1: the raising of a child by its parents
Sometimes I wish I could just do the fun part of parenting. You know the kind I mean:
Celebrating your child's birthday...
...with a party where your child delights in her friends and they delight in her.
...by allowing all of the sugary treats that are on the NO list - cupcakes from The Cupcake Collection, Sprite, homemade lemon bars, brownies from Sweet 16th. (But even then, not all at the same time.)
...by reminding yourself of why she is so very challenging and so very rewarding
Sharing thoughtful conversations...
...about the book The Secret Garden
and what the perfect garden would contain
...about the best way to take in the view, whether with a cup of coffee, a good book or friends in tow
...about what it means to grow up and whether the freedoms adults have outweigh their responsibilities
...and if those freedoms aren't worth it, what age would you freeze yourself if you could?
Playing a good game of Hug Kiss or Tickle: You may be unfamiliar with this game since game K and I invented it. Here's how you play:
...say the title slowly, with a voice suited to building anticipation
...let your child choose one
...smother child with kisses, swaddle her in hugs or consume her little body with tickling hands
...laugh with said child
...always, always play rounds in multiples of three, so that mom gets a fair share of hugs, kisses and tickles
I wish I could do just these things and let go of all the rest and they would turn into the great women I see lurking beneath the surface of these little girl bodies. But if all I did was celebrate, talk and play, they would very likely turn into undisciplined, spoiled women with no one around to enjoy the great potential they hold inside. And that would be a tragedy. So I'll keep working away at trying to be the best mom I can be. But I secretly look forward to being a grandmother when, as I see it, you really do get to just do the good stuff.
Sometimes I wish I could just do the fun part of parenting. You know the kind I mean:
Celebrating your child's birthday...
...with a party where your child delights in her friends and they delight in her.
...by allowing all of the sugary treats that are on the NO list - cupcakes from The Cupcake Collection, Sprite, homemade lemon bars, brownies from Sweet 16th. (But even then, not all at the same time.)
...by reminding yourself of why she is so very challenging and so very rewarding
 |
| Celebrating the 9th Birthday |
...about the book The Secret Garden
and what the perfect garden would contain...about the best way to take in the view, whether with a cup of coffee, a good book or friends in tow
...about what it means to grow up and whether the freedoms adults have outweigh their responsibilities
...and if those freedoms aren't worth it, what age would you freeze yourself if you could?
 |
| The View that Prompted a Thoughtful Conversation |
...say the title slowly, with a voice suited to building anticipation
...let your child choose one
...smother child with kisses, swaddle her in hugs or consume her little body with tickling hands
...laugh with said child
...always, always play rounds in multiples of three, so that mom gets a fair share of hugs, kisses and tickles
I wish I could do just these things and let go of all the rest and they would turn into the great women I see lurking beneath the surface of these little girl bodies. But if all I did was celebrate, talk and play, they would very likely turn into undisciplined, spoiled women with no one around to enjoy the great potential they hold inside. And that would be a tragedy. So I'll keep working away at trying to be the best mom I can be. But I secretly look forward to being a grandmother when, as I see it, you really do get to just do the good stuff.
1 comment:
sigh, amen to that.
still, maybe I should do more of that-delighting in my children, rather than focusing on the things that need to be worked on-maybe some of the things would right themselves just from being in the constant calming hands of love. mostly, i know next to nothing. less as each year goes by. maybe i'll know just the right amount of nothing and see only with eyes of love(doesn't it cover a multitude of sins) by the time I'm a grandmother.
secondly, you have to slow down on you're blogging, I can't even get two connecting thoughts together lately-i'll never catch up at this rate.
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