The reality of being a mom to school age children has finally hit. I remember being ten years old, looking at my mom on those hot, school-free days, and knowing without a doubt that she was going to rip her hair out! Two and a half months for kids to be out of school may seem like paradise to little energetic munchkins, but to a mother who can only think of so many activities, so many project, so many local kid-friendly places to visit, it can be a bit of an uphill battle. This week, as my bouncing baby girl is on the verge of beginning kindergarten, I've realized what my mother went through and what so many others go through as our kids run circles around the house and we stare, trying not to go crazy! We've had a fabulous summer, filled with change, growth and experience...but as the last weeks wind to a close, the chaos and my inability to control it is apparent.
I write this post with a bit of caution. On Sunday night I watched Diane Sawyer's interview of Jaycee Duggard and was affected to my core. I was outraged at the state of our 'system' that lets vile, inhuman beings walk the earth because of prison overcrowding and the parole officers who are paid by our tax dollars to NOT do their job. I was touched by a mother, who never gave up, who searched and prayed and waited for her baby to come home. And I was stunned by a woman, only a bit older than I, who was kidnapped, raped and forced to do the unthinkable, yet shows an unimaginable sense of hope and love in her heart. The last moments of this interview, just when I suspected I could cry no more, Jaycee's mother looked into the tv, speaking as one mother to another and gave a beautiful piece of wisdom. She spoke of leaving her home the morning Jaycee was kidnapped and rushing out the door, more concerned with herself than her daughters. Worried about getting to work on time she decided NOT to kiss them goodbye. Painstakingly, she told me and the millions of mothers watching, to take that 'minute' for your kids....it might be an inconvenience to you but it means something to them.
That evening as I tucked my babies in bed and my precious girl argued and persisted for one more kiss, one more sip of water I took a deep breath and prayed for patience, I kissed my little one, hugged her (maybe a bit too tight, I was emotional) and counted my blessings. Yes, the summer may be long and filled with commotion, but it is ours and it won't be here forever. I'm incredibly thankful to have such energetic kiddos causing havoc to our lives even if half the time, I want to rip my long, thick blonde hair out in chunks!
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