Respect

For the last several days, ok the past 5, my wife has been out of town. I’ve had to do all the cooking, cleaning, taking care of the boys, etc. Not that I don’t mind or even love doing it, but it has been a lot. But what I’ve realized more and more, is the amount of respect that I have for other parents.

The boys are able to do a lot for themselves, getting dressed, getting snacks out and in bowls, help with some cooking and picking up after themselves, but I have to say, I have a new profound respect for single parents. I was averaging getting an hour by myself each night before bed, to just rest. But that is the thing, I did it for 5 days, but what about the parents that do it everyday?

Parenting is a lot of hard work. There are so many things that go into a parents day, from the time that they wake up and getting the kids ready, to work, to returning home from work and picking up the kids, to making dinner, bed time, laundry, house cleaning and maybe a few minutes to themselves. And after 5 days, the amount of respect that I have for single parents is through the roof. I’ve done this several times, but this 5 day stretch was a little more than usual. The boys are able to do more, but they are able to get into more stuff too.

So, to those that wear the hat of both mother and father, to those that do it all, day in and day out. All I can say, is keep up the good work. Your children will notice. They will notice how hard you work and all that you do for them. They will notice the sacrifices that you make for them. They will see that when you get to the point that you can’t do or give anymore, you find away to force your way ahead. But more importantly, they too will have a lot of respect for you and will see how to be a parent and what to do or not to do when they have kids.

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I was raised in an Army home, enough said right? I was raised to say sir and ma’am and call adults Mr. or Mrs. and then their last name. So to say that raising our kids with manners is important is an understatement.

In this day and time, I feel that our society has gotten away from manners. Children walking around calling adults, including their parents, by their first name. To this day, I still say sir to my father and I am 35 and a father of two little boys. I still say yes ma’am to my mother. Come to think of it, I say sir and ma’am to most everyone that I come in contact with and I do it, because I really do not know any difference.

Will I ask my children to use good manners and sir and ma’am, you bet I will.

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As long as I can remember, I always played sports, whether it was soccer, basketball, baseball, or football. And it was always stressed the importance of good sportsmanship. So needless to say, that when I saw the brawl between the University of Cincinnati and the University of Xavier, I was disheartened.



I want my sons to love sports as much as I did, but I don’t want them learning that fighting is acceptable. When I was playing, you shook hands at the end of the game and told each player from the opposing team, good job or congratulations.

Maybe the times have changed? Maybe the times of where you celebrate the other player and give them a hand up when they have fallen or thanked a thanked a teammate for a pass.  We worked hard, training year round and put forth our best. And had any of my teammates or myself been involved in a brawl like the one from the clip, we would have received a much harsher punishment than a few games suspension. We would have been kicked off the team and never allowed back.

Where are the consequences for their actions? 2 – 4 games being suspended? They embarrassed their school, they embarrassed their team, and more importantly, the embarrassed themselves.

I will teach my sons the right way. They might not be the best athletes, but they will be respectful. They will play hard and give it their all. They will thank their teammates. And they will remember that when they put on a jersey, the represent more than just themselves.

 

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