Kissing Away the Hurt

As our kids grow, they encounter illness, stitches, broken bones, displaced elbows, chicken pox, and lots of other such lovely things.

Well, at least if you are MY kids.

Those are easily fixed. Lots of money changes hands, threads stitched, colorful casts made, creams given….and you’re all set.

And kisses from mommy always help.

But what do you do when the hurt is on the inside? How do you fix that?

Toss in a mom who is trying desperately to balance the needs of teens with little ones….and you’ve got a mess.

My big girl is struggling. Not with academics….all A’s right now. But struggling with roommates, living spaces, being apart from best friends, missing the boyfriend, not feeling special,....... and the list goes on.

I love when she comes home because we can talk for real. Trying to talk via email, text, or even phone just doesn’t cut it.

How do I help? What can I do to ease the pain? Barbie band-aids just don't work right now.

I remember being her age and struggling too. One of my best memories of college was when my mom came up for the day and brought me a pillow she made that said….

You are Special

I still cry just thinking about that day.

Not sure my mom even knows that.

My baby is not feeling special, feeling lost, and drifting. And I can’t help her. It makes me sad.

How I wish I could sprinkle some pixie dust and make everything okay. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

If you have pixie dust you can share, please mail it to me.

I hate not being able to kiss away the hurt.

Destruction times Two

My various houses, furniture, and other belongings survived the rise from babyhood to teen years with the big kids with very little problem.

So why is it that the little ones are on a search and destroy mission?

Over the past few years, they have worked alone or together to….

write with permanent black marker on the sofa cushions

pull apart pillows

use marker, pencils, or crayons to decorate unsuspecting surfaces

dump bubbles all over a person or an object

kick the disc drive on the computer so it is unusable

break the computer table

pour make-up all over Katie’s white carpet

cut hair, clothes, or other easily damaged items

break pieces off the playset

and endless other things that my feeble old mind has chosen to forget.

What is the deal? Am I too old to have little kids? Have I blocked memories of the behaviors of the big kids from my mind? Am I falling down on my parenting duties?

Likely a combination of all of the above…..and toss in being a busy, working mom to four and the little things (see above) get ignored until it’s too late.

But a memory flashed back to me today when I realized the computer table was broken.

Reference the aforementioned markers that drew on the wall. Mommy put her foot down and said….”NO more markers in our house. EVER!”

Flash forward to Christmas morning when Santa left small washable markers in the girls stockings.

Abby was overheard to say…....”Don’t tell mom that Santa gave us markers. She’ll take them away!”

A Soccer Story....

The time is here. The time is now. The season has started.

Soccer is b….a…c….k.

Alex is playing again and traveling to different areas of the state. Most games are close by but a few a couple hours away.

Lovely.

The little girls wanted to play this season too. Anna Grace played when she was three but, shockingly enough, did not listen to her coach so I pulled her out.

But when I thought of schedules for three kids, it made me crazy.

Remember, I have to factor in daddy’s travel schedule and big sister being at college and totally wrapped up in the college baseball season.

That leaves one driver.

Me.

I couldn’t find the balance so gave up my quest.

And yet this morning, the girls asked me when they would get to play soccer just like Alex and Katie.

As I hung my head and explained why they could not play until the fall, Alex was listening intently.

I told them we’d play in the fall when Alex could drive and help out.

He stopped and looked at me. And said....

You mean I’m going to be a soccer mom in the fall?

Yep. You are.

What Scares You?

My girls have been afraid of dogs next door, pandas roaming the house, monkeys living at Grandma’s house, bugs, wind, thunderstorms, and fun stuff like that.

But everything they’ve been afraid of makes sense to me.

Now me? That is another story.

I am about to make a small confession. Are you ready?

I am scared of flying.

Nothing big, huh? Lots of people don’t like to fly.

And yes, I flew to and from China. Twice. Sixteen hours in the air---one way.

I flew within China on Chinese airlines without understanding the language.

I have flown on small regional jets to to see family. Yes, I popped lots of Dramamine on those flights....for some reason, that helps calm me.

But here is a bigger confession. Brace yourself....

I hate to stop under an overpass. It completely freaks me out. I have come “this” close to getting out of my lane to go an alternate route. I keep waiting for the entire overpass to collapse.

I also hate to drive on a bridge or stop on one. I start to sweat rather quickly. I can feel the road shaking and just anticipate falling.

I remember as a child going on a long bridge in California, looking ahead, and seeing the bridge go directly into the water. Or that was the illusion. I have never forgotten that.

So there you go. My irrational fears.

My kids just laugh at me.

Yep, they love to admit their mom is crazy.

Never Interrupt an Eating Child

As we sat down tonight to a rare family dinner, we happily recalled our school and work days……with the exception of one child. She was very focused on eating. After all, eating is her thing.

We stopped her to ask about her day. Instead of answering, she put more food in her mouth.

After a bit of fussing from the parental unit, she decided she’d better step up to the plate.

And the torrent from Abby began……

I played with the puppets today during small group. (true)

Jacob B wore his pajamas to school when it wasn’t a Friday or pajama day. (this happened a month ago)

I had hash browns for breakfast. (yep)

I got to wear my pajamas to school. (on Polar Express day in December)

One day, I got to wear my 100th day hat to school. (two weeks ago)

Matthew isn’t in my class anymore. (hasn’t been for two years)

One group got to make goo today. (true)

We watched Tarzan in after school. (yep...rainy day)

I had peas, peaches, bread, and hmmm…..something else for lunch. (chicken and noodles)

I know our schedule. Morning circle, large group, music, free centers, snack, small group (is that therapy?), outside time, lunch, rest, and closing circle. (my detail oriented child)

Oh my.

Alex just looked at me and rolled his eyes.

Abs, go ahead and keep eating your dinner, baby.

And here you thought Anna Grace was the talkative one.