Ry and Coop Dot Com

Thanksgiving is a time for reflection.  It’s a time to be thankful for the many blessings in your life.  I’ll be honest though, I think America has it wrong.

Families gather together and eat way too much food, drink way too much alcohol and often top it off with artery-clogging desserts.  This is all wonderful and good but it’s hard to capture that spirit of true thanksgiving in that setting.

If you recall the story, Thanksgiving was initially set aside to remember those who sacrificed so much to establish our way of life.  So, if you’re truly looking to find a spirit of thanksgiving, look for it in places you wouldn’t expect.

Thanksgiving is found in the cry of a newborn baby or the teething moans of a toddler who is “celebrating” the arrival of new molars. It’s found in the rebellious teenager and the no-it-all college student home for the holidays.  It’s found in the hearts of NY Yankees fans who’ve suffered through a bad season.  It’s found in the hearts of Pittsburgh Pirates fans who’ve suffered through a few bad decades.  It’s in the hearts of Chicago Cubs fans who’ve suffered through a few bad centuries.  The true meaning of Thanksgiving can be found in the times when it doesn’t make sense to be thankful.  It’s found in the times when you struggle to see the positive.  The true spirit of Thanksgiving is hard word sometimes but the payoff is great… I think.  

So the title grabs your attention.  The answer is simply, yes.  I hesitated to write this entry.  I consulted with my legal staff, spiritual advisors, congressional representatives and a handful of people in line at Dunkin’ Donuts and they all agreed I could admit this to the public and so, I do.

The story begins as I’m cooking breakfast this morning with Ryan.  Both Ryan and I hear a slow, low moan coming from upstairs followed by the sound of little feet bounding down the stairs.  In an instant we knew it was The Coopster.  What we didn’t realize was that our little man had come down stairs dressed in his 70’s porn star pajamas, sporting the most miserable face possible.

Now, mornings are tough for all of us but some have it worse than others.  With that said, the first thought that came through my mind was to question how or why I’d compare my two year old to a seventies porn star.  Is there something wrong with me? In this case, I’m going to blame it on the pajamas.

The resulting video represents a day in the life of an Austin boy… scary.  

They say that parents have an innate instinct to protect their children. People have theorized for years that a “motherly instinct” does indeed exist and it’s been proven that the adrenal gland can actually force the body to do amazing things in defense of a child.

Then there’s common sense.  I instinctively know I need to eat and drink water and stay away from my brother-in-law after a NY Giants loss.  Common sense kicks in somewhere after instinct to guide us in those choices that aren’t covered by our DNA makeup.  That little voice you’re hearing that tells you it’s a bad idea to do something?  That’s common sense more than it is instinct.

Now parents have a unique challenge.  You can’t (or at least don’t want to) smother your children in a protective bubble wrap.  I mean, if you could do that it might be nice, but they’ll never learn common sense except through experience.  So, and hence the title, you need to draw some lines internally as to when you’ll save your children from mistakes.  I gather this is throughout the entirety of their lives!  It’ll start out with a tree stand in their Papa’s woods but, before you know it, it’ll be a failed college class or a high interest loan on a car they couldn’t afford or the results of a night of wearing “beer goggles.”  Whatever the situation, this is probably the most challenging part of parenting and our biggest responsibility.  No pressure!  Don’t mess up!