Barrister's obnoxious thread full of smug parenting stories

[Barrister]

We had the "celebration of learning" at the boys school.  The kids show you around the classroom, and show examples of the work they are doing.

Josh (in grade 1) had to draw a map of his neighborhood.  He drew a really neat map with out house right in the middle, then roads going to the neighborhood gas station, the school, the park, and the grocery store.  Now none of this was at all geographically correct, but he put tons of detail into every location (our house had it's house number, the grocery store had tiny "in" and "out" signs on its doors.

But my favourite was at the park he had drawn a duck in the pond.  And he had labelled this duck as "Feisty duck".

[Admiral Yi]

How long do you think it will be before your neighborhood gets indoor plumbing?

[Barrister]

So we're coming up on the end of another hockey season.  I'm coaching Josh's hockey game out on the ice (and I'm the only damn coach out there).

I've tried everything I can think of over the year to get Josh more engaged in hockey games.  He goes out and skates around, but doesn't really try very hard (and if he does get the stick on his puck someone takes it away from him pretty soon).

So today I say "Josh.  I want you to stand in front of the other goalie and wait for the puck to come to you".  So he does.  He just stands there in front of the goalie, not even trying to play the puck.

And sure enough about one minute later I hear a cheer.  Josh tells me he scores (and other kids also tell me Josh scored - his first of the year).  Josh says "that plan you told me worked Dad!".

[Barrister]

Oh man this hockey life.

So Tim's hockey team is in the playoffs.  They go into a round robin format where they're put in a group of 4 teams, they play the other three teams, and the top 2 move on.  After dropping the first game, Tim's team (the Bombers) need to win the next two to guarantee they advance.

It's a really tight game.  There's no score through two periods.  But the refs keep handing out (deserved) penalties to the other team for being too rough, but the Bombers can't score.  Going into the final 5 minutes, the Bombers get another power play, then thirty seconds later, another!  It's 5 on 3!  Tim's team goes wild!

Sure enough, right away the Bombers score to break the logjam.  It's 1-0.  And because it was on a 5 on 3, the Bombers are still on a power play for another minute thirty seconds.  And because of the time (there's another set of teams waiting to use the ice) at this point the play clock drops to 2 minutes.

Bombers play really well for the power play, get several chances but can't make it 2-0.  Just as the last penalty expires though the puck comes out of the offensive zone... and right to the stick of the player coming out of the penalty box.  On a full on breakaway he scores with 8.7 seconds left in the game.  Game ends in a 1-1 tie.

Bombers could still advance, but they need to win next week, and now need the right combination of other teams to win and/or lose(i.e. they need the team that already beat them to win all their games and go 3-0, the team they just tied to finish 1-1-1, and the last team to go 0-3 (with a loss to the Bombers)).

[Grey Fox]

#hockeydad

[crazy canuck]

For all the accomplishments my kids have had in sports, one memory that endures is when my youngest tried hockey.  He was big and strong - but lets just say skating was not his strong point.  In the offensive end the coach just planted him in front of the net - nobody could move him (truth be told he really couldn't move much either  ).

But his team made it to the final - it went to sudden death overtime.  There was a scramble in front of the net and R got his first goal of the season.  His team mates went crazy - yes they were happy they had won but they were very happy it was R who scored the goal.

[Barrister]

Out of the blue Josh asks me "Why can't Santa use his Christmas magic to make Covid go away?"



I teared up a little bit when he wasn't looking.

[Barrister]

Okay, so we've participated in a golf tournament for Huntington's disease that is basically put on by Mrs. B's family for years and years.  Growing up, Tim would come out with me for the golf tournament, and eventually would hit a few balls while the grownups were playing.

He's 10 now.  We signed him up for golf lessons - his first actual instruction in the sport beyond what I (who am a terrible golfer) and Mrs. B's drunk brothers in law at the golf tournament would tell him.

