The Mom Chronicles: Not that different
Hey, moms and non-moms alike. This week I was inspired to have a little fun with my column. As many of my old highschool and college friends are having kids for the first time and experiencing those first moments of terror as they find that kids don't always have the same wants/needs/desires as we do at the exact moments we want them to (apparently they did not read "The Book" before they came out) I have to sit back and chuckle. Yes, we have all been there. Did we seriously believe our kids would come out loving sleep and naps and shopping and vegetables as we do?! And in light of this, I was thinking about how similar, yet how very different our kids can be from us, and yet how that can be part of the fun in being a parent. Afterall, it certainly keeps life... interesting? So for the heck of it I threw out to some online mom friends the phrase "Kids love 'em, moms..not so much" and the reverse "Moms love 'em..kids not so much" and asked them to send me their responses. I wanted to share them with you today.
As for the kids..they love 'em, we, as moms ...not so much! (Or at least we aren't about to admit we do!) Worms. Yellow snow. Noses and other body crevices and functions. Fast, spinny rides. Amusement parks. The McDonald's playland. Rain puddles.Kool aid in the living room. Paints.Picture books. Sand from the sandbox. Bugs. Grandma's rules. Boogers. Hot dogs. Toy aisles. Waking up bright and early on Saturday mornings to catch the cartoons. Screaming. Snow days. Sleepovers and staying up late. Scary movies. Playing "hide and seek" from mom in the store (of course with out her knowing we are playing!). Snakes. Running around naked. Pools. Getting dirty. Mud puddles. Playing "Dress up" with mom's clothes/shoes/makeup. Mom's purse. Gum. Sweets. Texting/cellphones. Video games.Fast food. Playing truth or dare. "Flying".
Compared to this, we mom's look pretty boring. Afterall, the things we moms love (or at least admit to loving)? Our kids...not so much. Naps. Relaxing. Shoes. Reminiscing. Taking formal family pictures. Rules. Sit down dinners. Making big deals out of "firsts" (first day of school, first date, etc) Benadryl. Quiet time. Shopping. Clean rooms and made beds. Clothes. Haircuts. Silence. Church/Musicals/Plays. The theatre. Sipping coffee. Shaving. Fruits and green vegetables. Working out. Novels. Magazines. "Oldies". Seafood (no, not the "see" food, that our kids like!"). Truffles. Mom's night out. Wine. Fresh flowers. Cards. Decorating. Dressing up. Non-mini vans.Candle lit dinners. Cover-ups.
Yikes! One can't help but wonder how we do co-exist when we appear to be so... different. Yet, despite these things which in most cases are polar opposites, there is this beautful, wonderful "grey zone" that exists. It is that which bridges us and forms these wonderful relationships that we have with our kids. The paints they love- colored the pictures we have hanging on our walls. The McDonald's play land we love to hate, is the place we meet up with other "mom" friends to catch up while our kids play. The quiet time we create allows them to rest so they can "fly" and play tag and hide and seek. The mini vans we drive, escort them to their activies that keep our calandars full and give us the precious photo ops we so seek. The clothes we love to buy, are the ones they wear to their outings. The flowers they pick (even if out of our garden) are the fresh ones we place on our dining room table. The screams and cries they make are the ones we miss when there is quiet and they are gone. The picture books we read them, teach them the words they will need to understand the novels they will read as adults. The visits to grandma's we hate because the rules are different, are the ones that give us our break to go out with the girls. The experiements with our make up now, are the ones which teach them how to apply their own on their wedding day. The sleepovers we host now are what helps teach them social skills that they will need in the future and build relationships that will hopefully last a life time. The Puddles they jump in now, will hopefully be the same ones they jump in with their own children.
So you see, Our kids and us? We aren't that different. In fact we are perfectly, wonderfully compatable. So instead on Saturday morning when you hear your kids up and at 'em at seven o'clock, asking for icecream for breakfast and raring to go for the day, instead of pulling the covers over your head and wondering aloud "What did I create?!" - join them. Afterall, who doesn't want ice cream in bed for breakfast? Even if you aren't willing to admit it!
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