Get me a bucket I need to purge...mentally, that is

I have avoided writing in my blog simply because I have felt overwhelmed at the prospect of gathering my thoughts enough to play catch-up. This morning I realized it was ok to not chronicle every day of my existence. Huh. Who woulda thunk? So if past events come to mind I will write about them, otherwise I'm going to write about what is fresh in my mind.

As any parent knows, there are times when conflicts arise between you and your children (I am amused at the simplicity of that statement!). To put it bluntly, crap hits the fan on a regular basis. When said crap is dispersed, I remind my kids of my two most important jobs as a parent (and their dad's as well): First and foremost is to protect them. So much falls within this job - keeping them physically safe; making sure there is a roof over their heads and food in their bellies; basically making sure they make it out alive and well. Secondly, our job is to make sure that one day we can kick them out of the nest so that they can function well in society on their own.

This morning I had the opportunity to reap the benefits of one of our jobs well done (Dave will always be included, as he is an outstanding dad), while educating about the other, and that's what I would like to blog about today.

I love mornings when I get to wake up with my kids, as opposed to meeting them at the door at 6:00 in the morning. Upon waking I could hear Amanda and Brandon playing in the living room, so I stayed in bed so that I could hear them and enjoy their natural interaction with each other without my influence. Before long one of them mentioned breakfast, and I expected them to come bursting through my door wanting me to get them something to eat. Instead, I heard the rustling of the frozen waffle package, and the setting of plates on the counter. I grinned as I listened to them...

"Hold on, I gotta go pee!"..."Ok, but don't flush the toilet 'cause it will wake Mama"..."Brandon I'm sorry if I don't cut your waffle very well because I'm not that good at it...I'm not Mom"..."Where does Mom keep the syrup now?"..."Amanda, it's up in the cupboard just get the stool"..."Brandon, please put these on the table"..."Right here Manda? Right here by the computer but not too close to the computer?" Finally as they were sitting quietly eating I quickly got dressed and went out to let them know how incredibly proud I was of them. My heart was about to burst I was such a proud mama! I wanted to squeeze the dickens out of both of them.

As soon as they finished, both plates were placed in the sink and off to the bathroom they went to brush their teeth, without a word from me. Instead of brushing, I heard crazy laughter and odd sounds coming from each of them. I thought I was gonna die when I saw what my two little angels were up to...Amanda had a stronghold on Brandon's tighty-whiteys and was pulling them up and out of his jammie pants with all the effort she could muster. Brandon was shrieking with delight and pain, and exclaimed "Ah geez, that was a super-mega wedgie!!!"

So chalk one up for mom and dad...the kids fed themselves and provided their own morning entertainment without any help at all. As for functioning well in society...well...thankfully we have time to work on that one! I mean, not everyone in the world is going to actually want one of Amanda's signature Super-Mega Wedgies.

On the other hand, I had to have a little chat with Amanda about my other job as a parent, the one about protecting her. Yesterday I went out and bought her a nice new winter coat. The one she had been wearing was thin and un-snappable, so she was always cold. So I found one that was so snugly warm even I was a little jealous of her. It had an inner liner made of the softest fleece (that was reversible) that could be zipped out for the days that aren't quite so freezing but still cold. Our hot weather streak broke today, with highs only getting to the upper 30's, so I told her to keep the liner in and zip up. She didn't like how it looked -it was too puffy and she didn't want to zip. It certainly didn't look puffy, it looked quite fitted and good on her.

I was a little miffed at her complaining and her lack of appreciation for not only having a warm coat to wear, but a nice one at that. So on our way to school I explained to her that first of all, it was my job to get her to and from school warm and comfortable. Second of all, I explained to her that there are many kids out there who had nothing to keep them warm and who would have loved even her old ratty coat that wouldn't snap. I gave the ol' lecture about appreciating what she has and being thankful that she is not in need of more. She nodded that she understood and I didn't hear another word about her not liking the *puffy* coat.

Damn I love those kids. :)