I know I have a son, Scotty...

I don't think I talked to my son, Scotty (11) today. I'm just now realizing it. I really think the only words said between us in anything resembling a conversation were, "Dad wants you to mow the lawn." And then he said, "OK." I vaguely recall him doing a monologue on some Pokemon situation in his head or on a video game, and I recall me nodding as I did dishes, cleaned up and threw in loads of laundry. Oh, and I think I must have spoken to him as I made him change his shorts before school, but that doesn't count. So, he went to school, then we all walked to the snow cone place downtown Kirkwood. He brought a friend, so they chatted together. Then we walked home and he played with his friend. Then he grabbed a quick bite before his basketball practice and then when he returned from basketball practice I left for my own softball game. Ya, no conversation with him. I need to put a ca puts to this right now. Everyone says when they are teenagers that they NEVER talk to you. That is just 2 years away, and I can already feel the pull. I don't think it is a purposeful thing on his part - I mean the kid loves to talk, I often can't get him to stop. But, the lives get busy and they get more involved with friends and before I know it, I realize all I've said to him in the day is "Go change your shorts." I am going to make a conscious effort to talk to him about something more than his clothing or pokemon daily. List of topics: 1 Are you excited to go to a new school next year? 2 If you could trade lives with someone you know, who would it be? 3 If you knew someone stole something what would you do? 4 Do you ever have a recurring dream? What's it about? 5 What's your earliest memory as a little kid? 6 What do you think is the right age for marriage? Why? 7 What's the grossest thing you can think of? 8 Do you think honesty is always the best policy? 9 What do you think are the characteristics that make a good parent? 10 What is the nicest thing a friend has ever done for you? That should get us going. I looked these topics up. It isn't always easy to think of things to talk to your kids about that are interesting enough for both of you to keep the conversation going. So, not ashamed to admit I had some assistance from hubpages.com. And there are 40 more questions on there, so that should get us through almost 2 months : ) Also I don't want to forget: -Charlie rocks age 2! He hugs my neck sooooo tight. He whispers sweet nothings (because he can't say ALL that much yet) in my ear. He folds his hands when we say our prayers and jabbers along with us. He loves that game where he tries to kick whoever is pushing him on the swing and we act like he has got us good. If he has any injury whatsoever, even pretend ones, he starts pointing to different areas all over his body and says, "right there," waiting for me to kiss him. When Pete or I or any of his siblings arrive home, he runs to meet us with a big hug yelling our names, or something close. -All Ben wants to eat these days is peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and grapes. Whenever I serve him something else (I let him have that once a day) he gets really angry. The other day as I was sitting down his plate in front of him, he looked at me as if I had just put cow poo in front of him and yelled, "YOGURT! YOU GAVE ME YOGURT?!! YOU KNOW I HATE YOGURT!!" I actually did NOT know he hated yogurt, since I swear he had been eating it a few days before that. Sometimes it is all I can do to keep from laughing at him because he is so intense and he looks so stricken when I try to serve him awful things like mac n cheese, grilled cheese, chicken, yogurt, all formerly enjoyable foods to him. Must be a stage. And I should try to stop laughing at him because that's not helping the situation. Oh, but he just added corn on the cob to his edibles, so I guess I should get some more. -Today on my way home from dropping Jack off late for school because I let him sleep-in having come off an illness, I was called and told to come back to school because my daughter was feeling ill. So I go up there and get her in the car and go through the drill, "here's your barf bag, let me know if you feel sick, this should only last a day just like your brothers..." and we get home and it turns out she was just constipated. At this point, however, I can't be taking her back up to school, because they likely already think I'm half a cracker off up there, what with all the forgotten lunch drop-offs, homework with apple juice spilled on it, kids in unmatching socks (I am a horrible sock folder). So, she gets the day at home. Time for summer.