You know the feeling, right? Those "ah-ha moments" happen to all of us. Well, I have had a couple of those today.
For one thing, I "get" my mom more and more every day, now that I have 2 children of my own. I remember when I was little, wondering why she did some of the things she did. For one thing, I wondered why it was so important that we practice our "picture smiles" ~ until I found myself doing the same thing with Alli recently before her own school pictures. I suppose we all think it will decrease our chances of having the "silly smile," or the "chipmunk smile," or one of the many others, as our child's school yearbook picture. Random, right? Those moments happen to me almost daily now....
Another thing that I used to think of as a "mom phenomenon" was that my mom always seemed to do things in various stages of undress. I would wonder why she cooked breakfast in her robe, talked on the phone in her undergarments, or ~ gasp ~ made the bed naked. (Mom, don't kill me for this!) :) Yeah, well, now I get it. I get that something as simple as taking the time to get dressed is no longer "simple" when you have children. You have to get them up, get them fed, get them dressed, make sure they have everything they need, keep them occupied, etc. When does a mom have the time to get herself "ready" for the day? I began to think about that yet again this morning after I got out of the shower, wrapped myself in a towel, and continued where I had left off with Alli and her latest project. I ran around in a towel for a while, then I tried to make the bed (yes, naked) but didnt finish because Alli needed something again, so I threw on my bra and underwear and ran into the kitchen.... And, well, you get the picture. You other moms reading this get it, right? There is no telling how long it took me to finally put some decent clothes on my body, but it did eventually happen.
On that note, I will admit to you that the bed still is not made. Growing up, I remember my mom saying that she liked to make up the bed every day because it felt better to get into a made-up bed at the end of the day. That rubbed off on me, because as an adult, I have been a "bed-maker," as well. Of course that, too, has changed since I have had child #2. I always intend to make up the bed, but it just doesn't always happen. At the end of the day, I find myself recounting all of the things that did not get done that day. For instance, today I have not done a lot of things I had planned on doing.... I have not caught up with my Junior League updates. I have not finished making the bed. I have not cleaned up the den (aka our playroom) for the 3rd time. I have not watered the plants, done my Bible study, made my business calls, reviewed my Church committee notes, finished putting away laundry, or many of the other things on my list. Many times, I begin to feel that I am doing a "bad job" because of all of the things I am not getting done, because let's face it, my list is endless.
But I plan to turn over a new leaf. Instead of letting things like an unmade bed represent my failures of the day, I plan to let them represent my successes. Since I have not made my bed or phone calls or whatever else, I have been able to do many more things. So, what have I done today? Well, I already mentioned that I showered, and as many of you know, that is quite a feat when you have little ones. Even better, I got to wash my hair and shave my legs! Impressive right? :) I have kept my children fed, safe, and they are currently napping peacefully (yay!!). I have begun planning Alli's class Halloween party, as well as our annual Halloween party and trick-or-treating. I had one-on-one playing time with Elizabeth, and while she napped, I had that special one-on-one time with Alli, and we did all sorts of arts and crafts! We also worked on "matching" uppercase and lowercase letters and writing her name. I have cleaned the den twice, and I had supper started by 10am for the second time this week. We even had a picnic at the playground earlier today!
As good as that might sound, I admit, I have never been one of "those" moms. We all know the type. The kind that are dressed to the nines for carpool at 7:45am and look fabulous whenever and wherever you see them, who always have their pedicures and manicures up-to-date, who "do lunch" with girlfriends at least once a week, who play tennis or go to the gym almost daily, and whose cars are not covered in toys and cheerios. I would love to be one of "those" moms, but I can't, at least not at this stage in our lives. As I look around at my friends who are that way, I realize, most of them have nannies or family around to help, or they have older children who are more self-sufficient than my 3 year old and my 10 month old. But that is okay. In fact, it is perfect! Afterall, Alli and Boots couldn't care less about any of those details. They don't care that I am in a t-shirt and shorts today, with no makeup, no jewelry, and my hair is in a ponytail for the 3rd day in a row. And I am lucky to have a husband who doesn't care, either. He also has never wondered why dinner isn't on the table when he gets home, why the den is a wreck because we built a fort and it is covered in toys, or why there are still piles of laundry waiting to be folded. (Thank you, Brad, for that!) At the end of the day, we have two happy, thriving little girls, and isn't that what it is all about?!
Like I said, now I get it!!
For one thing, I "get" my mom more and more every day, now that I have 2 children of my own. I remember when I was little, wondering why she did some of the things she did. For one thing, I wondered why it was so important that we practice our "picture smiles" ~ until I found myself doing the same thing with Alli recently before her own school pictures. I suppose we all think it will decrease our chances of having the "silly smile," or the "chipmunk smile," or one of the many others, as our child's school yearbook picture. Random, right? Those moments happen to me almost daily now....
