While rare (the chupacabra of my life really), there are fleeting moments in my home where my children are genuinely kind to each other.
This morning I found my middle daughter and youngest son curled up in her room, working on something. When I asked what they were up to my daughter said she had made little projects for my son to work on to help him learn things "a 1st grader needed to know," and for each project he completed she would give him "kid tickets." She said he could then save up his kid tickets and she would let him trade them in for objects she would purchase for him with her own allowance. Really? That's so sweet and generous.
Now don't get too excited. Right after that I asked them to come downstairs and eat breakfast and she promptly pushed him down the stairs as they walked, but in the one tiny moment before that something amazing happened...I saw a glimpse of the relationship they could have together.
As parents we hope our kids grow up to trust each other, love unconditionally, and establish a relationship and bond that only siblings can have. In our day to day lives we lose sight of that possibility when surrounded by yelling, fighting, pushing, and just plain unfriendly behavior with one another. But if we pay attention, those moments do happen where we can see what might be.
Today I'll hold onto the glimpse and the endless possibilities of what can and hopefully will be in the future for my kids...I have to hold onto that or else in those moments of insanity (daily) I just might sell them to the first person who wants them.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Whatcha doin?
So if you have ever seen an episode of Phineas and Ferb then this statement is a very clear and obvious one...to those of you who have not and frankly have NO idea what this means, here it is summed up for you as best I can...Do you really have nothing better to do in your life than ask me what I am doing?
When it relates to my children the answer is apparently always yes, I have nothing better to do than say, "Hey mom, whatcha doin'?"
This blows my mind. I guess for a half a second I can revel in the fact that they care since in a couple years they won't want to have anything to do with me, but then when I come back down to reality and remember they are just being annoying, I am, well, annoyed.
So my eldest daughter wandered into my office for the 100th time a couple days ago after literally pacing outside my door for 10 minutes. She proceeded to walk around my desk stand directly next to me, ask me the dreaded "whatcha doin' mom" question and then start tapping her foot...really, your tapping your foot at me? My response of "working" was one she didn't like of course and when I asked her if she desired for me to hang out with her or play a game with her or do something other than work she said "of course not. I don't want to do anything with you mom, I just wonder if what adults do is cooler than what kids do. But work is NOT cool so I'm gonna leave."
Well there you have it. Work is not cool. Be a kid, enjoy being a kid, love having no real responsibility and stop asking me what I'm doing because someday, what I'm doing is what you'll have to do and trust me, kid options are way cooler than being an adult.
When it relates to my children the answer is apparently always yes, I have nothing better to do than say, "Hey mom, whatcha doin'?"
This blows my mind. I guess for a half a second I can revel in the fact that they care since in a couple years they won't want to have anything to do with me, but then when I come back down to reality and remember they are just being annoying, I am, well, annoyed.
So my eldest daughter wandered into my office for the 100th time a couple days ago after literally pacing outside my door for 10 minutes. She proceeded to walk around my desk stand directly next to me, ask me the dreaded "whatcha doin' mom" question and then start tapping her foot...really, your tapping your foot at me? My response of "working" was one she didn't like of course and when I asked her if she desired for me to hang out with her or play a game with her or do something other than work she said "of course not. I don't want to do anything with you mom, I just wonder if what adults do is cooler than what kids do. But work is NOT cool so I'm gonna leave."
Well there you have it. Work is not cool. Be a kid, enjoy being a kid, love having no real responsibility and stop asking me what I'm doing because someday, what I'm doing is what you'll have to do and trust me, kid options are way cooler than being an adult.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Summertime Stupidity
As I watched my friends 10 year old son shoot himself in the face with a nerf gun (repeatedly and on purpose) it occurred to me in a quick moment of both relief and sadness...every child gets extra stupid in the summertime.
Now I have said previously that my kids are smarter than I am so let me clarify...although I believe they pay attention more and thus retain more new information in general, they are absolutely without a doubt LIFE stupid...and in the summers, it is exponentionally more obvious than other times.
Beyond being life stupid they just have no common sense. Things that are obvious and the answer is something they have heard 100 times, in the summer they suddenly have no ability to conjure up original thought or basic idea's of obvious actions and reactions. If you lean over while you are carrying a bottle of juice for example you absolutely will dump it out all over yourself and my furniture...and after you do that, NO you are NOT allowed to be shocked that the outcome was such and NO I don't have to tell you it's ok.
Now it could be a combination of hormones and heat but that is almost irrelevant. If I have to deal with absolutely utter moronic ridiculousness daily then I don't really care why or where it came from, I just want it to go away.
As all mothers do the countdown to the end of the summer I really just do a countdown to the end of summertime stupidity and hope that when all is said and done I haven't had permanent scarring of my own brain function. Only time will tell with that one.
Now I have said previously that my kids are smarter than I am so let me clarify...although I believe they pay attention more and thus retain more new information in general, they are absolutely without a doubt LIFE stupid...and in the summers, it is exponentionally more obvious than other times.
Beyond being life stupid they just have no common sense. Things that are obvious and the answer is something they have heard 100 times, in the summer they suddenly have no ability to conjure up original thought or basic idea's of obvious actions and reactions. If you lean over while you are carrying a bottle of juice for example you absolutely will dump it out all over yourself and my furniture...and after you do that, NO you are NOT allowed to be shocked that the outcome was such and NO I don't have to tell you it's ok.
