My Kids Are Not Me...I think.

     So my youngest is 5 years old. His older brother is 10. Thus far, they have not sat through an entire Star Wars movie, TV series ,etcetera. They do not have a ton of Star Wars toys. Nor do they put any on their Christmas or Birthday wish lists. And this is okay. (It also saves me a ton of money.)

    While I still have a love for Star Wars that stems from my childhood with my brother, when you compare us, he is still way more into it. My brother still buys various toys for himself or his kids.  I on the other hand have become more excited by downsizing everything I own (and making money, see eBay). Though oddly enough I do enjoy attending Star Wars celebrations which my brother has not had the pleasure of yet.

    So despite my own fanboy tendencies with Star Wars, I have never forced my kids to watch it. I have put it on, and they generally wander away or get lost in their tablets. And a part of me does wish they would share in my interests. But I also realize they are their own person. And that maybe, I should share in their interests. And is there really a difference between me as a kid being ate up by Star Wars lore and my kids being really into Ryan's Toy Review or Blippi or FGTeev?  They are all trying to sell a product, or make money in some way shape or form. Is connecting to people who actually exist in this world worse than me wanting a plastic lightsaber as a kid? They still enjoy superhero related stuff. They MIGHT sit through a random Marvel movie. But they generally will default to a youtube channel of some sort.

    It really makes me wonder what my father thought about my brother and I. As far as I can remember, we didn't share any particular interests. My dad is a very physically fit person. He loves soccer and keeping in shape. Having grown up on his own made him the man he is today. He grew up in a time where he couldn't have a hobby. He learned multiple skills and jobs because that is what paid him and kept him alive. Outside of futbol and other sports, I don't recall him identifying with us on any other interests. That is not to say he was cold or unloving. In fact, quite the opposite. My father could be a hard man to get along with ( I was a teenager for 7 years), but he was never doing anything to hurt us. In fact, everything he did was out of love. 

    The stress of running a business and raising two kids to not be assholes was difficult. I'm sure he felt the same way I do today. While I want to provide everything my children could ever want, I fear I may not be balancing it well with teaching them lessons on how to be a good person. How to be independent and resourceful. How to express themselves in a world that doesn't seem to value human feelings. I guess I can only hope my wife and I are doing the right thing.

Grandpa and Aidan