Boooorrrringgggg

The 4th of July has come and gone.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy. 
Like all holidays, kids FREAK for the fourth.  There is the anticipation of purchasing the fireworks, the buying of the fireworks, the blowing up of the fireworks and finally...picking them up.
Last year, I bought Sterling a bit of fireworks.  He, in turn, lit them all off before it was even dark.  Last year it started four or five days prior to the fourth. I probably didn't buy him enough.  I shouldn't have let him blow them all up.  He was having so much fun, tho.

This year we went out on the third.  I spent $18.  He and his friend had so much fun looking and planning how they were gonna blow them up...I got a charge out of watching them.  Yes...I only spent $18...the day BEFORE.  Don't worry...I'm not that cheap.
Sterling, Victor, Jaden and I got home and immediately went out and lit them off.  The popits went a long way.  The flowers were not entertaining.  The ones you hold and fireballs shoot out were a hit.  But the ones that were the biggest hit of all were the big sparklers.  Sterling held about 8 of them in his hand and lit them all.  There was a "Whoosh" and all of them lit up so bright that you couldn't look at them.  The heat produced by them was "RAD", as Sterling said.  As we were walking in from lighting these off, I mentioned to Sterling that we would go and buy about $75 worth of fireworks on the fourth. 

He only asked me once.  At about 9am.  "When are we gonna buy those fireworks...the stand opens at 9".  I told him that we would go shopping at around 2.  He ate breakfast and went outside to play.  He had me take him to the skatepark with his friends.  At 3 he called to have me pick him up.  At four we went shopping.  I was shocked.  I had half expected him to be whining all day.  We spent the $75 and came home.  He and his friends lit off a small handful of fireworks then waited until 930 (the time I told him we would blow stuff up). 
It went as planned.  Lots of smoke, little explosions and pickup.  Effing boring.  Even for my standards.  The kids listened to direction.  They lit the fireworks then ran to safety. 
WHO'S KIDS ARE THESE.  CAN'T BE MINE.  MY KID DOESN'T LISTEN AND IS WILD AROUND FIRE.  MY KID LOOKS SAFETY IN THE FACE OF AND SAYS..."my dad tells me not to talk to strangers". 

When we were done, Sterling asked if he and his friends could watch the neighbors light off their BIG fireworks.  I told him to come home at 11.  He then called me and asked if he could stay until midnight.

When they are little you can't wait until they're grown.  I suppose when they're grown you want them little.  We are in the middle...leaning toward the grown side.  Today I went camera shopping.  When I came home he had fixed himself lunch and mostly cleaned up.  I had called him an hour earlier and asked if he wanted me to make him lunch...he said no.  The little dude is growing up quick.  Growing up independent, too. 
Staying out late...making his own food...cleaning up his food messes.  His room has been clean for two weeks!

The fact of the matter is I had expected him to try to run wild, not listen, blow himself up or a body part off.  He didn't.  For once I can say we had a boring weekend. 
I'm not worrying tho...I know this weekend was the exception...not the rule.