience. It was our first recital. We messed up, but we'll do better. Mom will work on helping you become more independent. I will be more time-conscious and punctual. Thank you for helping us improve.

To Your Success,

Max's Dad (Michael)

Your First "Sick-Day"

Hi Max!

Yesterday and Today were monumental. You battled your first cold. I was very impressed as to how you handled it. I was waiting for the fussy, achy crying, but there was none. You are a trooper. You've smiled through it. Your breathing is raspy and we're sucking crud out of your nose (oh, the things we do for you). You are sleeping right through it and you've really helped mommie and me by not whining, crying, or moaning. We are delicate parents and are very glad that you have handled this without the noise. :) You are amazing... and a quick healer. You are already showing signs of breathing better and less runny nose. 

It's cool that you are perfect. :) 

To Your Success,

Max's Dad (Michael)

What's your average?...

Hi Bay-Bee!

90 days to go! Are you kidding me? :)

Something my father said to me after a late night with my buddies has rang loudly in my head for years.

It was very late, after 1 a.m., on a summer night. I was 16. I had been picked up earlier in the evening at my house by three of my buddies. A couple of seniors, a junior (and I was a junior) went to cruise on Santa Fe. That was what high schoolers did for fun on Friday and Saturday nights and most of the summer. Cruising Santa Fe Street in Olathe (a bigger city just 10 minutes away from Gardner) was a big deal. Hundreds of cars and perhaps 400-500 teenagers flocked to the main street in Olathe on a nightly basis during the summer. Muscle cars and muscle shirts led to revving engines and short skirts. Every night was a party on "the Fe".

This particular night I was hanging out with a couple of seniors who were perhaps more notorious than famous. They were known to be pretty wild and reckless. That night was no exception. There was alcohol available. I'm not positive, but I believe there was something smoked (and I'm positive something was smoked on the Fe that night). (Note: Don't want to insinuate that I smoked anything, I was taught well here and had the good fortune of having "sports" father me when my father wasn't fathering me so I never smoked anything). There were races. It's a wonder nobody was arrested or hurt, though I know that many people were stopped by police on a nightly basis. My parents didn't have a curfew, but midnight was an implied "time to be home" because as my dad used to say, and I'm quoting, "Nothing good happens after midnight."

The guys dropped me off and I cringed when they revved the engine and peeled out from in front of my house. So when I rolled in at about 1 a.m. (perhaps later), I was only slightly surprised that my dad was still awake. He had shorts on and his typical white t-shirt. His five o'clock shadow had browned to a 1 a.m. shadow. He wasn't upset or mad or yelling. He never did that (except when it came to coaching, and even then it was rare and most of the time I thought it was more to fire his team up then it was anger). He simple stated, "Mike, I just want you to remember one thing: You are the average of the five people with whom you hang out most." That's it.

That's all he had to say. I got it. That was the last night I went out with those three. I continued to be alert to who I was hanging out with and even to this day, I strive to raise my average at all times. So what's your average? Who do you need to QUIT hanging out with and with whom do you need to start SPENDING MORE TIME? Raise your average today and call someone you love.

Bay-Bee, this is a very valuable lesson.

To Your Success,

Bay-Bee's Papa (Michael)