I love my family…
Ok I know you’re supposed to love your family. And I do. Unquestionably. All the time. But despite that love, I gotta tell you that sometimes they drive me crazy and make me long to run away and disappear for an hour (or day) or so… I mean I wonder at those moms who never raise their voices and, lovingly prepare awesome meals their kids love, while keeping a spotless house and entertaining their broods with creative sports and craft and…. that is GREAT! How do they do that?!
No really, how do they do that? Somebody teach me the secret. Am I the only one who’s house isn’t spotless, and whose kids love potatoes today, and hate them tomorrow? Who can be heard yelling at boys to stop jumping off couches, and that they’re too close to the TV. Me, I’m happy if everyone’s relatively happy and whole at the end of the day, despite the bedtime tears that inevitably follow “Time to brush teeth and get into bed.”
But after all the drama, when everyone’s finally asleep, and I watch those little angels sleep… I think to myself that they have no idea how much I love them – although I’m sure they think they do. But the measure of my love isn’t in the hugs and kisses I shower them with. It isn’t in proud display of kid’s art on my office wall. Or the millions of kids photos that find their way as my Profile pics – never of me, always of them.
It’s in watching over my sleeping baby girl as she tosses and struggles through teething AND a nasty cold. It’s in amazement as my husband comes outside to sit with me with the sick kid at 3am even though he has a big job that day. It’s in that march into school with my oldest boy to confront his teacher when the bruises on his arm confirmed his complaints of a bullying classmate, a claim his teacher had adamantly denied. It’s waking up in the middle of the night to put on a load of laundry because my younger boy has an outing the next day and I’m sure he’ll want to wear his favourite cargo pants.
It’s in NOT buying that Wii for their birthdays because you don’t need a Wii AND a DS and a PS2 AND a GameCube. It’s in teaching that there’s value in learning to pitch a tent, and build a fort, and that homemade pinatas made of papier mache are waaay better than store-bought cardboard ones!
It’s in my silent prayer at night that I’ll be lucky enough to have one more day to do right by them.
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About Me
A 30-ish mother of 3 and unintentional entrepreneur, I started my own IT Consultancy firm after layoffs at my old job. I balance the world of Corporate IT with my life as Manager of the education, health and well-being of my children.
Blogging from the Caribbean, I give tech advice to moms and write about raising 3 kids under 10, one of whom has been diagnosed with Aspergers.
I like that you added what you don't do to help your kids too!