Some thoughts from mom
A few random things that have been on my mind lately…
-Having a two-year-old sometimes makes me feel like we’re living with a little dog. Many mornings over the last few months Avery has come in bed with us with a big smile and a lot of pouncing around – and when I’m exercising at home she often comes and jumps on top of me. The only difference between her and a puppy is there isn’t any licking or panting. Usually.
-Why do kids talk so loud? I’ve noticed lately that Zoe has really upped the decibel level, and it’s especially noticable when we’re in the car and she’s trying to get our attention. During a particularly loud ride the other morning, I told Q that I heard the word “Daddy” one more time…
-There is, truthfully, a fair amount to not like about being a parent. But for me the worst thing, hands-down, is having to deal with dinner. It’s the end of the day, the kids are (often) cranky, the cook is (often) cranky and no one wants to eat the same thing. I’ve had serious fantasies lately of putting the girls on some sort of liquid diet, delivered via IV, and just being done with it. (Perhaps that’s why I make them so many smoothies.)
-Zoe recently started taking showers on her own after swim class. While her growing independence makes me proud, and it’s nice to have her do something I once did, I started feeling restless while sitting and waiting for her one recent Sunday. When you’ve got two little kids, sitting idle isn’t really the norm – and being unneeded (even for just a few moments) felt somewhat foreign. I wound up arranging, and rearranging, her clothes.
-A former colleague told me something I’ll never forget: You always think the current age/stage of your child is the “best.” (I’m sure these feelings are by design – y’know, to ensure that parents don’t abandon their kids when the going gets tough and/or their kids lose their baby cuteness.) Her comment has been right on for me these past 5+ years; right now, to me, there’s basically nothing better than the almost-three and five-and-a-half stages…
-On a related note, I saw a woman strolling her newborn one morning on the way to school and it suddenly hit me that the sight of her didn’t make me feel sentimental or sad or envious: I felt perfectly content with where I was with my girls (who were happily munching bagels and giggling in the backseat), and with life. But then, later that day, Zoe started singing a song she had been learning for her “moving on” ceremony at school and I teared up, thinking about the end of the preschool era and how fast these past five years have gone… I suspect (know) those sentimental feelings will always stay with me.
-M