We’ve spent several days this summer at my mom and dad’s new home in Taft, TN. My folks spent five years designing, planning, and building this place. It’s not the house I grew up in, but something about it makes it feel like home. Probably the people in it.
Growing up, my parents and I always had the relationship with me that if I had something bothering me, they wouldn’t pry, but would always check to see if I was okay. Almost like they could sense it with their sixth sense of parenting skills. This method continued in college, and still continues now that I’m a parent. (Still waiting on my sixth sense.) Following my venting always comes the most incredible advice. If I can be half the parents my folks are for my kids, I’d call it success. #goals
We have always scheduled our kids with their routines. We’ve had to with the schedule that Ben and I were blessed with before our two little blessings came along. During the summers, we try not to be as strict on our kids so that we can allow them some non structured freedom, under disciplined guidelines, of course. The last thing I need is my kids streaking down the neighborhood streets. We let them stay up and little later and sleep in. We run to fun events constantly. During the summers, their routines are basically non existent, even with packed out schedules.
Right now, we have a 3 year old and a 4 year old living under the same roof. They’ve both inherited moods with this age bracket. It’s been really tough being a parent to these kids going through these phases during this unscheduled summer break. Ben and I are both worn thin. My kids don’t argue with each other, oh no. They’re friends. You may think, “Oh how awesome!” 98% of the time, it is awesome. But, nights like tonight, I Ellie just came in my room to tattle take saying Peyton drew on his wall with magic marker. Now, we painted both kids’ rooms at the beginning of the summer. I walk into a boy covered in marker, a wall covered in colored shapes, and marker laying on the carpet.
“Told ya,” Ellie said.
Before blowing up, I went and got Ben-who is just about as wonderful on handling scenarios as my folks.
“How’d he get the marker?” he asked.
“Um, well I went and got it for him,” Ellie exclaimed. Peyt nodded.
They’re a duo from another world. And they’re going to be the death of me. Luckily for them and their lifespan, the marker wasn’t magic, and magically came off of the wall and my son. But, I’ve about hit my limit. This weekend we were visiting my folks, and of course, they could tell something was bothering me. “I’m just tired.” (The usual response which really meant, “I’m just tired of my children’s behavior.”) I mentioned my parents didn’t pry into my personal business, but they sure know how to give advice without even saying a word.
I was sitting on the couch talking with Dad. Ben was grabbing a drink in the kitchen. You know where my mom was? In the floor! She was sitting in the floor playing her role as “Barbie” as Ellie played the role of “Stacy”. I watched for a while. Mom caught my eye and smiled. She said her grandmother used to get in the floor and play with her.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. My kids were driving me nuts talking over one another to me while I was crying out for peace and silence. But they were talking for my full blown attention. They wanted me to really hear them, and not “multi task” hear them behind the phone or grad school.
So today, I played the role of Belle while Stacy (Ellie), Barbie (Also Ellie), and Marshall from Paw Patrol (Peyton) all went in Barbie’s Magic Camper to the pretend beach to watch the stars. No phones allowed in the playroom. I enjoyed watching my children’s imaginations unveil. I also wished I had spent more time in Toys R Us before they closed. When I tucked Ellie in tonight, she was so grateful that I played with her today. “This was the bestest day.” It was a pretty great day.
The kids are still in “this phase”, but only for a season. Apparently, I’m gonna miss this noise one day. Until then, I’ll take my parents advice and play in the floor with them as long as I can.
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