Now it could be a combination of hormones and heat but that is almost irrelevant. If I have to deal with absolutely utter moronic ridiculousness daily then I don't really care why or where it came from, I just want it to go away.
As all mothers do the countdown to the end of the summer I really just do a countdown to the end of summertime stupidity and hope that when all is said and done I haven't had permanent scarring of my own brain function. Only time will tell with that one.
Friday, August 3, 2012
God must be a woman...she invented Target
So today I was in Target and was reminded of a conversation I had with my SIL a couple years ago where she very pointedly said "God must be a woman...she invented Target." Genius, and if you are a woman, you completely and totally understand this statement.
Target is like a woman's heaven. Why? Well it's simple. Whether you have kids or not, you can wander the aisles dreaming of what could be. In the clothing aisle you think of how cute that dress will be when your ass isn't saggy anymore. In the bathroom aisle you imagine how simply you could make your downstairs bath into a cute spa oasis for guests. In the office aisle you conjure up all the amazing ways you'll organize every single room in your home. In the bedroom aisle you...ok you get the picture right? I don't have to get dirty now do I?
The point is that every woman wants to believe and dream of what could be in their life. Dream of nicer skin, hipper clothes, a more organized and decorated home...whatever it is that you as a woman dream of, you want to be able to visualize it and imagine it happening in your life.
It isn't about buying the things in Target. It is about hoping for the things that could be. Establishing your dream board, but in a walk- through-it-and-live-in-it kind of way that just makes you smile.
I don't know about you, but a really good day is my iPod playing in my ears, a $1 bag of popcorn, and a slow, leisurely walk through Target, uninterrupted and amazing. David Beckham might walk up shirtless and ask my opinion on the cleaning product he should buy but that is a whole other post.
Target is like a woman's heaven. Why? Well it's simple. Whether you have kids or not, you can wander the aisles dreaming of what could be. In the clothing aisle you think of how cute that dress will be when your ass isn't saggy anymore. In the bathroom aisle you imagine how simply you could make your downstairs bath into a cute spa oasis for guests. In the office aisle you conjure up all the amazing ways you'll organize every single room in your home. In the bedroom aisle you...ok you get the picture right? I don't have to get dirty now do I?
The point is that every woman wants to believe and dream of what could be in their life. Dream of nicer skin, hipper clothes, a more organized and decorated home...whatever it is that you as a woman dream of, you want to be able to visualize it and imagine it happening in your life.
It isn't about buying the things in Target. It is about hoping for the things that could be. Establishing your dream board, but in a walk- through-it-and-live-in-it kind of way that just makes you smile.
I don't know about you, but a really good day is my iPod playing in my ears, a $1 bag of popcorn, and a slow, leisurely walk through Target, uninterrupted and amazing. David Beckham might walk up shirtless and ask my opinion on the cleaning product he should buy but that is a whole other post.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
What the..."Juby"
This weeks "what the..." Wednesday is brought to you by "juby."
It always blows my mind what my children randomly learn from other kids...and not just what they hear, but the stuff they actually remember. I mean God only knows how much they really hear from their friends. I wish for half a second I could be in the mind of a child so I could truly see why one simple statement is memorable whereas another is not.
For example, at dinner the other night during random conversation as is par for the course in my home, my eldest daughter proclaims that once at her school a 5th grade boy was expelled for pulling the fire alarm. My 6 year old promptly and with NO hesitation at all says "I accidentally pulled one of those when I was 4. If I pulled it now that I'm 6, I would have to go to JUBY. In juby they make you eat bugs...you seriously do NOT want to go there!"
I nearly died. Hysterically funny! But wait, what? Juby? Where in the world did you hear about juby? "Oh my friend Alex told me" he says. Well Alex must have one naughty older brother or else Alex's parents use this "juby" as a tool for behavior modification. Hmm, that's slightly disturbing in the context of a 6 year old and yet mildly genius.
This weeks lesson...Don't miss dinner time with kids. You really just never know when a "juby" moment may visit your home.
It always blows my mind what my children randomly learn from other kids...and not just what they hear, but the stuff they actually remember. I mean God only knows how much they really hear from their friends. I wish for half a second I could be in the mind of a child so I could truly see why one simple statement is memorable whereas another is not.
For example, at dinner the other night during random conversation as is par for the course in my home, my eldest daughter proclaims that once at her school a 5th grade boy was expelled for pulling the fire alarm. My 6 year old promptly and with NO hesitation at all says "I accidentally pulled one of those when I was 4. If I pulled it now that I'm 6, I would have to go to JUBY. In juby they make you eat bugs...you seriously do NOT want to go there!"
I nearly died. Hysterically funny! But wait, what? Juby? Where in the world did you hear about juby? "Oh my friend Alex told me" he says. Well Alex must have one naughty older brother or else Alex's parents use this "juby" as a tool for behavior modification. Hmm, that's slightly disturbing in the context of a 6 year old and yet mildly genius.
This weeks lesson...Don't miss dinner time with kids. You really just never know when a "juby" moment may visit your home.
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