Four Feet More

Let's face it.  Tiger Woods has made some horrendous choices lately and has more than his share to apologize for.  If you watched his live apology (I didn't) or read about it later (which I did), it may have been enlightening to you how he apologized.  Not the exact words, per se, but the format.  As if there were rules he was following when composing his mea culpa.  This is what I learned from Tiger's apology:

A sincere apology must have 3 parts:

1. Honestly admit what you did.
2. Explain why it was wrong (including who it hurt and why).
3. Give a "plan of action" to show that what you did will not happen again.

I'm told this is classic 12-step-program procedure, but never having gone through such a program, I hadn't  really thought about it before.  It seems so logical though.  I know when someone simply says "I'm sorry," I often don't feel that they really understood why what they did was wrong.  With my kids especially, the words "I'm sorry" are more of a way to get out of a lecture or move on from a situation, rather than a sincere acknowledgment that what they did was wrong.  So, we have now instituted the 3-step apology rule in our house.  Vika and Eamon groan about it, but you know what?  I think it has made them much more reflective about how their actions and words affect others.  Hopefully this will eventually result in them thinking about potential outcomes before they act, rather than atoning for them afterward.

I know.  Best of luck with that.  But at this point, I'll try anything to get them past their "It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission" mindset.

Yesterday was Eamon's birthday party. It was a small affair with mostly family in attendance, but Eamon still made out big. Not surprisingly, nearly all his gifts were related to Star Wars. We're still recovering from the cleaning fest that was yesterday morning and the post-party cleaning fest that is today. So I give you this random little post until I can sum up the energy to write a post about Eamon's party and the new fashion trend he may have started.
***
Quite often a friend or family member will call me and say something along the lines of, "We saw someone who looks just like Eamon will when he grows up!" Sometimes, they are way off base, and the person looks nothing like my son. But other times, I can see the resemblance as well.

Here are a few for your consideration. First, Eamon:

Next, the celebrity doppleganger candidates:

1) Clinton Kelly (What Not to Wear?) 2) Heath Ledger
















3) Peyton Manning. I've been told the resemblance only works if his helmet is on, but I give you two images to chose from anyway.















Which do you think is the best predictor of how Eamon will look when he grows up?

It's funny that I haven't gotten any of these calls for Vika yet. I guess she's just one of a kind!

How about your kids? Do they have any celebrity dopplegangers?

Angelina Jolie adopting again from Vietnam. According to newspaper reports, she decided to adopt the little boy after meeting him at the end of November, and submitted her paperwork to Vietnam within the last few weeks. Now, reports say she is on the "fast track" for her adoption and could bring her 3 year old boy home this weekend!

I know a single woman who was adopting from Vietnam, but finally switched countries because the process was taking too long. She is now adopting from Kazakhstan instead.

I find it interesting that when a celebrity wants to adopt, she is put on the "fast track" and able to adopt her child within a matter of weeks. Maybe the quickness is due to the fact that Angelina Jolie actually met the child she wanted to adopt before filing paperwork? Could that make the process quicker? Of course, most of us non-celebrities are not given the opportunity to meet adoptable children in an orphanage before filing our paperwork in-country. And even if we are given that chance (a missionary with whom I had contact had such an opportunity, and wound up adopting 3 brothers that way), the process still takes much longer than a few weeks.

While I don't begrudge Angelina Jolie her children or the family she has made for herself (more power to her for being able to get her children home quickly), I do find that I'm annoyed over how easily her adoptions seem to go through. It's not her fault, really. It is the fault of the adoption system, which makes the rest of us jump through an interminably long series of hoops, while at the same time, clearing the way for those PAPs with an elevated status in society.

When I read this story, I couldn't help but do the math. If her adoption does go through this weekend, or even this month, then in the time that some people have been waiting to complete one adoption, Jolie will have been able to adopt two children, as well as get pregnant and give birth to a third. It just doesn't seem right.