So today was his first evaluation.  The kids play 9 holes - but only hitting from 25 yards from the pin (which is basically right in front of the green).  The idea is this - in order to advance they need to hit 36 or under - 4 strokes per hole.

Tim starts out gangbusters - going 3 for the first two holes.  Then the third hole is rough - shooting a 6 - all bad putting.  But he's even.  He plays a few more holes, all even.  Then he goes bogey on 7, for one over.

Comes down to nine - still one over.  He needs to hit 3 on the hole to advance.  He chips on (he's only 25 yards out remember) but far.  His first put is solid, but leaves him about 4 feet out.  Far from a gimme.  But he drains that 4 footer, makes his 36 for the round, and advances. 


Next time he does the same thing - nit now hitting from 50 yards out, and still trying to make it in 36 shots or less.

[Barrister]

So we have 3 boys, and 2 main floor bedrooms.  So ostensibly Andrew and Josh sleep in bunkbeds in one room, while Tim sleeps in the other room.

In practice though Tim has been sleeping with Josh on the bottom bunk (the bottom bunk is larger than the top).  Josh sometimes complains and I make Tim sleep in his own room, but most nights all three boys are in the same room.

Friday night Tim is away on a sleepover (with our cohort family).  So Josh asks Andrew is he wants to be his "bunk bro" and sleep on the bottom bunk with him.  Andrew agrees.

[merithyn]

So we have 3 boys, and 2 main floor bedrooms.  So ostensibly Andrew and Josh sleep in bunkbeds in one room, while Tim sleeps in the other room.

In practice though Tim has been sleeping with Josh on the bottom bunk (the bottom bunk is larger than the top).  Josh sometimes complains and I make Tim sleep in his own room, but most nights all three boys are in the same room.

Friday night Tim is away on a sleepover (with our cohort family).  So Josh asks Andrew is he wants to be his "bunk bro" and sleep on the bottom bunk with him.  Andrew agrees.

My boys all shared a room until the elder two graduated from high school. They complain about it now, but they all did this, too, when they were little. And all three boys are incredibly close now, too.

[The Larch]

So we have 3 boys, and 2 main floor bedrooms.  So ostensibly Andrew and Josh sleep in bunkbeds in one room, while Tim sleeps in the other room.

In practice though Tim has been sleeping with Josh on the bottom bunk (the bottom bunk is larger than the top).  Josh sometimes complains and I make Tim sleep in his own room, but most nights all three boys are in the same room.

Friday night Tim is away on a sleepover (with our cohort family).  So Josh asks Andrew is he wants to be his "bunk bro" and sleep on the bottom bunk with him.  Andrew agrees.

My boys all shared a room until the elder two graduated from high school. They complain about it now, but they all did this, too, when they were little. And all three boys are incredibly close now, too.

My younger brother and me shared a bunk bed until I was 21, when I moved to a different city for the 2nd half of college, and the first thing my brother wanted to do as soon as I was out was get rid of the bunk bed and get a proper big one just for him (I was not aware of this until quite later). My mom vetoed it, as I'd still be coming back home on weekends, but a couple of years later, when I definitely moved away the bunk bed went out and whenever I went back home I had to sleep in the guest room, including 6 months when I moved back there for a while. Now it's my brother the one living away, so whenever I stay at my parents' place I sleep in the big bed he got when I moved out. 

[crazy canuck]

R got his MCAT score back today - 517 putting him in the top 94 percentile.

[merithyn]

R got his MCAT score back today - 517 putting him in the top 94 percentile.

Well done, R!!

[Valmy]

R got his MCAT score back today - 517 putting him in the top 94 percentile.

Wow CC! You must be extra smug today

[crazy canuck]

R got his MCAT score back today - 517 putting him in the top 94 percentile.

Wow CC! You must be extra smug today

Relief, great relief.

R got his MCAT score back today - 517 putting him in the top 94 percentile.

Well done, R!!

He is very happy.   Now he gets to worry about the interview