It's 5 PM. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?
At 5:00 I still have to go out five more times today. Pick up, oops forgot my sneakers- drive back to school to get them, drop off, drop off, pick up, pick up. Wait, that's six times. It's unbelievable how much gas I use driving in circles. From one school to the other and back again. "Mom can you drive D, G and J home too?" Sure! What's three more kids in my car! Especially when I have exactly 10 minutes to pick up my daughter, but now have to drive home three other kids who have to be somewhere else in 20 minutes. Are you following me yet?
Every afternoon is a whirlwind of activities, in the suburbs that means driving and carpools. It requires precise timing and ingenuity to get our kids where they have to be, especially if it's at the same time. We have to be master jugglers - timing homework, snacks, dinner, and (occasional) showers around the various activities that take up our children's afternoons and evenings.
We all say we don't want to over-schedule our kids, but it just happens. But, they are involved in sports, community service, and theater. They certainly could be doing worse things.
Best of all in this chaos, they enjoy it. They have chosen their activities, and as their parent I have chosen to support them. Which means I regularly invest in Mobil and Hess, and sometimes McDonalds.
I really don't mind driving them around because they really want to be doing what they're doing. It is exhausting though. Sometimes the thought of getting in my car one more time with a bunch of smelly, screeching kids makes me, well...I've learned to tune them out. At the end of the day, it's all good. Then we get to wake up and start over again.
When my children are grown will I miss this part of parenting? Probably.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
BOO!
To dress up or to not dress up, that is the question. Are you too cool when you are in sixth grade to dress up for Halloween? Or are you still considered a little kid and are therefore, hopefully, not ridiculed for choosing to dress as a care bear, or a witch, or a ghost.
H has wrestled with this decision this year. She is, after all, only 11. Halloween has always been one of her favorite holidays BECAUSE of the costumes, and of course the candy. H and her friends would deliberate for weeks on their costumes. Should they dress as 1950's girls, sesame street characters or m&m's? We would make several trips to the Halloween costume store before a final decision was made. Sometimes returning and purchasing several costumes multiple times.
I am completely ok with that. I love Halloween too. In elementary school a whole day was devoted to it! There would be a parade, where all parents, grandparents and other assorted family members would gather midday and surround the school, cameras in hand. My husband would even take off work for this! After the parade, class parties ensued followed by the mad rush to dash home for trick-or-treating.
We are blessed to live in a neighborhood full of young families and children. Frankly, it is a zoo on Halloween but I love it. The kids rush home from school, wait for their friends and then gather in the street. Hopefully we get a picture before they run off.
My son, who is a freshman in high school now, has always dressed up with his friends. Being cool was never an issue for him because he just enjoyed it and went with the flow. He's lucky that his friends are like that. They don't think they're too cool, they feel comfortable just enjoying themselves. Sometimes that takes more guts than trying to fit in - 'should I or shouldn't I, what will people think'.
I felt a little deflated when my daughter said she didn't really want to dress up. I know she is reacting to peer pressure - I know she wants to be a pink care bear. She waited to find out what her friends where doing before she made her decision. Yes - she will be a pink care bear, and several of her other friends will be care bears of different colors. As much as she loved this costume, she never would have followed her heart unless her peers were on the same page. I'm sorry she feels that way, but I guess I remember how hard it was to fit in if you stepped out of the box.
I will choose to treasure my sweet pink care bear this year because next year she she may be too cool to dress up for halloween, and I'll just have to accept that.
To dress up or to not dress up, that is the question. Are you too cool when you are in sixth grade to dress up for Halloween? Or are you still considered a little kid and are therefore, hopefully, not ridiculed for choosing to dress as a care bear, or a witch, or a ghost.
H has wrestled with this decision this year. She is, after all, only 11. Halloween has always been one of her favorite holidays BECAUSE of the costumes, and of course the candy. H and her friends would deliberate for weeks on their costumes. Should they dress as 1950's girls, sesame street characters or m&m's? We would make several trips to the Halloween costume store before a final decision was made. Sometimes returning and purchasing several costumes multiple times.
I am completely ok with that. I love Halloween too. In elementary school a whole day was devoted to it! There would be a parade, where all parents, grandparents and other assorted family members would gather midday and surround the school, cameras in hand. My husband would even take off work for this! After the parade, class parties ensued followed by the mad rush to dash home for trick-or-treating.
We are blessed to live in a neighborhood full of young families and children. Frankly, it is a zoo on Halloween but I love it. The kids rush home from school, wait for their friends and then gather in the street. Hopefully we get a picture before they run off.
My son, who is a freshman in high school now, has always dressed up with his friends. Being cool was never an issue for him because he just enjoyed it and went with the flow. He's lucky that his friends are like that. They don't think they're too cool, they feel comfortable just enjoying themselves. Sometimes that takes more guts than trying to fit in - 'should I or shouldn't I, what will people think'.
I felt a little deflated when my daughter said she didn't really want to dress up. I know she is reacting to peer pressure - I know she wants to be a pink care bear. She waited to find out what her friends where doing before she made her decision. Yes - she will be a pink care bear, and several of her other friends will be care bears of different colors. As much as she loved this costume, she never would have followed her heart unless her peers were on the same page. I'm sorry she feels that way, but I guess I remember how hard it was to fit in if you stepped out of the box.
I will choose to treasure my sweet pink care bear this year because next year she she may be too cool to dress up for halloween, and I'll just have to accept that.
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