Summer Fun?

When you're a kid, you always look forward to summer. It's a hallowed time. It feels like you can spend your time as you wish...it feels free. It seems like there are exciting, new things just around the corner. Even if you had nothing better to do than lounge around all day, it was great, because you COULD. I'm wondering when I lost that feeling? I'm starting to think that is probably NOT how my mother felt about it...because I'm dreading it.

We are a full week away from summer break, and I already feel the weighty oppression of time and expectation. It's not yet 8 am, and I already have whiny, bored children hanging off of me. Since when did "Entertainer of the Year" become part of my job description? What will happen when we add two more children to the mix when school officially ends? We have a few weekend visits planned, but no grand vacations to look forward to...

I'm not looking forward to the complaining when the grandeur of summer freedom fades, and they suddenly discover boredom. I don't have a plan or strategy in place to combat this formidable foe! I must either come up with something creative soon or accept the eventual annihilation of our playroom...or more likely, our home, as the disbursement of toys throughout the house creates a great black hole of chaos from which we may never recover! I'm tired just thinking about it. Preventing the impending self destruction could take all the hours in the day...and that doesn't include the seemingly too-few hours I spend with each child. How to do what is needed as well as, when possible, what is wanted? Lord, grant me patience, or I'm going to be the first one sucked in!

Truisms of Parenting

1. Your child will be independent as long as it serves their purpose...and helpless otherwise.

2. No matter how quietly you sneak a "treat," they will hear you and come running.

3. Someone will always dislike something about dinner. Yes, even if it's pizza.

4. Someone will need to potty AFTER you have left the house, gotten in the car, loaded the grocery cart...you get the picture.

5. Discipline is funny, until you are the object of it.

6. Their eyes ARE generally bigger than their stomachs.

7. It's never fair.

8. They WILL get dirty, no matter how hard you try to keep them clean, but especially if they are wearing something special or dry clean only.

9. If you leave diapers, wipes or a change of clothes at home...you'll wish you hadn't!

10. If you say, "Don't touch that!"...someone will.

11. Dad is WAY cooler than Mom in pretty much every situation.

12. Whoever thought markers and paints ought to be restricted to paper was obviously a very limited thinker.

13. Sharp things are the objects of GREAT interest.

14. So is fire.

15. They "know" things. And they think they're right, even when presented with indisputable contradictory evidence!