In life, we tend to take a lot of things for granted. We often breeze through our days thinking about the things we don’t have, instead of the things we do.
This came to my full attention on vacation when I had to share one restroom with my boys and husband. While this may not sound like a big deal, it became quite the ordeal as the week progressed. Let’s just say we had our own “bleachable” moments.
Not only did the boys make big messes with toothpaste and toilet paper, and the inability to hit the target, they also apparently have synchronized bathroom habits. It never failed when one boy (big or small) would go, the others would have to suddenly go as well. So everyone (not occupying the restroom) would jump around in the hallway waiting their turn … some did this better than others. Patience is a hard thing to learn.
There are four words every parent dreads hearing: “Are we there yet?”
Yes, those little words hold enough power to bring despair to your heart … especially when you are five minutes in to a 9-hour drive.
“No, not yet.”
“When will we be there?”
“Not soon enough,” you say again through gritted teeth under your breath.
Yes, nothing quite says summer like a good family road trip — setting out on the open highway for a change of scenery and new experiences.
But taking car trips across the country with your kids can be an adventure in and of itself. The screaming, the crying, the multiple rest area stops, dropped toys, and food fights … yes, it’s a time that brings everyone together … perhaps a little too together.
Why does time have to fly by when you are having fun?
It drags on and on when you are doing something you don’t want to do (like exercise), and yet speeds up when you are having the time of your life.
Apparently, I’ve been having a blast lately, because I’ve suddenly turned around, and I’ve realized I don’t look like the person I used to be. I am not even exactly the woman my husband married.
I am someone quite different now. Ten years ago, I probably wouldn’t even recognize myself as I am today. I am a mother with two kids — a little bit older, hopefully a little bit wiser, but definitely changed.
Your parents always tell you that life after kids will be different. But you shrug it off. What do they know anyway?
You’ll be the person who changes the limits. You’ll be the parent who has it all — the career, the exciting hobbies, the parent of the year award. Yes, life is going to happen for you.
Sometimes I wonder about the shadow of my former self. Before I was married, my great love was a 16.1 hand, bay Thoroughbred named William.
Children possess a natural gift. The ability to love, no questions asked. You will find the kids in your life will hold you up on a pedestal for nothing else than being their teacher, being their friend or being their parent.
You didn’t do anything special to get on that pedestal — just being a part of their lives was enough.
But, at some point, we have to tell them the inevitable truth. Parents make mistakes too.
As humans, we are perpetually flawed, and I think it’s good not to hide this fact from kids.
Children can feel substandard in a seeming world of perfection.
But, let’s face it we are far from flawless. Adults just get better at hiding it. We like to brush things under the rug and act like nothing is wrong.
But it may actually be healthier just to throw a tantrum every now and then, as my five year old does when something doesn’t work.
Sometimes life is hard, and we make the wrong choices, or things just will not — as much as you try — go your way.
It’s kind of funny that today a line is drawn between working moms and stay-at-home moms (or dads).
After reading an article about how children of working mothers are better off, I began thinking.
The funny thing is we all work … obviously we do different work. But the thing is no matter if you are a working mom, or if you stay home with your kids, you’re a parent full time. That never changes.
Balancing your family life with whatever you have going on is when things can get hard. It’s how you handle these challenges that really counts.
Who knows whose children will come out better on the other side?
Every family is different; I feel you just have to make choices and decisions that are best for your family.
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard things like, “Kids today are so different. They know so much more.”
“Yes, but they spend so much time playing indoors. We certainly don’t live in the same world as we used to.”
I do see that children today know a lot, but I think children aren’t so different than they ever were … they just now have cooler gadgets. We all do.
Life at my house — post Jurassic World, that is — will never be the same.
The big screen has once again captured the hearts of my children as it brought dinosaurs back to life, and spun them into a modern-day-world. Just as Jurassic Park thrilled me back in my elementary days, the new movie has gone above and beyond to incorporate what we love most about dinosaurs with our world, as we know it.
Yes, we’ve already been to see the new movie in the theatres … twice.
Now I get to listen to the sound of roaring all day and night. I just hope everyone else in our general vicinity (wherever we happen to be) appreciates my little dinosaurs as much as I do. All I can say is, yes, they have been practicing their dinosaur sounds. They are quite good, and quite loud. I apologize in advance.
When we are not pretending to be dinosaurs, we’ve been spending most of our spare time learning more about dinosaurs.
All of this reading has made me think a lot about time, and even more about family.
