Jul
18
A while ago we received an invitation to the wedding of one of JB’s hunting buddies, and JB said he thought he’d like us to go. I said sure, if you’re positive the kids are invited. Oh yeah, kids are invited, JB assured me. And it sounds pretty kid-friendly since it’s outside. At a ranch. Near Missoula, Montana.
He had to work on me for a bit on the idea of road-tripping to Montana with the boys, even though Montana is one of my very favorite places (multiple trips to Glacier National Park as a kid = best childhood memories ever, at least until I read Night of the Grizzlies in 5th grade and had the description of what a sucking chest wound sounds like burned into my brain-folds in a special place that apparently grows more vivid and dramatic with age), because I couldn’t quite picture how a vacation filled with lots of driving would be enjoyable just two weeks after our last epic drive to and from Oregon, but oh, I was so wrong.
I usually have a great time on our trips to Oregon, but they’re awfully exhausting. We’re always staying with family, which I think gets hard on everyone after a while. It never really feels vacationy, you know?
The three nights we spent in Missoula over the weekend were completely different. I mean, yeah, there were some challenging moments with the kids, of course there were, but overall it was just amazing and relaxing and everything I thought a trip with kids couldn’t be. I loved the beauty of the drive, I loved exploring new places, I loved the unique and fun wedding we attended, I loved being cozied up in a hotel room at night with my little family.
And oh, Missoula! What a spectacularly gorgeous place. I can’t wait to go back.
Jul
12
The city we live in, Bellevue, is an interesting cultural melting pot. I think most people think of Seattle’s Eastside as being predominantly rich and white, but while there are certainly plenty of folks who fall under that category (what’s up, PLETHORA OF RIDICULOUS YACHTS), the neighborhoods—thanks in no small part to Microsoft, I’m sure—are actually incredibly diverse.
A while ago I started noticing how Asian and Hispanic families seem, generally speaking, to have unusually well-behaved kids. I’m particularly drawn to the sight of families walking down 156th (a super busy street), and how even very young children just … walk, like normal humans. In one direction. While staying on the sidewalk. Like, they’re not darting here and there and acting like they have unpredictable, malfunctioning propellors jammed in their tiny rear ends, and their parents aren’t chasing them or barking orders at them or guiding them or reaching out to slam an iron eagle grip on the back of their collar before they step cluelessly in front of a speeding Metro bus. They’re just WALKING. As if they were born with a little COMMON SENSE and SELF-PRESERVATION.
I could give a million more examples of how calm and non-insane these kids appear to me, but I think the gist of what I’m wondering is, are we talking about environmental differences or culture discipline philosophies or what? Why do Western kids—my own, for sure, but also most kids I see out and about—seem so much more hyper and distracted?
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