My Hero

I'm obsessed with the Duggers.  I'm late to the game too. I never really watched the show until a few months ago, when I was too lazy to change the channel and ended up watching an episode. Before that, I only knew of them via the media and thought anyone who would have that many kids must be freaks.  I also had heard they were ultra conservative Christians so I figured, freaks x2.  Now.  I'm amazed by them, and how they live their lives, and I hope, deep in my jaded heart they are the real deal.  I don't think I could take  one of the daughters doing a Playboy spread in a few years.  Or E True Story doing an expose on their twisted life.

I tell you all of that, for this. 

The thing that I love most about Jim Bob and Michelle (and all the kids actually) is their patience and kindness with each other.  I know it's reality TV and it might not all be reality, but the way they are presented on their show is endearing and makes me want to be a better parent.  More patient.   More loving. Kind.  When I watch them I often think, Fuck me, I've made so many mistakes with the Boy(s.)  If I could just do x over, I'd do...which isn't a good way to live your life.  As I've written before, you live life forward, but understand it backwards, which is why yesterday was such a gift to aboynamedstu. 

The Elder Boy brought home a recent writing assignment.  He had to write about one of his heros.  And he picked me.  His paper is below.  I cleaned it up, to make it easier to read (although he did a pretty fine job for a fourth grader in my opinion.)  I've added a few goofy footnotes at the end as well. 

Hi.  Everybody has someone they admire.  You know someone that's your hero.  Mine is my righteous* dad, Stuart Tinsley.  How come I think he is my hero you may ask?  Well I have three powerful reasons for you all.  First he is a teacher to me, not like in school.  He teaches me things that help you in life and other stuff that you won't hear in school because they only teach you for the test.**  So if not for him I would not know all this background knowledge.  Second he's so kind and loving and he is very nice to everybody and he's patient.***  One way I know that is because I like to build with Legos and I like to show my creations to people. I sometimes think I talk too long about them and they don't care about them.****  Not with him.  Last but not least some times I get scared or worried and he'll make me feel OK and I talk things out with him.  Now that I have told you, you can see why I love my Dad.*****

*  Word power (although he misspelled it:  richaos.)
**  The Boy shoots and scores on a slam against the state of public education in Texas and their  asinine hard-on for testing. 
*** Amazing. One of my worst character traits, in my monkey brain, is my lack of patience.  Yet the Boy feels it is one of my strong points.
****  Long is an understatement.  The Boy can go on and on and on.  But the thing is, he builds some cool shit, and to be frank, things that I, as an adult, albeit a dip-shit adult,  probably couldn't build even if I had the patience he writes about me having.
*****  The Boy got an A on the paper and his teacher wrote:  "You are very talented expressing your feelings in writing.  Never (underlined three times) lose this gift!!! (obligatory fourth grade smiley face.)

Until I BLOG again...He's ordinary.