Nostalgia

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My 14 Month Old Son’s Bromantic Valentine’s Cards

February 14, 2012 at 3:15 am , by 

14 months.

For Valentine’s Day 1986, I received a card from my fellow preschooler friend, Alex Igou. It featured Darth Vader on the front, and on the back it said, “Be Mine… Or Else!”

It can be truly hilarious to read what kids’ store-bought Valentine’s cards actually say, even 26 years later; especially to members of the same gender.

Last week my son’s daycare center, KinderCare, gave me a list of the other 6 classmates in his toddler group. Turns out, they are all boys. No girls.

But being the crafty girl that she is, my wife made some Valentines out of some leftover felt and paired them with some animal crackers from Whole Foods.

So yeah, I couldn’t help but think, “My son is giving out bromantic Valentine’s Day cards.”

It’s funny to me, yet deep at the same time:

Since the 15th Century, Valentine’s Day has been associated with romantic love. Interestingly though, the holiday originally began as way to honor Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and was established in 496 AD by Pope Gelasius I.

Today, it’s basically ironic to think of Valentine’s Day as anything other than a romantic celebration. But for the majority of its existence, the holiday was intended to honor men who died for the sake of their faith in Christ.

So now I wonder: Can Valentine’s Day be used to celebrate love for all people, in brotherly and sisterly ways? I say it should. Because simply, loving God means loving others.

As a follower of Christ, I am fascinated with the way Jesus answered this question:

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” -Matthew 22:36-40

I acknowledge the Bible is full of things I have a hard time understanding or accepting, yet I continue to believe despite my lack of competence. But seriously, the thought of truly loving my neighbors (everyone else beside me) as much as myself may be the most difficult part to grasp.
Is it even possible? And yet, Christ said that is the 2nd greatest commandment.
Man, that’s tough. It’s definitely easier said than done for a guy like me who has enough issues battling selfishness when it comes to my own flesh and blood: my beautiful son.
If I can’t get over myself enough to love my son like I should, how am I ever going to love those who annoy me as much as I love myself?
Being romantic for Valentine’s Day is the easy part. If only that’s all there was to it.

 

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5 Quirky Valentine’s Day Movies To Watch With Your Spouse

February 10, 2012 at 10:39 pm , by 

14 months.

It’s time to put the kids to bed and watch a movie that doesn’t feature a wise-cracking rodent. That’s hard to imagine, actually…

I feel like every time I see a list on a blog that tells the top 5 romantic comedies, it always includes Pretty Woman and When Harry Met Sally. So today I have compiled a list of fun movies to watch with your Valentine; only there’s a good chance you haven’t seen all of these or really heard too much about them.

More importantly, none of these are mushy at all. So even for people who aren’t big fans of V-Day, you will still easily be able to stomach the story lines here.

Something these all have in common is that they’re romantic “dramedies,” fusing together both drama and comedy. They’re not “cute” nor “lighthearted.”

Call me weird, but these are my top 5 favorite Valentine’s Day movies:

1. Garden State. What happens when at 26, you stop taking a cocktail of anti-depressants prescribed by your psychiatrist/dad, which you’ve been taking since you were a child? Then you accidentally become friends with and develop a crush on a well-meaning pathological liar? Not to mention, the soundtrack alone is so good that Zach Braff won a Grammy for compiling it.

2. Elizabethtown. This movie was marketed as a typical romantic comedy, but it was far from it. When a (previously) successful young businessman travels from Oregon to Kentucky to bury his father, he meets a free-spirited flight attendant on the way to Nashville. In the meantime, he has to learn to say goodbye to a father he’s not sure he really actually knew.

3. 500 Days of Summer. In the very opening line of the movie, you learn that they break up in the end. And somehow, it makes things that much more interesting and intriguing. Most importantly, this (un)romantic comedy helps remind you how truly grateful you are to have found the one you actually belong with.

4. About A Boy. Okay, I realize that throwing this movie in with a list of romantic movies may be a bit of a stretch, but I still think it’s a great Valentine’s Day movie. It makes for a perfect “cuddle up on the couch and watch an unexpectedly hilarious and non-annoyingly British movie that was never popular in America” kind of date night.

5. Love Actually. This movie deconstructs the fairy tale version of love and translates it into modern day life stories featuring a network of characters. What takes place after the fluffy romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl ends? What is love, actually?

What movies would you put on your Top 5 Valentine’s Day Movie List? Did you agree with any of mine?

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5 Ways Super Mario Bros. Symbolizes Fatherhood

February 8, 2012 at 9:39 pm , by 

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Don’t I Know You From The Cinematographer’s Party?

January 17, 2012 at 7:30 pm , by 

14 months.

Recently I was in a parking lot, sitting in the car with my son in the back seat, waiting for my wife to come out of the store. I was sort of dazed, listening to my (and my son’s) new favorite album, Graceland, by Paul Simon; probably considering the randomness of the line, “Don’t I know you from the cinematographer’s party?”

All of the sudden, my attention turned to a young woman walking out of the store. Thinking back to what attracted me to her first and most of all, was her smile. It told me a lot about her. That she was simple and down to earth, yet complex enough to make me curious. She was the kind of girl I wanted to know, for some reason.

Then she looked at me. Turns out, she was smiling at me.

This whole process only took a matter of two, maybe three seconds. I thought, wait, why am I looking at another woman and thinking about the way she is smiling? Why am I even paying attention to her right now?

After all, I personally am annoyed to see other happily (?) married guys point out “Spongeboob Sweatpants” girls to each other. I don’t think it’s cool. I’m the guy who when he talks about how sexy a woman is, it’s because I’m talking to my wife, about her. Not me talking to other guys about some stranger.

I thought about how out of the ordinary it was for me to notice her. Why was this thought process still continuing? It’s funny how just a few seconds can pass by like several minutes; like the way a dream does.

She was smiling at me. And she was walking towards the car. Then it hit me, like the U2 song says, she was already mine.

The only girl that could ever steal my heart away from my girl is… my girl.

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My Bipolar Relationship With My 14 Month-Old Son

January 16, 2012 at 7:29 pm , by 

14 months.

I’m not actually bipolar, nor do I suffer from depression, but I’m willing to admit that if you observed my interactions with my son, you would see a different version of me on Wednesday as compared to Sunday.

During the weekdays, I just can’t get enough of my son. I think about him constantly. I look at his picture on my desk. I just want to hold him and kiss him and wrestle with him.

Then the weekend comes, and by Saturday evening, I’ve had my fill. I’m mentally spent.

The lack of a pause button, the inability to have a real conversation with my wife unless our son is asleep, the need for a moment to space out… it leads me to a state of insanity that doesn’t let up until Monday morning when I’m driving to work.

Man, I wish I could live in a world where there was a reasonable balance.

During the workweek, I barely have any quality time with him. Then during the weekend, it doesn’t feel much different because of all the housework and errands that have to get done.

So I guess here’s wishing for heaven on Earth. Or at least a version of reality where neither my wife nor I have to work but could just stay home with him all day. Where our son would take completely predictable naps on a definite schedule and where there was no stress on our part to get him to sleep.

Sounds like I’m not referring to a kid at all, but instead a programmable robotic puppy.

That’s the problem with reality. You can’t turn real life on and off.

Likewise, you can’t turn real love on or off.

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