They're Comin' Around....

This morning I was so frustrated with my kids. They were arguing, yelling and fighting. And I, in turn was YELLING! Kids can make you crazy. The penalty for their nastiness was no TV for the day. This meant no TV this morning and no TV until bed. Usually this wouldn’t be a big deal but today we were driving to the coast so it meant no TV in the car. Honestly I don’t think my kids have ever seen anything between our house and the ocean except the TV in the car. This worried me a bit but I was sticking to my guns.

As we headed out of town they tried me. “Mom, can we turn on a movie now?” Usually when we hit the freeway on a road trip it’s TV time. I said, “Nope….no TV.” They were upset for about…….30 seconds. Next I said, “This is your captain speaking. We’ll be traveling at approximately 30,000 feet. Please stay seated. If you look out your window to the right you will see cows grazing.” They laughed and asked, “Mom…. Will we see horses too?” I said, “I am the captain, not mom.” From then on I was Captain Mom and they were Passenger _______. You do the math. This worked for an hour. They reported what they saw out the windows and had a great time. We had never talked in the car this long. IT WAS GREAT!

Next they talked about making a haunted deck (we have a big deck on the front of our house) for Halloween. There are other haunted porches and such around our ‘hood for Halloween. They went on and on for another hour. I loved hearing their ideas and imagination. It was like they were there. I could feel their excitement.

Once we were at the cabin they climbed out of the car. I announced, “Guys, I need help. You are going to help me unload the car.” They looked at me unimpressed. I said, “Until the car is unloaded we’re not going to have any fun.” They jumped in. I carried the heavy stuff and they carried all the small stuff. Sophia tried to carry heavy stuff but really…..I took it from her. I unpacked and the kids climbed up to the loft after their part was done.

Grandma and grandpa showed a few minutes after our arrival. The kids were really excited to see them and ran around like crazy people. We all reacquainted and then went about our business. Mom, Sophia and I went to the grocery store, Ed, Coulter and Kees went to the beach. The girls got a few things and then went to meet the boys at the beach. It was almost balmy there. It was 70 degrees and really windy. The wind we are used to, the warm NO but it was welcome for sure. We played and then went home….

I made dinner. Ed says, “Hey, the Sounders are playing. Too bad there’s not a TV.” (The TV is in the closet). The kids say, “It’s in there!” He goes toward it. They say, “WE’RE NOT ALLOWED TO WATCH TV TODAY!” They were really adamant. Mom said, “Ed, they are not allowed to watch TV today.” They both respected that and all went on.

Our friend Rebecca came over. We all had a glass of wine, talked, the kids played, Sophia worked on a story on the computer. A bit later, Ed went to bed, Rebecca went home, I put the boys to bed and turned on noise for them. They went right out. Funny how that familiar sound does the trick. They couldn’t stay awake if they wanted to. Sophia, Mom and I stayed up. Mom told Sophia stories about when she was a kid. I told stories about when Bob and I got married. It was really fun. Sophia was really into it. Mom read Sophia’s story so far and gave her big kudos. Sophia was all smiles.

Time for bed….. Mom went to the RV and I took Sophia to bed. She wanted to read to me….she just started a Nancy Drew book. She started it about 10 minutes after I shut down the TV this morning. Yet another point for shutting down the boob tube. I don’t know what she read all I know is listening to her read was like silk on my skin, cream on my tongue, basically like a smooth warm flow over by body. It was magic. She was entranced….. and I was by her. I love that she loves reading. Next she said, “Mommy I am tired. Will you lay with me?” Of course. I turned off the light and we “spooned” together. I could feel her breath, I could feel her pulse. I thought, “I am going to breathe hard and see what happens.” Just like when she was a baby….She matched my breathing, closed her eyes and slipped away into sleep. Man it was beautiful. I can’t believe I still have that over her. Does my mom still have that on me? Maybe. Maybe all mammas do. But it was so cool and I love that my babies are coming around.

They were spoiled brats a week ago that could only be calmed by entertainment. They are coming back to the beautiful, creative and smart kids that I have always known. This makes me really happy. So less TV, more mom/dad, beach and quiet creative play seem to be the answer. I love the answer and love that the answer makes us all more peaceful. I am looking forward to more beach and peace and less wild and over indulged children. Life with the kids is looking better by the moment.