Hail Thor!

"Nay, father. Some of us have been killing giants today and aren't in the mood for a tea party." -Thor Odinson

One of Mike's co-workers in Belgium just had a baby boy and his parents named him Thor. I immediately thought of this pattern and asked Mike if they would enjoy a viking hat for their first born son. Mike, who is very low-key, seemed quite tickled with that idea. I had the pattern and the yarn for the horns and I ordered the other yarn from Knitpicks.com. I finished the horns last night and can't wait for the rest of the yarn to arrive. I mean, the Madmen season premiere is tonight and I would really love to knit that hat while I'm watching Don Draper stride across the board room selling sexist ads, make whoopee with his children's teacher, or giving someone a disapproving look. Ok, so maybe I don't really need my knitting tonight.

Anne Geddes, eat your heart out...

I loved the Anne Geddes photos when they were new and fresh and inventive.
Plus, babies are just plain cute. They're not really my cup of tea anymore. However, recently a friend shared a link of a woman who is blogging pictures of what she thinks her little girl may be dreaming while she's sleeping and I wish I had thought of that when Z was little.

Check out Mila's Daydreams and I dare you not too feel cute overload.

Riding in Cars with Z

Scene #1: Driving Z to camp in the rain, I make a stop that sets off the "foot massager" on my brakes.

Z: What was that?

Me: Well, it's a little more slippery than I expected, so my brakes made a funny sound.

Z: Mom, please be really careful driving home, ok?

We drive a little farther and right before she gets out of the car, she once again reminds me to drive safely.

Scene #2: Driving Z to camp again, with very slow traffic going the opposite way.

Z: Uh-oh. Traffic jam.

Me: I hear traffic jam is good on toast.

Z groans from the backseat (she's heard this joke before).

Z: I suggest you take a different way home, Mom.

She is also able to recognize dudes on the road and feels quite comfortable calling them out on it. But how did my daughter become old enough to say "suggest" and give me driving tips?
She can't even reach the pedals. Yet.

A Mitzvah in Poor Taste

So here I am. It's been eons since I've posted and this one is going to be a rant. I was listening to NPR today in the car and there was a panel of mothers discussing the New York Magazine article "All Joy and No Fun". The subject was parenting and this quote from the article sums it up pretty well: "The effect of children on the life satisfaction of married individuals is small, often negative, and never statistically significant." It was an interesting article and I agree that parenting is not for wimps and it does indeed take away some personal freedoms but I also wouldn't change it for the world.

That's not the point of my rant, though. The panelists on the NPR program were asked if they would have children all over again, knowing what they know now. They all said yes (not surprisingly) and one even said she still fantasizes about having another one. This same woman went on to express her desire to adopt because then she'd be doing a mitvah in the world. Grrr.

Parenting is in many ways an act of unselfishness, but if someone is thinking of adopting a child to save them, or do good in the world or to get closer to God or something along those lines, I say don't do it. Every child has the right to come into a family who wants a child simply because they want a child not because they want to do a mitzvah (or whatever term someone may use for an act of kindness). Every time someone tells me "your daughter is a lucky girl", I cringe. I'm polite and try not to confront strangers, so I usually answer "we're actually the lucky ones". See, here's the thing, I believe most people who adopt just want to parent, watch a child grow and love a child. They're not expecting a big "thank you" from that child for "saving them".

So, yes my ire is up about this and it will most likely stay that way. Our 5th family day is coming up soon, which is the day we first met Z and became a family of three. I wish people would come to understand and accept that there are many ways to be a family. Families are made with love and yes, there are acts of kindness you express to your relatives and loved ones. However, becoming a family should not go on your good deed list.