Another thing that I used to think of as a "mom phenomenon" was that my mom always seemed to do things in various stages of undress. I would wonder why she cooked breakfast in her robe, talked on the phone in her undergarments, or ~ gasp ~ made the bed naked. (Mom, don't kill me for this!) :) Yeah, well, now I get it. I get that something as simple as taking the time to get dressed is no longer "simple" when you have children. You have to get them up, get them fed, get them dressed, make sure they have everything they need, keep them occupied, etc. When does a mom have the time to get herself "ready" for the day? I began to think about that yet again this morning after I got out of the shower, wrapped myself in a towel, and continued where I had left off with Alli and her latest project. I ran around in a towel for a while, then I tried to make the bed (yes, naked) but didnt finish because Alli needed something again, so I threw on my bra and underwear and ran into the kitchen.... And, well, you get the picture. You other moms reading this get it, right? There is no telling how long it took me to finally put some decent clothes on my body, but it did eventually happen.
On that note, I will admit to you that the bed still is not made. Growing up, I remember my mom saying that she liked to make up the bed every day because it felt better to get into a made-up bed at the end of the day. That rubbed off on me, because as an adult, I have been a "bed-maker," as well. Of course that, too, has changed since I have had child #2. I always intend to make up the bed, but it just doesn't always happen. At the end of the day, I find myself recounting all of the things that did not get done that day. For instance, today I have not done a lot of things I had planned on doing.... I have not caught up with my Junior League updates. I have not finished making the bed. I have not cleaned up the den (aka our playroom) for the 3rd time. I have not watered the plants, done my Bible study, made my business calls, reviewed my Church committee notes, finished putting away laundry, or many of the other things on my list. Many times, I begin to feel that I am doing a "bad job" because of all of the things I am not getting done, because let's face it, my list is endless.
But I plan to turn over a new leaf. Instead of letting things like an unmade bed represent my failures of the day, I plan to let them represent my successes. Since I have not made my bed or phone calls or whatever else, I have been able to do many more things. So, what have I done today? Well, I already mentioned that I showered, and as many of you know, that is quite a feat when you have little ones. Even better, I got to wash my hair and shave my legs! Impressive right? :) I have kept my children fed, safe, and they are currently napping peacefully (yay!!). I have begun planning Alli's class Halloween party, as well as our annual Halloween party and trick-or-treating. I had one-on-one playing time with Elizabeth, and while she napped, I had that special one-on-one time with Alli, and we did all sorts of arts and crafts! We also worked on "matching" uppercase and lowercase letters and writing her name. I have cleaned the den twice, and I had supper started by 10am for the second time this week. We even had a picnic at the playground earlier today!
As good as that might sound, I admit, I have never been one of "those" moms. We all know the type. The kind that are dressed to the nines for carpool at 7:45am and look fabulous whenever and wherever you see them, who always have their pedicures and manicures up-to-date, who "do lunch" with girlfriends at least once a week, who play tennis or go to the gym almost daily, and whose cars are not covered in toys and cheerios. I would love to be one of "those" moms, but I can't, at least not at this stage in our lives. As I look around at my friends who are that way, I realize, most of them have nannies or family around to help, or they have older children who are more self-sufficient than my 3 year old and my 10 month old. But that is okay. In fact, it is perfect! Afterall, Alli and Boots couldn't care less about any of those details. They don't care that I am in a t-shirt and shorts today, with no makeup, no jewelry, and my hair is in a ponytail for the 3rd day in a row. And I am lucky to have a husband who doesn't care, either. He also has never wondered why dinner isn't on the table when he gets home, why the den is a wreck because we built a fort and it is covered in toys, or why there are still piles of laundry waiting to be folded. (Thank you, Brad, for that!) At the end of the day, we have two happy, thriving little girls, and isn't that what it is all about?!
Like I said, now I get it!!
3 comments:
I love this!! That's the right perspective, and I would do well to remember it. It's so absolutely on target. It's funny, though, that I see you as one of "those" moms who has it so together- I'm glad to know we're in the same boat :) I finally succumbed to Rick's begging for a housekeeper every once in a while so we don't have mold growing in the bathroom. I do my very best, and I've recognized I can accept the help without being a failure. It lets me play with the kids more, right?
I'm SOOOOOO looking forward to our reunion!!!! You'll have to let me know your travel plans and where you're staying. I think I'm getting in Thursday at Midnight and I'm staying at the Days Inn downtown. xoxox
ok.... this is great, but i know you all too well... something has happened recently that got you "thinking" which in turn we all know where that leads... mile long blog entries/emails. am i right???!!!
Great story! I think that Meredith can already identify with running around the house half-dressed!!
Post a Comment