IMLE, sports aren't pushed as much in the schools in the UK. It tends to be more of an extracurricular thing. Also, cursive, as US folk know it, isn't taught there either for the most part. It's more connected printing, which he may find easier. There used to be a thread about that here somewhere...
That explains a lot. My husband can't write cursive or won't. It's pretty illegible anyway.
I agree that sports are definitely not the same in the UK - especially different from their importance in a state like Oklahoma. (I'm in Texas now - so we share that sport culture!)
I am glad sports aren't pushed. Living in the middle of football central has turned me off sports for life. Neither my husband nor I are into sports and find it a waste of time (no offense to sports fanatics). For some reason people here think the be-all and end-all of life depends on college football.
I will be buying my dad a webcam before we leave to make sure he doesn't put off buying one!My dad lives on YouTube when he's not reading news on the internet. Luckily, he is computer savvy and we'll be able to talk. Since he's retired we can see him during the day (here) when everybody is at home in the evenings (there).
Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to face my mother for a long time. I love her but my parents are complete opposites. My father is pale; my mother dark (and by that I mean more than just skin tone). He is reasonable, pragmatic; she is emotional and subjective. He is self-taught; she is university taught with 5 degrees. He can let go; she's controlling.
I can't mesh with the woman who gave me life and it hurts. Even growing up, my mother was always going to school to add to her growing list of qualifications. As a teenager (the worst years) she was always studying, going to night school, or falling asleep on the couch. Who did I talk to about boys, cliques, mean girls and periods? My dad! My dad filled a void that mom couldn't. We would listen to talk radio on the porch in the evening and talk about history, current events, spirituality, cars (knew more about engines than my bf's). My sister would laugh at us when we would talk and debate (she takes after my mother for sure). On weekends I would watch movies like Dirty Harry and First Blood with him. Still can't get into "chick flicks" for that very reason!
What I am trying to convey is that my dad taught me; my mother
instructed me, told me how it would be and what I should do. But, she never really "knew" me. She made my prom dresses and clothes; she was the one that doled out punishment. When it came to the intrinsic things of growing up, it was always Daddy that knew the inner workings of my mind. When they would go shopping for clothes to buy or souvenirs to bring home from a trip, my dad always had to tell my mother what I liked. Weird, huh?
And if you wonder why I call her "Mother" and my dad "Daddy" it's because my mother would not let me call her "Mommy" or "Mom" after age 7. It was really sad and kinda cold, really.
Yesterday, my dad called. He basically apologized for my mother's behavior. He said it hurts to let us go. He said he was losing his baby and her boys. My mother never mentioned missing me- just the kids, especially the younger two. This brings me to another point. My oldest son looks just like my dad and I favor my dad as well. She is really focusing her attention on my oldest and almost targeting his lack of social adaptability as a reason for staying here in the states. It almost seems to me that she is inadvertently (or intentionally?) targeting him as a way to get back at me, and clearly, she is jealous that I am much, much closer to my father.
Ahhh. Therapy. Thanks for letting me vent again and again and again. Probably TMI but it feels good to get feedback rather than just sitting down with my thoughts or trying to journal... You all understand, hopefully.
Now where is that parent venting thread?
