30 days of Thanks: Day 1

So, November, here we are!!! I'm not sure where the past 10 months have gone, but nonetheless, we are here! And, I have had the blogging idea to post each day (the last time I said that, it came not so true!) something I am thankful for. I have way more than 30 things to be thankful for, but I just thought it'd be fun to do this. I did something similar to this in February of 2010, where I did something I loved each day. This, may be similar, as they go hand in hand, but still, I thought I'd give it a shot, so the 4 of you reading this will have something to look forward to!!! hahaha!!!! They will be in no particular order. I am taking and writing down 30 thankful thoughts, then randomly picking one out of a bag, and that's what I'll blog about.

Today's thankful thought:
I'm thankful to be a 90s kid!!!!

I probably would've liked to have been a kid from any previous generation really, but certainly not this one! Having a 2nd grade son has me realizing that being a child today is actually hard. Most kids have it easy so far as life goes, but keeping up with pressures and demands is tiring. There are only a couple of things I worried about as a child.....am I gonna watch Mr. Rogers or Sesame Street...oh the choices?!?! Or, should I swing on the tire swing, or ride my bike??? As hard as it is, we try not to teach Noah to keep up with the "Joneses" but it is just that.....hard! This post may step on toes (including mine!!!), but it's not intended to, it's simply my opinion. And, opinions are like noses, everyone has one.......

This past summer, I was talking with someone who had a very different childhood from most children today. They got up early, did chores, fed animals, went to chapel, then school, came home, did chores, and didn't have TV, radio, or video games. His mom told me her children missed all of the 80s. They worked and had lots of family time, not in front of an electronic. That person knows how to cook, clean, do laundry, repair things, build things, and obviously from the lack of entertainment, read!! haha. Then he says kids now a days say they are bored!!! That moment made me realize that he is right. I have already been teaching Noah how to cook, for fear that he will marry someone who can't, and I don't want him to starve one day! He also makes his bed, and sets the table, and cleans up after he eats. He has always kept his room tidy. He has TV, and video games, but he can only play his video games on the weekend, and if he gets all G's in conduct for the week. Really, he doesn't fuss much about any of it, and on certain days, when all else is done, we may let him play his games or whatever. But most children today feel that rewards aren't earned, and that chores are punishment. As much as I hate doing "chores" myself, it's just a part of life!!! And I do want my children to know that!!! I certainly do not want my children to work so much that they miss childhood, nor do I not want them to have the things they want. I simply want them to have a balance, and to know that there are more important "things" in life, than "things!"

Another example of how different this generation is....my husband used to be a PE teacher. Here a few months back, we were talking at the dinner table (where we eat!) and Noah mentioned that in PE that day, they danced. They don't dance with each other, it's an independent thing, and I think it's really more of a warm-up activity. Any who, Derrick mentioned that he did not miss trying to teach "dance" in PE, as he feels "dance" isn't a sport! He taught jumping jacks and push-ups, you know, physical fitness. Noah asked Derrick did he teach dance to the kids, and Derrick said, "No way! We played exercised and played games at PE!" Noah excitedly replied, "Y'all had video games?!?" That's what he associates playing games with!!! Derrick assured him by "games" he meant baseball, basketball, volleyball, kickball, tether ball, bouncy ball.....anything with "ball" involved!!! How sad it was that our child's first thought that went with "game" was "video game!" We were disappointed. I am disappointed when our PE dept teaches dance also!!! That's another story, but I guess you could say I am also thankful for the teachers of my generation!!!

So, I feel that one thing I most certainly can be thankful for is being a 90s kid!!! Not everyone got a trophy, you had to win to do that! Not everyone went to every birthday party, or every event, those days were more special. I didn't have to be entertained, I pretended. We didn't eat fast food all of the time, not only am I pretty much healthy, but when we did go out to eat, it was a treat!!! My parents may not have done everything right, but I can say I had a great, worry free, childhood!!! And for that, I am thankful!!!