Adventures In Motherhood

Tuangtip, a petite woman in her late 50s/early 60s, was our gracious local guide for the longboat and tuk tuk tour of Bangkok.  “No, you may not call her twin tits,” I told my youngest, acting in his typical obnoxious form with his audience of two college age brothers back in tow. “Behave or I’ll make you drink the brown water from the Chao Phraya River,” I smiled. “And dad and I would like each of you to think of a question to ask her.”  “Are we gonna meet any femme boys?” My 20-year-old asked, eyeing his brothers. “It’s lady boys,” I interrupted, “and no, you cannot call her twin tits if you ask five questions.” My youngest was relentlessly trying to bait me.  Tuangtip managed to teach us about Buddha’s unique to the day of the week you were born, Buddha blessings and Thai street food in an afternoon. After two hours on the river, we docked and hopped into a tuk tuk.  “Does anyone know why they are called tuk tuks?” Tuangtip asked.  “Because of the sound they ...

Summer escapades are not for the faint of heart in our family of six; further evidence we never do anything small! A family of avid outdoor enthusiasts, we participated in Sunday Parkways last weekend in North Portland, an 8.8 mile loop bringing out cyclists of all persuasions from Storm Troopers and Unicyclists playing the violin, to dogs on bikes (my own included). Sunday Parkways in Portland is family friendly and the Forced Family Fun (#FFF) our family has grown accustomed to! As parents of two teenagers, ages 15 and 13, not to mention an 11 and 8 year old, sometimes we have to force the family fun, with less than eager participants. It becomes 'Extreme' when we load on the miles or level of difficulty, for us as parents that is. North Portland is quite a distance from our SE Portland hood, and the exact length of the 24-mile trek was not something we initially divulged to our children as they ventured out along the Springwater Corridor, wind at their backs and smiles o...

Forced Family Fun (FFF) defined is a family adventure wherein all parties 'unplug' and experience conversation and bonding together in a setting atypical of everyday life.  FFF at times may be 'forced', especially if at the parents' suggestion, however, there is immediate buy-in from children who quickly realize the fun involved and take part in the planning of future adventures! As parents of four children, it became apparent early on that a close family unit was needed with competing technological and social forces vying for our kids' attention; television, cell phones, online gaming, social media, etc.  Much to our children's dismay, we coined the phrase 'Forced Family Fun' and enacted it with a passion. You may ask how parents can ever succeed in suggesting Force Family Fun while gaining kid's buy-in?  To this I would argue, why make it an option?  Rather, try your first outing and then brainstorm additional activities as a family, t...