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Michael's Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 8/28/00 -------------------- 8/21/00 8/14/00 8/7/00 8/1/00 7/24/00 7/17/00 7/10/00 7/3/00 6/26/00 6/19/00 6/12/00 6/5/00 5/29/00 5/22/00 5/14/00 -------------------- Michael's Introduction

July 10, 2000

Dear Readers,

As an on-hold history teacher whose favorite era of American history is the American Revolution and the founding of our country, I greatly enjoy the Fourth of July holiday. It gives me a chance to fly the flag and intensify the patriotic inculcation of my family. So this year, before leaving for the Fourth of July party in our town, I recited the Declaration of Independence (just the first, second and last paragraphs) to my family.

They enjoyed and appreciated this immensely -- honest. Well, I did anyway. Lisa actually listened better than usual, but the kids were more interested in getting their shoes on to go to the party. Next year, they'll appreciate it more, I'm certain of it. But I guarantee that they'll have it memorized by the time they're six or seven.

Boy, Boy, Boy, Boy, Boy, Boy, Girl
My wife had two of her friends and their kids over: five boys under six, with four of the boys under five. Add in Brandon and that makes six boys and only one girl, little Allison. But she already knows how to hold her own. She's quite the self-assertive type. For example, three of the boys and their dad were playing whiffle ball in the yard. What did Allie do? She took out her brother's little bat and ball set and walked right into the makeshift ball field toward the batter's box, cutting in front of the others, so she could take her cuts. The little swinger brought the game to a stop.

After striking out with boys, Allison charged back to her little picnic table to make sure another little boy who was eyeing her seat and plate of food didn't take her spot. She moved really fast to keep him from muscling in on her turf. But, overall, she loves the company, plays well with other kids and gets a lot of attention because she usually is the only girl.

As expected, with six boys and girl, the decibel level was far higher than usual, not that my kids are particularly quiet, and my ears welcomed the relief that the evening's good-byes brought.

Party in the Park
After six years in our town, we finally attended our town's annual Fourth of July picnic party. We were pleasantly surprised. It was a far bigger event than we expected and very affordable. A special events committee raised money throughout the year to subsidize the cost, so hot dogs, sodas, popcorn and ice cream cups were only 25 cents each. And a cup of beer was only a dollar. Not bad. A band played a mix of family-oriented music, everything from polkas to pop hits. Two air castles were also set up.

Brandon enjoyed bouncing up and down in the air castle and against its walls. Lisa thought it was fun to watch him. I, however, worried the whole time that he was going to fall down and not get up quick enough before some bigger-sized kids came crashing down on his head. Fortunately, that didn't happen. But he didn't get to go in it again.

A clown walked through the park giving out treats. Brandon was afraid of him, of course, but he did like the candy the clown gave him. For some reason, Brandon doesn't like any dressed up characters in person. Santa made him cry again this year. So did the Easter Bunny. Interestingly, he likes talking about these characters and reading about them, but he just doesn't want to get too close to them.

Bang, Bang, Boom
We attended the fireworks back in Lisa's childhood town (15 minutes from our current town) with her childhood friend who was in town. Brandon loved the fireworks and cheered every one on, calling out their colors and shapes. He even liked the loud booming ones. Allison didn't react quite as strongly. And our friend's boy who's 3-1/2 watched them with covered ears.

Brandon's bravery in the face of booms and glare made me quite proud. My boy may be afraid of a lot of things -- bugs, costumed characters -- but at least he's not afraid of the rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air. At least, not yet.

Patriotically partied out,
Michael