My family has been on vacation at the beach for the last week, taking advantage of our work from home and virtual school shit show that is 2020. It was the first full week that I’ve taken off this entire year, and as it comes to an end, I barely feel like I’ve stepped away at all.
We have 3 more days here at the beach though, so at least I’m working with a view. And the kids knock out their school by lunch time, and then they’ve been enjoying the unseasonably warm 75 degree beach here in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
For this week’s blog I’ve decided to interview my kids, one at a time—because if there’s anything cool I’ve seen come out of quarantine and 2020, it’s been spending more time with my kids and getting to know them in an entirely new way.
First up is Ryan, my sweet and kind seven-year-old who loves Pokemon, Roblox, and his mama. He flies off the handle and hasn’t learned how to control his emotions yet, but with those big emotions comes so much sweetness and joy too. He’s the best, and he was more than willing to sit with me while I asked him all kinds of questions.
First I should say, Ryan has been living his best life since the summer—once we started playing with our neighbors outside again. They are his best friends, and from sun up to sun down, those boys were outside playing in the woods, on their bikes, on the swings, you name it. He barely touched an electronic device unless it was a rainy day, and it made me feel like he was growing up a 90s kid like me. So unsurprisingly, when I asked him about his favorite part of virtual school, he said staying at home with my friends so we can play outside.
His least favorite part? They give us lots and lots of homework.
But his favorite part of being back in school twice a week now? Getting to see my teacher in person. I don’t have a least favorite. I like everything.
We’ve spent a lot of time working on Ryan’s reading so he doesn’t fall too far behind and he can hopefully avoid the struggles we’ve faced with his older sister and learning to enjoy reading. So when I asked him about his favorite books right now, he said Press Start (a great series of books for kids about video games starring Super Rabbit Boy), Stink (little brother of Judy Moody and really funny. I read these to him for now.) and Ricky Ricotta. He said, “I like that I can read them and they’re all fiction. Ricky Ricotta has fighting and Super Rabbit Boy has fighting, racing, and adventures. Stink has cool facts and they have funny things in them.”
Ryan’s such a happy kiddo, so we talked about different things that make him happy and is favorite things about our family.
What makes you happy? My friends because they play with me almost everyday.
How can you be kind to others? Be respectful, listening, play their games.
What can you do when someone is sad? Say, “hey come on and play with us.”
What do you do when you don’t like someone? There isn’t anyone I don’t like. I would just not talk to them.
Fave thing about having a big sister? She’s nice and plays with me. And least favorite? She tries to make me get her a cow in Roblox.
Favorite thing about having a little brother? I can give him hugs and I love him so much.
And mom? Snuggles with me. And dad? He’s my boy scout leader, he builds everything, and I just love him.
How are you and I alike? We both like reading and snuggling together.
What kind of person do you want to marry? Nobody. It’s disgusting. The kissing part. I want to live with some of my friends. I don’t want to be a dad because I don’t want to marry anyone.
And what do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a scientist that studies animal eggs. People don’t really know so much about animal eggs and how animals get born inside of an egg.
And finally, what’s the best part about being seven? Because I’m older than most people. And least favorite? I don’t get to go on rides that I want to go on.
Ryan is such a sweet little monkey and I can’t wait to share his sister’s interview in a few weeks. You can follow along with our daily escapades over on my Instagram page @theothersideofmotherhood
The Other Side of Motherhood 