One reason I love PBS kids over Nick Jr (or Hub or whatever other cable network offers Danger Rangers or Animal Mechanicals…) is the lack of commercials. But my boys LOVE the commercials and are 100% sold by every marketing pitch thrown their way.
The other day I was told by my eldest son we had to buy this “thing” which makes my computer “boom” because it’s just not loud enough. “I just can’t hear it sometimes mom and we need it to go ‘boom’.” Um, excuse me, what?
Another time I laughed out loud at the ridiculousness of pillow pet hats commercials. I asked the boys, “What if aliens landed on our planet right now and turned on the TV to learn how earthlings live and saw this commercial? How silly would we look wearing stuffed animals on our heads?”
They responded with, “You can get Pillow Pet slippers too!” Great. Head to toe wacky-wastes-of-money. Yet, in full-disclosure, I totally just bought two Pillow Pet Dream Lites because the one thing our home was missing were stuffed animals who light up the ceiling (uh huh, I admit I succumbed to the marketing genius).
Recently I was thinking about my marketing as a mom. What if an alien landed and read through “God Centered Mom” posts? What would they think about my boys? How have I marketed them? In being vulnerable about my frustrations regarding being a mom of 4 boys, I often haven’t shared all the wonderful things about my boys.
My mother-in-law once told me, “You are the marketer for your family. People only know what you tell them.”
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29
So far on this blog I’ve been honest and shared a lot of the struggles (mainly my personal struggle with pride, contentment, joy) and some frustrations with challenging behavior. When I posted my few favorite Fridays you got a glimpse at how cute and talented my boys are. In general I find myself being more critical than complimentary. I thought this post would be a good opportunity to not only share what makes my boys great but to finally give them names.
Introducing…my amazing boys:
QUADE
- My oldest son who is kind to and patient with his little brothers.
- He is our “cruise director”, setting up and managing activities.
- He enjoys life, and is frequently heard laughing out loud.
- He is constantly creating, building, designing (wants to be an inventor).
- He has a wonderful memory and helps me remember where the car was parked.
PRICE
- Quade’s sidekick & “forever friend”
- He is extremely friendly and comfortable in most situations.
- He has a sweet spirit and jumps to help before being asked.
- He enjoys figuring out how things work…even if that means breaking it apart.
- He loves music and enjoys sharing it with others (just like his dad).
WATTS
- He creates elaborate play schemes in the playroom for hours.
- He enjoys looking at books and being read to.
- He is a cuddly guy and always goes in for the hug.
- He is pretty witty and hilarious for an almost 3 yr old.
- He loves “Amazing Grace” and “Joy to the World” (melts my heart when he sings them!).
KNOX
- He is a super happy guy (adios Colic!).
- He loves tummy time and spends lots of time just chillin’.
- He laughs out loud when his brothers entertain him or I hold him while doing lunges (1st happens more than the 2nd).
- He is a great sleeper and not because of anything on my part…did the same thing I did with the other boys.
- Can’t wait to learn more about his sweet personality.
There they are! My little men. They earnestly love each other. The 3 oldest are all sharing a room and it is so fun. Our home may be chaotic, but when it’s just our little family we have a super fun time.
How’s that for marketing, Mr. Alien?
How can you market your family today?
**Addendum: I understand we still need to be real about the frustrations we face when parenting challenging children. However, I tend towards sharing the negative more than focusing on the positive. My goal in this single post is to help encourage myself to focus on the positive and allow my boys to hear me telling others about the positive. Even last night I heard myself telling a mom about how Watts used to be easy and now he’s the “hard one”. But I didn’t need to tell her that…it was obvious. He didn’t need to hear me describe him that way. Just something to think about…
Thanks for this post sharing about your boys. I did a similar thing last month because I realized I was getting down on the boys a lot. Your family is amazing and your posts have been such a help to me to read. I love the idea about being a marketer for my family and for God! Keep it up!
I love these descriptions of your boys! Amazing how four boys from the same parents, growing up in the same home, can be such little individuals. I’m excited to see how God uses them in big ways.