When the kids are little, there
is plenty to keep you busy - diapers, bottles, colic, vaccinations, etc., etc.
You think that when the kids get older that things will slow down.
HA! There seems to be a small window of time - between being potty
trained and starting school - that things are a little more peaceful.
Yes, the child still depends on you for food and to bathe him, and dress
him, and tuck him in at night. But bottles and diapers are gone, and the
kid can actually tell you what they want to eat. Life is just a little easier,
even with the whole bath, reading, and bedtime routine.
One the
child starts school, life gets just a little more complicated. You have
to get them up and dressed and on the bus or in the car to get to school on
time. You have to remember to pack a lunch or send lunch money. You
need to remember to sign permission slips and the reams of other papers that
the school sends home to parents. You have homework at night, whether
it's beginning math or spelling words.
As the
kids get older, the schoolwork gets harder. There are papers to write,
books to read, and projects to do. Nothing is worse than the dreaded
science project. The schools should just charge $1000 for each child who
doesn't want to do a science project - no other fundraiser would ever be
necessary.
And as
the kids get older, the extracurricular activities increase. We went
through karate lessons, gymnastics, dance lessons (very short lived!), marching
band, Girl Scouts, 4-H. and Colorguard. That means Mom or Dad has to
drive the kid there and back, and many times has to hang around and wait.
Those activities all cost money, too. Then when the lessons or
activities are over, you still have to get the kid fed, make sure they get
their homework done, and try to make them get some sleep. And the next
day, it all starts over again.
Weekends
aren't a break. There are marching competitions, karate tournaments,
fundraisers, and more. I don't want to sell any more jambalaya dinners or
raffle tickets!
Now both
of our kids are away at college. You would think that life would be much
easier now that my husband and I are alone at home. In some ways, things
are easier. Meal times are so much simpler - hubby and I are not that
picky about food. Even if we decide to go the fast food route, it is cheaper
and much simpler for the two of us. It's great not to have to wake up a
surly teenager at the crack of dawn. And it's nice not to have a houseful
of kids, friends, and acquaintances every day at all hours of the day or night.
There were times we had no clue who was sleeping on our couch.
No one
tells you about all of the things that happen while they are away that demand
your time ans attention. There are the wrecks that scare you half to
death and make you race faster than the speed of light to be there for your
"babies." There are love or roommate issues that keep you on
the phone, listening to your child rant and/or sob for an hour. There are
the times one or the other doesn't feel well and you try to talk him or her
into going to the campus clinic, but usually wind up taking them to the Urgent
Care. There are the school supplies, food, laundry products, and hygiene
products they need. There is the help they need in making their financial
aid is straight, and the help they need in getting textbooks. There are the
times they have dropped and broken their cell phones, or their laptops quit
working. There is the doling out of advice when questions such as, "What
do I do with my life?" and "How can I make some money?" come up.
There are late night texts and early morning calls. There are the
treats I bake to bring them to remind them how much I care. And there are
the times they just need some money.
But you
know what? As crazy as they make me, I wouldn't trade them for anything
in the world. I helped make them - I helped raise them - and I take half
of the credit for making them the unique, awesome people they are today.
And the best is yet to come!
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