Househubby Diaries

It was my mothers birthday this past weekend, and we wanted C1 to call and talk to her. First, let me give you some background on C1's phone etiquette. Sometimes he wants to talk on the phone and will occasionally have a very lengthy dialog with a family member on the other end of the line. But, more often the case is that he doesn't want to talk, and will just say loudly, "I don't want to talk to so-and-so". This is usually said loud enough for whoever is on the phone to hear him, which obviously embarrasses us. So, we have been working on this particular issue lately, and when we sense that he will respond this way we remind him about the consequences of not doing what mommy and daddy ask of him, and he will usually comply. He is getting better. Anyway, back to my Mom's birthday. We wanted him to talk to his Granny on the phone, and wish her a happy birthday. So, before I called, we discussed with him our expectations. Well, to say the least, he did not meet our expectations. When we reminded him about the consequences, he ran by the phone and yelled "hi!" As steam shot out my ears, I as politely as possible told my mother that he would not be getting on the phone, and I needed to go. This bothered me on many levels. First of all, my mother does so many great things for our boys, and I want her to hear from him how much he appreciates what she does. So, when my son doesn't acknowledge all that she does, I feel as a father, I am not teaching him to be respectful and grateful. Second, I do not like my son misbehaving. I warn him about consequences, but it isn't helping. He went to bed early tonight. He chose going to bed, instead of apologizing to me and his Granny. I feel like I need to start him in my own little boot camp in the morning so he realizes and accepts who is in charge. Thirdly, I want my parents to see that we are capable of raising a great kid. After tonight, I am sure they aren't quite as confident as they could be.

I know my Mom reads this occasionally, so I will say Happy Birthday Mom! I hope your birthday was great, and I am sorry for how C1 acted today. T and I appreciate everything you and Dad do for these boys, and I promise to teach my sons to be more respectful in the future. We all love you!
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