Hi everyone, Earendil here! Great to hear from you Pluto, big wave from U.K. things are grand here. We have the usual issues of self esteem, avoidance but we have steered through the bad times (which were only really in the first year) and now we are looking forward to our third Christmas together.
Both boys are doing well at school, eldest smashed his SATs and youngest looks about to do the same with his Year 2 tests. Don’t get me wrong, I am not a pushy dad but the fact that they can concentrate at school and do well is a sign to me that they are coping.
Things are pretty normal most of the time. I turned out to be a lot stricter than I ever thought I would be but they need to be kept calm. We walk the dog before school, wind or rain, and eldest is coming home on the bus himself. Only forgot his pass once and only missed it once. Both times dad came to the rescue and was late for work himself. This year is the first year they have saved up money and bought presents themselves. They are so excited about this, and keep getting the presents out from under the tree and showing them to us.
We met up with cousins this morning, great fun. They adore their older cousins and we all went camping together this year, three families and six boys aged 6 to 14. It was peaceful and they all disappeared all day and came back when they heard me opening a beer (means bbq lit).
wait, no it was noisy and dirty and it took three months to get their feet clean afterwards. But it was fun.
we know the next few days will see them wobbly, we know what to do. The invisible strings snake out all over the U.K. and they tug sometimes.
I can’t believe the time has flown so fast. We buy a bauble each every year. They are very aware of that first bauble and how they felt at that time. This birthday, youngest explained in detail how much he loved me and how he didn’t love me at first but thought I was funny, so that was not too bad, but yeah he was a bit scared because even funny people can be nasty, just look at clowns. And you NEVER stopped talking about Star Wars. He’s right there, on every front.
And he reduced me to tears at the remembrance service in church when he whispered ‘why do we keep singing about god being on our side; if he was on everybody’s side, then people might listen to him and stop fighting.’
Eldest is taking two jars of pickled onions, some mixed veg pickle, three butternut squashes and an enormous jar of pickled beetroot - all stuff he grew on his allotment - to nana and grandad’s for Xmas. His Christmas list comprised of new hoe, spade, wheelbarrow, water butt... I’ll buy all that of course but got them a PS4 with virtual reality, in case our home became a little too ‘Little House on the Prairie.’ We all know that only leads to molasses, mumps and misery, y’all.
We have our off days, shouting, hiding out of shame, self loathing and screaming. But those days are few and far between. I honestly can’t remember the last time they didn’t earn their screen time in the morning.
It’s been incredibly hard work. It’s been a lot harder than I thought but for very different reasons.
But I am so looking forward to Christmas Day. I’m really proud of how far we have come as a family.
And best moment of my life so far? Watching Star Wars 9 with my sons who are now addicted to the galaxy far, far away as much as I am.
May the warmth of love be yours, the peace of the day be with you and may all your Christmases involve light sabres and baby Yodas.....
enjoy you will, mmm? Enjoy you will.
E x
