It Begins

 I thought I had at least ten years before dealing with it. I was wrong.

Yesterday after school, Chao lei, June and I stopped at the park for a little play time. It was not the greatest of days as far as weather goes with intermittent rain. We enjoyed at least 45 minutes before it began raining again at which point I began ushering the children to the car. Chao lei was eager to get out of the rain.

June was not.

She was resolute in her refusal to get into the car. No amount of pleading or coercion would get her in. Left with no other choice, and with the rain becoming more drenching the longer we were out, I went to June, led her to the car by her hand and placed, nay, forced, her into the car, screaming and crying. Then she said it.

"Mom! You are the worst mother ever!"

Though it is usually discounted as age and thus a lack of ways to deal with frustration and while, as an adult, that is understood, it is no less a shock to the heart. I thought to get angry of it but quickly rejected that. Instead, I just let the hurt sit on my heart for a moment and moved on... pretty much.

She really did not understand what it was she said. She was merely responding the only way she could think of. That is what I tell myself to keep from crying. Meanwhile, I must teach her how inappropriate her behavior was. I am afraid Jared's response to the disrespect would not have been as quiet as mine was. Not that he is prone to angry outbursts. He is only accustomed to respect going both directions and will correct disrespect quickly.

I know more will come as they age. I only hope to teach them of the hurt words can inflict and to measure the words they use. It is ok for them to be displeased but it is not ok to inflict hurt because you did not get your way.

What the Heck?

June never ceases to entertain. Sometimes it is because she is being sassy, sometimes it is from innocence. The first episode is, I believe, from innocence.

Last Sunday, June got up late. Some mornings are a lot of work to get her moving. It seems she has decided to not be as her father and rise so early. She got up so late that she missed breakfast before church. Food was definitely on her mind.Today was communion at church and when she saw the trays she said, “Yay! Are those snacks?” The congregation got quite the chuckle from it.

This next one is bad enough, I debated on writing it. It is sassy at it's finest. Well, perhaps not finest but... well... you decide.

I had picked up June and Chao lei from school and we had completed some errands and were on the way home when suddenly, from the back seat I hear...

• June: Oh! That hurt my butt!
• Me: (obviously concerned of the outburst) What happened?
• June: I farted too hard and it hurt. (pause) Now there is a big stink in the car.
• Chao lei: (big sniff) Oh gross! 

That language is not used in my house as a rule. I do not use it. I have not heard Jared use it (and he swears it was not from him). June is the only one I have heard. At the least, it was only us in the car. I would have been mortified if anyone else had heard her. 

Given the long chuckle from Jared when I informed him of this episode, apparently it was funny. I hope she grows out of this "humor" soon.

Mini Vacation

 I am happy to have gotten some type of vacation but I do envy those who have gotten weeks for theirs. Oh well. You take what you can get. How good a vacation is depends on how you see it. Mine was wonderful.

Our time in Fukuoka a wonderful, peaceful time. We had a list of places to see but after we arrived we decided to be relaxed and not rush around to those places on our list and enjoy each place as we visited. I am so happy we did it that way.

Our first stop was Dazafu-Tenman gu. It is a shrine dedicated to Tenjin, the deity of learning, culture, and the arts. It haas existed for more than a millennia. There are over 10,000 other shrines to Tenjin across Japan but this one is the chief shrine.

The entry is most beautiful. In my opinion, it outshines the shrine itself. It almost seems as if the first impression is most important. It is one of the few places you can visit it inside and out. It is a gate after all.

The shrine itself is dark, which is in stark contrast to the rest of the shrine's buildings. Still, it is a beautiful, centuries old building. there are other museums dotted around the grounds where you see art from centuries ago and more contemporary art.

Walking the grounds was our main objective. The museums would have been interesting to explore but we wanted to walk the shrine. Since it is so vast, there was little time to explore the art.

Prayers are everywhere. You can tell the season by the color of paper they are written on. Curiosity ALMOST compels a person to take one and read it just to discover what they are praying for. I would assume it would be for being a good student or artist.

It is easy to find the shrine but remember, there is no parking at the shrine. There is paid parking but it is extremely limited. Ask and a thousand people will give directions. There is no entry fee to the shrine but most of the museums  and other concessions charge a fee. Bring plenty of Yen because these fees add up quickly.

One of my favorite dining spots is not too far from the shrine. To dine here, you must be prepared for the occasional swoop past your head. This place is named "The Misa Hakata Owl Cafe." Yes, I said owl and cafe in the same sentence. 

At this cafe they have many owls. They are all very friendly. It is even allowed that you pet them and hold them.

Sometimes, you hold them whether you wish to or not.

Personally, my head seemed a perfect landing spot for one of the owls. You do have to hold steady though. They care for the owls talons but they cannot blunt them completely. But if you are up for a great head scratch...

It was a fun meal time, I must say. June kept the owls away by squealing as she does. That served as a "Go away Owl!" warning system.

There is more to show of other days. I will share that soon but for now, lunch is over and students call.

What the Heck?

 So far this week, June has failed to disappoint me. She has been entertaining as usual.

For instance,June had to go potty very badly but Chao lei was in there first. When he finally came out, June ran into the bathroom but just as quickly ran out yelling, “I can wait!” Apparently, Chao lei can smell pretty bad.

Yesterday, getting out of bed was challenging for her so it was a challenging morning. As Iam rushing things along, here was our exchange:

• Me: Hurry! Get your shoes on or we are going to be late!
• June: You should have started yelling at me sooner!

 She can make me proud too. We had to get the children's immunizations updated. Here is the exchange between June and Chao lei in the doctor's office:

• Chao lei: I hate getting shots.
• June: (rather smugly) I need to teach you how to be brave.

 The woman giving the injection had to pause for a moment to recover from her snicker. I could only shake my head in wonder. Chao lei just sat and scowled at his sister.

So much for another week of entertainment by June.