The Musings of a Harried Dad In His Quest to Raise Three Kids

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Fairgrounds

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a Texas tradition. The month-long event includes a rodeo competition, livestock show, carnival (which featured outlandish foods such as fried White Castle burgers and chicken fried bacon) and concerts.

My family somehow used Jedi mind tricks to convince me to purchase tickets to the Demi Lovato and Jonas Brothers concert. While I earned points in the cool dad column, I lost major points in the music snob column. Oh, the things dads do for their children.

This is Our First Rodeo

This was the first time that my children had attended a rodeo or a concert so everyone was excited.

However, my daughter’s excitement waned as soon as the Calf Roping competition began. She was horrified after she watched the cowboy jump off the horse, tackle the calf, and tie its legs together. She nearly hyperventilated as the calf lay motionless on the arena floor.

“Mommy,” she screamed. “Why did he kill that calf? It’s only a baby.”

KayEm assured her that the calf was okay. Nee was relieved when they untied the calf’s legs and the animal ran off.

Yes, everything is bigger in Texas

After that initial scare, we watched the remainder of the rodeo events, Team Roping, Steer Wresting, Bronco Busting, Bull Riding, and Barrel Racing without incident.

There were two events that we really enjoyed: The Calf Scramble and Mutton Bustin’.

If you’ve never seen Mutton Bustin’, it is a sight to behold. In this event, 5-6 year old kids straddle a sheep and hold on as long as they can while the sheep races across the arena.

In the Calf Scramble, a group of about 30 teenagers chase a herd of calves in an attempt to capture one and bring it to the center of the arena. Easier said than done. As these kids can attest, calves are much faster and stronger that you would expect.

Demi Lovato and The Jonas Brothers Take the Stage

When the rodeo ended, the stadium crew prepared the arena for the concert. The anticipation was thick as screams filled Reliant Stadium.

The concert began with a pyrotechnics show that startled and upset my two-year old son X. Needless to say, he didn’t enjoy the concert at all. He covered his ears and screamed, “Too loud! Too loud!” throughout the entire show.

Demi Lovato opened the show with a four-song set. Based on her performance, I doubt that she could make it to the finals of American Idol. Her singing was often tuneless and inaudible at times except when she was screaming. She has a way to go before she will be a credible artist.

When I asked my daughter what she thought about Lovato’s performance, she shrugged her shoulders and said, “It was fair. I think I preferred the rodeo.”

Photo by Myra Beltran - Houston Chronicle

She was much more enthusiastic about the Jonas Brothers’ performance. So were the thousands of pre-teen and teenage girls who never stopped screaming throughout the entire show (my ears are still ringing).

Joe Jonas, dressed in a stylish gold suit, worked the crowd into frenzy by mugging for the camera and jumping off the stage to interact with the legions of fans.

The Jonas Brothers ran through the set of their popular tunes and surprised and delighted the crowd with duets with Demi Lovato and a twangy cover of Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” complete with cowboy hats. However, one of the brothers was close to getting his Texan credentials revoked for wearing his hat backwards.

After the song ended, my son N turned to me and asked “When are they going to sing ‘Single Ladies‘?”

“I don’t think they will sing that song tonight, son.” I said. I guess I need to keep him away from YouTube.

I have to admit that I didn’t hate the Jonas Brothers performance as much as I thought I would. In fact, I was impressed by Nick Jonas’ talent. He bounced between lead vocals, lead guitar, drums, and piano with ease. The highlight of the show was his performance of “Who I Am” from his album with his new band Nick Jonas and the Administration. My son N and I even stood up to accompany Nick with some air guitar licks.

Before the show ended, we were all caught up in the contagious energy. Even though I’ll have to make amends to music snob society, I’m glad that I was able to expose my kids to a new experience. I can’t wait until next year.

Stay Strong,

Questions: What was the first concert you took your kids to? What was the first concert you attended?

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“Why can’t I wear broken pants?” inquired my 6-year-old son, N.

“What exactly are broken pants?” I asked.

“You know,” he said in a condescending tone. “Broken pants. The ones with the holes in the knees.”

“Oh,” I said feigning understanding. “Now I understand.”

“Good,” he said. “So why can’t I wear them?”

“Because you’re not homeless,” I said.

“But daddy,” he said. “I want to dress cool like my friends.”

And so the desire to fit in begins. I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to deal with this issue until he was a teenager. I guess today’s kids really do grow up faster.

By his own admission, N is handsome and cool. His classmates adore him and want to emulate him. However, he doesn’t realize the influence that he has because he is too busy trying to be like everyone else.

I believe that N is a pretty snazzy dresser. Of course, I’m biased because I’m the one who takes him clothes shopping. I released my wife, KayEm, of this duty because of her propensity to buy him “cute” clothes, and by cute I mean dorky. She also likes to dress both of our sons alike even though they aren’t twins. For the boys’ sakes, I had to intervene.

My goal is to buy N clothes that are stylish, durable, and enduring (after all, his younger brother has to wear them too). That mean no sagging pants, no skinny jeans, and no licensed characters (except for Batman because I like Batman).

I try to be flexible during our shopping trips. Sometimes I make the decision on what to buy. Other times I give him a choice. Keep in mind that it is a controlled choice. He can select one item from the three I have chosen.

Periodically, I give him free reign to choose whatever he wants. But before he makes his selections, I give him the following speech:

“Always remember that you are representing our family when you go out in public. You make an impression by what you wear, what you say, and how you behave.”

Of course, he always chooses items with licensed characters (which I hate) or clothes with skulls and crossbones (which my wife hates).

Sure, I’d love for him to wear sweater vests, khakis and button down shirts or even jeans with loafers and a blazer, but I realize that he has to develop his own sense of style the allows him to fit in with his peers even if it does include broken pants.

Stay Strong,

Question: How do you deal with your child’s desire to have the latest fashion?

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