I love history, especially Ancient Greece. I first learned about Spartans like any Millennial, through the movie 300. I learned more during my time in the Marine Corps, their warrior ethos being so strongly aligned with that of the Corps. But it was during my third round as a college student, at the age of 37, that I learned the history of the Spartans. Badass as they were, they were very self-serving and avoided war when possible. The First Peloponessian War, for example. Long story short, when asked to help at what would ultimately be the Battle of Marathon, the Spartans said they had a religious festival and couldn’t go to battle.
Spartans were literally bred, born, raised, and lived to be the toughest fighting force there was, but they didn’t fight every battle that came their way. And, by God, neither do I! Hahahaha.
You’ll let me brush your teeth as long as you’re lying on the floor pretending you died? 👍
You’ll get in bed and actually stay there if I let you wear your dinosaur costume? 👍
You’ll take a bath as long as you get to wear your rain boots in there? 👍
It’s easy to say I let my kid get away with a lot. And I do! But the reality is that she’s a good kid, and the things I let her “get away with” don’t freaking matter. I’d be willing to bet a dollar to a dime that you could walk into any prison, ask any inmate how they ended up there, and their answer won’t be, “Well my mama let me wear my T-Rex costume to bed because I begged her even though I knew playtime was good and over.”
So often these moments feel like defeat, because it’s a throw your hands up and say, “Whatever kid. If you’ll do this thing I want, then, whatever!” kind of situation. But then when we look back, it’s freaking hilarious. One time I needed Emma to wear a red shirt. She didn’t want to wear a red shirt unless I wore a red shirt. I’m pregnant and showing only enough to look like I’ve been eating too many chicken strip baskets and Oreos (you mind your business), and the only red shirt I had was a baby tee. I felt so fat and self conscious and uncomfortable. But, she put her red shirt on without a fuss and loved matching Mama. And when I told the story to the hubs later, it was funny!
Now, full disclosure, if my child is misbehaving, it’s a whole different ballgame! But normally my kid is just being a kid. We mamas know what’s important to us. We know the kind of people we want our kiddos to grow up to be. We pick our battles based on that, and there ain’t a damn thing wrong with it.
Cover Photo: Gerard Butler as King Leonidas.
Miller, Frank, and Lynn Varley. 300. Dark Horse Comics, 1999.
Photo of Prisoner: <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/prisoner-jail-concept-illustration_38604193.htm#query=prison%20drawing&position=16&from_view=keyword&track=ais_user&uuid=3af7655e-da3b-4d7d-a297-a688a40bdb46">Image by storyset</a> on Freepik
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