Things I learned today about being a Mama

 

I have now been a Mama since May of 2008. However, I still find that each day brings new things to the forefront of my Mama experiences:

• Being a Mama is like riding a bike. You don't really forget how it is done. I won't ever have a baby again. This I know. But with little Theo joining our homeschool crew, sometimes you gotta give a Mama a break. Here I am, pictured above, editing for a newsletter I still freelance for while doing the baby-wearing thing. I still got this. 

• Children will come up with new things EVERY SINGLE DAY that will SHOCK parents ... today I walked outside to find my two daughters shocking me. They had tied sweaters to the big tall swing set we have (THIS ONE!) and were holding onto the sleeves and sliding down the thing. 

• Kids will be shocked that you tell them something that is obviously unsafe is unsafe. "Wait. Mom. You mean we can't do that ever again?!"

• If you pass a huge DUALLY truck (google that if you don't know what it is) on a very small country road and you are driving a rather large vehicle yourself, you might find that you both hit something. They hit a mailbox. We hit a culvert in a ditch. 

• Culverts can shred your tire.

• AAA is really cool when you need it. Like super cool. 

• Getting a flat tire with SIX children in your car with you ... is less than ideal. 

• It's okay to pat yourself on the back for something you would never have imagined you'd be proud of. Something like "Okay, we have to get out of the car and walk down the road because our tire blew out. Does everyone have their shoes?" And when you realize you successfully have 12 shoes in the car (14 counting your own), you are proud. And you celebrate with something delicious to eat later ... just because. 

• Even if you think you are a really tough parent, kids will push every single boundary you give them to the max. If you have four kids, the max will be pushed x 4. 

• Even a kid who doesn't seem like a boundary-pusher, will push you. They will choose this most appropriately on a day that you already feel like everything you have done has gone wrong.

• Even if you think you are not crazy, kids will convince you that you are crazy, and you will find yourself thinking: "Am I imagining this? I'm not out of my ever-living-mind, am I?"

• Each of your children will challenge you in completely different ways.

• Each of your children will change the way they challenge you each day to keep you on your toes.

• Your children will know when you have a headache or when Dad won't be home on time to challenge you even more.

• When challenged in the ways mentioned above, you will find yourself saying: "Why am I homeschooling? I mean, I could just send them to school (on a normal year) and get lots of cool things done everyday. Like reading and gardening and writing and eating chocolate."