Oh, Rebellious Me

Maybe it's a bit of a surprise to some that know me, but I am a rebel. It's true. There is something within me that feels like I have to do things differently than those around me. This can be a good thing or a bad thing--It depends on what everyone else is doing. Here is some of my rebelliousness explained:



1. I don't go to sales parties. I consider myself a pretty social person, so it's definitely not shying away from the social scene that keeps me out of your house if you are having one of these parties. Then why have I boycotted every one I have been invited to in at least the last three or four years? It's because I'm cheap, okay? Or, let's use the word frugal. And yes, that link will take you to an article I wrote a few years ago. If you read it, please understand I was just trying to be funny, I don't know if it worked, but I was definitely not trying to be insulting. Someday I will have all the money in the world and I will buy all the candles, spatulas, and/or ankle bracelets that my heart desires. But likely, my heart will still only desire two or three candles and/or spatulas, and ankle bracelets just aren't my style. So, don't feel like you need to cross me off your invite list unless you are mailing the invites and you want to save on postage. It's really out of courtesy that I don't show up to your party. There's too much pressure. If I don't want to spend the money, I am not going to come and eat your food. I still love you. And please keep inviting me if you'd like. It is nice to feel the love, to know that I am a close enough friend that you want my money. Sorry, that last line was a joke. If I keep getting the invites, I know someday I will break the cycle and show up. Will it be to your party?



2. I have not read (and don't plan on reading) Twilight. I don't plan on going into detail with this one because I do not think I could tread lightly enough on this subject to not hurt the feelings of the Twilight fans. It all started with not wanting to follow the crowd. And, I thought I was all alone. From a previous post I have discovered that there are others like me. Bless them. If you too are not reading Twilight, I would love to talk with you about it sometime. But not here. Too many people are watching.

3. I am not a movie buff. It's nearly pointless to ask me anymore if I have seen this or that movie, especially if it has come out within the last year. I just haven't. I can't even remember the last time Mark and I went to a movie theater, I know it was before we moved, and it likely was a discount theater. Besides, it's only once or twice a year that a movie comes out that gets me excited to see it. Even then, we usually don't see it until it is nearly gone from the cheapy theaters. We do have plans to see Prince Caspian this weekend. I hate to say this, but I am getting just a little tired of people gasping for their breath when I tell them I haven't seen whichever particular movie they are asking about. Please don't let this make you self-conscious around me, it's not you...it's me.

On a similar note, my friend Tiffany and I made a pact in our first years of college to not see PG-13 movies and since then--a good 5 or 6 years ago--I could probably count on one hand the number that I've seen: Lord of the Rings (not sure how many of these were PG-13), Harry Potter, and some strange but funny one my sisters-in-law brought over, The Sasquatch Gang, which must really have been mis-rated. You see, it's easy to be picky about movies when you only see one a month.

4. I am not putting my child in preschool. This may be my most deviant move yet. I worried and worried about what to do with Dallin for preschool and the more I read the more I realized that it was silly to worry. I realized again what I knew to be true: it doesn't matter in the long run whether your child goes to preschool or not. Whatever my child doesn't get from preschool, whether it is social experience, learning to read, or germs, he will catch up with when he does get to school. There is so much pressure to do the right thing with your child and to get them started so early, and you know what? It's not necessary.

I am saying the pressure is what is not necessary, because if as a parent you think that preschool is the right thing for child then that is great. Every parent will make different decisions for their child, and many parents realize that preschool can provide their child with some benefits. I am sure Dallin would benefit from preschool also, but we chose to go a different route. This is what we are doing instead:

• "Learning Time" each weekday after Adam goes down for nap. This can last from 5 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the day. We go over counting and letters and sometimes just do games or crafts.
• Going on outings to the library, museums, etc
• Allocating money which would have gone to preschool to other activities like getting a museum membership, signing Dallin up for various classes to provide some social opportunities for him, etc

So in the end, I think we will get basically what a preschool has to offer, just in a more piecemeal fashion.

5. I signed my son up for dance. Yes, and he is the only boy in his class. Woah. Am I strange or what? Since Dallin isn't doing preschool we wanted him to have some opportunities to interact with other kids and follow directions, etc. The thought of him on a soccer team, running around frantically trying to kick a ball that 10 other kids are hovering around did not sound very productive to me at this age in his life. I mean, he does plenty of running and kicking as it is, and four-year-olds don't quite get the idea to "work as a team." So dance is a way for him to use his active self in a more controlled, productive way. He has to follow instructions. He has to coordinate the movements of his body. Both things that are beneficial to learn.

One of the other reasons Dallin is taking a dance class is because I want him to be a well-rounded man. I don't want him to be the kind of guy that is too "manly" to do certain things like change babies diapers or watch a romantic movie with his wife or dance with her when she wants to dance. I want my kids to be open to every good experience that life has to offer.

If you've stayed reading this for this long, maybe you'll be up for reading just a tidge more. I hope I haven't made anyone defensive of their own decisions. That's not the point--these are just the weird things that I do and they don't have a lot to do with anyone else. I love it that we all have the opportunity to make our own choices for ourselves and our children. But certainly, there are certain things about you that are rebellious, even a little? I'd love to know. Come on, spill it.