Fun on the rides
Today we spent the rest of the day at Busch Gardens. I do not like roller coasters and in fact go there to people watch and walk around. I go on literally 3 (maybe 4) rides and leave the rest to the other people. xzaxza and Hunter took the time to try to convince me to go on rides but I read my book while they went on coasters and looked at the hot Dad's and hot men walking around.
The first ride we did go on all together was The Curse of Dark Castle. It's not a roller coaster and is only done in 3-d to make it look like you're falling. Hunter is extremely scared of things but we fooled around with him.
In front of us was this portly woman and her portly child. She over heard the three of us talking and was wondering why some people go to cut the line. I made the mistake of opening a dialogue with her about why this was happening and she started to talk.
Woman: Is this your son?
Me: No, this is my nephew.
Woman: So is he (meaning Christian) you're brother?
xzaxza: No.
Woman: So who is he (hunter) to you?
Xza: My nephew.
Woman: Wow, you don't see that a lot. You know.
Xza: Huh?
Woman: The opposite of the families hanging out together.
Me: HAHAHAHA
Xza: We're not.
Woman: Oh. *Quizzical look*
Xza: We're together.
Woman: That's what I asked him. He said no. I asked if you were brothers.
Xza: We're not. We're together...together together.
She sort of gave up. Hunter asked if she was homophobic. I thought she was being a bit too naive if not just ignorant to the thought to think that two men can be together. xzaxza just thought she was clueless. I'm not sure which one wins this battle.
Later we had a terrible incident where I was ashamed of myself. We were talking on a bridge and saw this littler girl, who was no more than 5, who accidently hit her grandmother and was being an annoying 5 year old. The Grandmother swipped her hand at the little girl who darted out of the way. She looked back at her grandmother and stuck her tongue out.
That is when it happened. The Grandmother pushed the stroller she was pushing aside and started to run at the girl. The little girl took off and when she got her...didn't just scold her or what ever. She LITERALLY pulled the girl by the hair and smacked her in the face three times.
I am ashamed I didn't step in and say something so I'm just as guilty for not protecting or standing up for that child. Later, still thinking of the $100 from earlier, I explained to Hunter that I was ashamed and should have done something. What that something was I don't know. In all probability it would have involved yelling and then finally (hopefully) her hitting me so I could have her arrested for something.
Hunter is an expensive child. He has learned a lot from his father, who also has expensive taste. He is on the hunt for presents for his parents, his sisters and his Grandmother (on my request since my parents put up all the money for this).
I have to keep saying he's 11 and though I would say that they are great parents...apparently they are missing big things (like I said in the last entry...especially the peer pressure).
He wanted to get presents at Busch Gardens but I told him no because it was too expensive. He listened but I was warned of this last year that he tried to buy his sister's $50 presents and that was coming out of his Great Aunt's Pocket.
He also thinks he wants all this food and I spent $32 on food for three people (The hubby and I shared a plate) and he didn't eat half of it..so I did because I wasn't wasting that money. I'm a cheap bastard and I think it would be HILARIOUS to find out I'm Jewish because I'm cheap as hell.
So, at one point he wanted to go on a ride that neither of us wanted to go on. So we sent him on it alone and I brought up the fact that he kept asking for things and we needed to cut him off. xzaxza agreed and then I brought up the $100.
It is interesting to debate the stuff with xzaxza that may come up in the future with our own child. He said he didn't mind the fact Hunter took the money. I was a little shocked because he and I talked with Hunter:
Integrity, explained to him as doing the right thing even if it's not the best thing for you. So when he was ok with him and the money I was a little taken back. He said that the person may have never been found and that it was on the ground.
xzaxza told me the story of a woman who found $300 in the ATM and brought it inside where the woman who had lost the money was freaking out about it inside. The woman was so thankful she wanted to pay the person who turned in the money as a reward/thank you but the person walked out.
Xza: That's different?
Me: How?
Xza: It was right there in the ATM...we could have found her.
My thought either way it would have been stealing. If the woman at the ATM, took the money it was stealing. Hunter did find the money...but he did steal it from another person who could have used it. If someone found my money and spent it...I would say they stole it and then I would also know what it would feel like if someone took my money.
I suppose the problem with me is that my world is black and white and I don't have a lot of grey. It has always been a huge issue for me and I can't get past it.
xzaxza made a deal with Hunter that he would put $100 in a saving's account. However, this evening, after xzaxza went to bed, Hunter decided to put his $100 towards a wii. I listened to him talk about how lucky he is he got this $100 and how happy he is that he found it and how much his life is better for it.
I finally said, "You know I don't think you should have kept that money. I think it was wrong and I'm going to state that again so you can think about it. What's done is done...but I'm not happy about it."
It made me feel better and I felt that this is the same speech my mother would have given me. It made me smile on the inside because I felt much better and I hope I made a sort of impression. He apologized for me not being happy about it but I told him again he couldn't do anything.
On the way home we talked about many topics with Hunter. He asked about Politics: Obama, Clinton, Tea Party, Democrat VS. Republican, The Bail out, The car bail out, Health Care reform.
It was completely bi-partisan and let him just ask the questions he wanted to ask. I really liked the talk!