Weak Sauce

It Has Begun

Football season has started. The weather is cooler. Corn fields are brown instead of green. A few leaves have changed colors. And now my fall beard has begun. Impressive, I know.

Because I Said So!

Derry Prenkert innocently posted the following earlier today on his Facebook page:

We are officially in the "WHY?" phase with daughter. "Because I said so" seems to be my response when I want to be a lazy parent.

For some reason it stuck out to me and I made a comment. I wasn't the first commenter and I wasn't the last. Actually, a really good conversation ensued and, in the process, allowed me to discover a few things about myself and the way I parent.

Here was my first response to Derry:

I don't think "because I said so" is always a bad/lazy response. Kids need to learn to obey even when they don't know all the reasons behind the command or request. Sometimes, though, I get lazy too and say the same thing!

Later, following a few more comments I wrote this:

It seems that so many of my frustrations with my kids comes from their disobedience. When I say it's time to go to bed, they don't ask why. They just whine and complain, or just continue whatever activity they're doing. They know the reasons why because I have explained it to them before. In those times I question whether I've done a good enough job of training them to obey my requests/commands, even when they don't feel like it or don't know the reasons.

There's a tough balance to strike between holding your child's respect because of your authority and becoming a tyrant. I want them to trust that I'm always seeking what's best for them and, therefore, they can obey me with full confidence that this is going to be good for them. I don't want them to obey out of fear.

Obviously, obedience is a big thing for me. But I don't want to be a tyrant. I understand that kids will sometimes disobey, just because they're kids and they need to find out where their boundaries are. But that doesn't make disobedience acceptable, does it?

Here's the thing: We're not really talking about kids here. We're talking about us ... all of us. We are all God's children and we do the same thing to Him that our kids do to us. And if I expect my kids to obey me, whether I give them a good reason or just say, "Because I said so," then shouldn't I do the same for my Heavenly Father?

I'm striving to give them a picture of a Heavenly Father here on earth, but I've got to be willing to also give them a picture of a child of that same Heavenly Father.

I think parenting just got a little bit harder!

It's time

I think it's time to try this again. I'm nearly 2 years older and so my chances of success should be higher. I'll keep you posted...

I've gone overboard

I used to laugh at people who did things like this.

But I can't help it. I am incredibly excited about the Packers this season and cannot wait to watch them play.

Everybody else is doing it ...

Since everybody else is doing it (by "everybody" I mean Derry and Jason) here's my 2010 NFL Predictions:

NFC West:
This is a terrible division. From top to bottom it's full of a bunch of stinky teams. This division shouldn't be allowed to have a team in the pl........wait. The Niners. The Niners? The Niners!!!! I actually love the Niners this year. I thoroughly enjoy every word that comes out of coach Mike Singletary's mouth. I love his old-school approach and I think his team is going to dominate this division.

p.s. I was tempted to predict a surprise second-place finish by the St. Louis Rams, but it's my first division. I'm not yet prepared to make that huge of a leap.

1. San Francisco
2. Seattle
3. Arizona
4. St. Louis

NFC South:
I can't see any reason why the Saints don't repeat and make another run at the Super Bowl. The Falcons may do well enough to make the playoffs, but I can't see them beating the Saints - not either time they play this season.

p.s. If Carolina had a quarterback, I may have picked the Panthers to finish second. (Sorry, Jimmy Clausen fans)

1. New Orleans
2. Atlanta
3. Carolina
4. Tampa Bay

NFC North:
Even if I wasn't a Packers fan, I wouldn't have picked Minnesota to repeat as division champs. There are just too many things going wrong for the Vikings - injuries, mysterious headaches, wide receivers being resurrected from the dead ... and a 40-year-old quarterback with a bad ankle.

Then, you've got the Packers. Led by one of the brightest young quarterbacks in the league in Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay seems poised to make a great run this season. The only thing that scares me is that so many people are choosing the Packers as the NFC representative in the Super Bowl.

p.s. I could totally see the Lions taking the third place spot away from Chicago.

1. Green Bay
2. Minnesota
3. Chicago
4. Detroit

NFC East:
I hope I'm wrong on this one, but I just can't see any team but Dallas coming out of this division. They're all pretty good, but none are great. If Kevin Kolb turns out to be as good as the Eagles must think he is, then Philly could make a run at the division title.

p.s. I hope Donovan McNabb beats his old team twice. I don't know why, but I've always liked him.

1. Dallas
2. NY Giants
3. Philadelphia
4. Washington

AFC West:
Why are both West divisions so bad? The Chargers could finish 9-7 and win the division and get into the playoffs this season. I hope Kansas City shocks everyone and wins the division, but that's a pretty long shot. I really hope Tim Tebow ends up starting at quarterback for Denver and shows everyone he can run over people in the NFL just like he did in college, and throw a TD pass every now and then.

p.s. Did anyone notice that Charlie Weis (offensive coordinator) and Romeo Crennel (defensive coordinator) have been reunited in Kansas City? And KC has former Patriots quarterback Matt Cassell. Interesting .........

1. San Diego
2. Kansas City
3. Denver
4. Oakland

AFC South:
Is this the year Houston finally makes the playoffs? If so, it's not going to be as a division winner. The Colts have the South all but wrapped up ... already. They're just too good. I love to watch the Texans play though, especially Andre Johnson. I think he's unquestionably the best wide receiver in the NFL - huge, fast, great hands.

p.s. I hope the Titans are playing for a playoff position in Week 17 at Indianapolis because the Colts will be resting their starters and Chris Johnson could rush for 300 yards and 5 touchdowns!

1. Indianapolis
2. Houston
3. Tennessee
4. Jacksonville

AFC North:
If I wasn't such a Packers fan, the Ravens would be my favorite team. I don't know if it's the black uniforms or what, but I love watching this team. Quarterback Joe Flacco has the potential to be a Top 5 quarterback in the NFL if his receivers come through for him. And Ray Rice is an incredibly exciting runner. Surprisingly, the big question mark for Baltimore this year is the defense.

p.s. I can see a scenario where the Steelers sneak up and win this division.

1. Baltimore
2. Cincinnati
3. Pittsburgh
4. Cleveland

AFC East:
Each year, things get less and less interesting in this division. At least there's Rex Ryan and the over-hyped Jets to keep thing interesting. I really hope the Patriots come back to life and win this one, but I don't think it's going to happen.

p.s. Anybody else think Tom Brady and Randy Moss might make another magical run at their record-setting season?

1. NY Jets
2. New England
3. Miami
4. Buffalo

Super Bowl:
Packers beat the Colts.