Be careful with your comment

I made one comment too many over the weekend. Now, Ronda is making me pay for it.

A whore for comments on my own blog, I always leave something after reading someone's post. I can honestly say that it is not because I hope they will reciprocate. Rather, I know how good it feels when you have been read and I want others to know that there is someone who is reading what they write.

After visiting one of my favorite sites, Ronda's Rants, I left a comment after reading her answers to an interview by another blogger. Her interviewer had some great questions and she took a lot of time answering them all. So, what was my comment?

"Red is my favorite color as well."

Good stuff, huh? Not really.

Ronda must have felt the same way and is now going to make sure I say a little more by asking me my own set of questions she came up with. I want you to notice there is no favorite color question.

Stupid me already answered that one.

1. My oldest son played baseball and football for most of his childhood and teen age years; even now, at 29 you will find him on a field playing football with great passion. What kind of life lessons do kids learn playing football or any kind of team sport?

I believe there are so many lessons learned by playing a team sport. For starters, I believe that kids learn that if they want to be successful at something they have to work hard and be dedicated to working hard. Secondly, if they want to have success as a team, each athlete has to realize that they have to work together to achieve a common goal. One person who has their own agenda will only hurt the team's chances of a successful season. Lastly, they learn that they may not agree with the coach or like the coach, but in order to play and be successful they have to follow the lead of the coach and buy into what he/she is selling. I believe all this traits are vital when one goes out in the real world and begins his/her career.

2. I read your letter to your grandma and I was touched by the love it conveyed...Do your girls have a close relationship to their grandparents?

It's funny how parents are so much different as grandparents. My Dad is incredible and has an limitless amount of patience with them all. I have no complaints about him as a father, however, he is so much softer and easy going with them. It is awesome to see. His wife is equally loving and never seems to tire when playing with them. They live in Oregon, so we don't see each other very often. However, they email each other and talk on the phone once a week. It means a lot to me that he is so good with them. My mom has never seen them and I wish it wasn't that way. I hope it happens before she passes away. She has had a hard life battling alcoholism, but she is a good person who has been very sick of late. I talk a lot to my girls about her and show them pictures of her. Unfortunately, that might be the extent of their relationship.

3. One of my best friends is a single Dad living In SF Area and even though he has been divorced for many years, he struggles with his relationship with his EX...What advice would you give him?

I may not be the best to advise any one on this matter as my ex and I have really had some rough moments since the split. She kicked me out when our youngest was three months old. My daughters and I left and got an apartment and it wasn't easy. I was real bitter and it was real hard for me to try and have any conversation with her. I'd say try to remain as civil with her as possible for the sake of the children. There is no person that pushes my buttons more than my ex and it is very hard for me at times to remain calm. However, nothing ever good came out of me losing my cool. Never, never, never bad mouth their mother in front of the children. My parents did that at times and it affected me and how I viewed both my mom and dad. No matter what I feel about or think about my children's mother, I never say anything in front of them. She is the only mom they have.

4. One of my favorite books is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and I noticed on your profile you listed it as well? Why do you like it?

The most perfect book ever written. If I was on a deserted island and could only have one book, it would be Harper Lee's. It tackled social issues like no other, showed great love of a father to his children, had a narrator in Scout that you couldn't help but love, and reminded us what it was like to be a child with the antics of Scout, Dill, and Jem so beautifully portrayed. It is inconceivable to me that Harper Lee has never written another novel. If you read my post about calling author George RR Martin on the phone, it may not surprise you that I have Harper Lee's home number and address. However, I have never had the courage to call her. She is an icon to me and I wouldn't know what to say.

5. I noticed that in your first blog you write about the difficulties about all the hats you wear in your daily life! It tickled me that your girls are all photographed wearing hats! But....of all the hats you wear...which one is the most difficult and why?

Each of them can be tough, yet, I love wearing them all. There are times though I wish I could switch my schedule around and parent my children during the day and work as a teacher at night. It frustrates me at times that I allow a long day at work dictate how I am as a parent. If I had to pick which was truly tougher it would have to be the parenting, though. There is so much riding on how I parent and how my kids are raised. I don't want my kids 30 years from now being messed up because of the way I raised them. I just want them happy, well-adjusted, and able to take on the world with confidence and respect for others around them. Little overwhelming to think that I will have a huge influence on whether or not that will happen.

Thank you Ronda for the questions and I hope I answered them well enough for you. I promise the next time I leave a comment on your blog, it will be worthy of what you have written. If you haven't visited Ronda's Rants, click on her link on my page and take a look. It is worth the trip.

Just leave a better comment than I did.

Now it's your turn if you would like me to interview you just leave a comment and I will email you the questions! Here's the directions:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.