My husband came home today and saw me
sitting on the couch, toddler on one
knee, and baby nursing on the opposite
breast. I was trying to turn the pages
of a book with the hand not attached to
the infant, while listening to the sound
of the stove buzzer, which would
indicate that tonight's pork chops were
at the stage between "well done" and
"the dog gets tonight's entree".
My husband looked at me innocently and
asked "So, did you do anything today?"
It's a good thing that most of my
appendages were otherwise engaged, as I
was unable to jump up and throttle him
to death. This was probably for the
best, as I assume that asking a stupid
question is not grounds for murder in
this country.
Let me back up a bit and explain what
led me to this point in my life. I was
not always bordering on the brink of
insanity. On the contrary, a mere four
years ago, I had a good job, steady
income, and a vehicle that could not
seat a professional sports team and me
comfortably. I watched television shows
that were not hosted by singing
puppets. I went to bed later than nine
o'clock at night. I preferred sex to
sleeping in. I laughed at those people
who drove halfway across the country
hauling a tent trailer, three screaming
kids, and a drooling dog and called it a
holiday. Now I have become one of them!
What happened? The stick turned blue.
I have traded in my Victoria's Secrets
lingerie for cotton briefs and a firm
support nursing bra. Good Bye Garth
Brooks, Hello Barney and Big Bird. My
idea of privacy is getting to use the
bathroom without a 2 yr. old banging on
the door and the baby spinning the
toilet paper roll from my lap. And I
finally understand that the term "Stay
at home Mom" does not refer to a parent
who no longer works outside the house,
but rather to one who never seems to get
out of the front door.
So, here I sit, children in hand,
wondering, how to answer my beloved
husband. DID I DO ANYTHING TODAY?
Well, I think I did, although not much
seems to have gotten accomplished. I
shared breakfast in bed with a handsome
young man. Of course the breakfast
consisted of a bowl of porridge and
leftover cookie crumbs found between the
sheets. The handsome young man is about
34 inches tall and only gets excited at
the sight of purple dinosaurs, toy
trucks and French fries. I got to take
a relaxing stroll in the woods. Of
course I had to look for frogs and
lizards, and had to stop and smell the
dandelions along the way.
I successfully washed one load of
laundry, moved the load that was in the
washer into the dryer, and the dryer
load into the basket. The load that was
in the basket is now spread out on the
bed, awaiting my bedtime decision to
actually put the clothes away or merely
move them to the top of the dresser.
I read two or three classics. Of course
Dickens and Shakespeare cannot take
credit for these works, as we have moved
on to the works of Seuss and Munsch. I
don't think I will be making any trips
to the adult section of my local library
anytime soon.
I don't know if my children
will grow up to be great leaders or
world class brain surgeons. Frankly, I
don't care, as long as they grow up to
be good people. They are my greatest
joys, even though I sometimes cry myself
to sleep at night in frustration. The
point is that today I got to watch my
children take another step on the great
journey of life, and I even got to point
out some of the sites along the way.
As challenging as parenthood is, it is
also equally rewarding because we are
using all our wisdom, our talent and
skills to help forge a new person. It
is this person, these people, who in
turn will use their gifts to create our
future.
So every nursery rhyme I recite, every
swing I push every little hand I hold is
something. And I did it today!
Author Unknown
In between I dusted wiped organized and
rearranged. I kissed away the owies and
washed away the tears. I scolded,
praised, hugged, and tested my patience,
all before noon.
Did I do anything today?? You betcha!
I will now understand what people mean
when they say that parenting is the
hardest job they will ever have. In my
LBD (life before diapers) I was able to
teach young minds how to divide
fractions, write complex sentences, but
I am unable to teach a strong willed 2
yr. old how to use the toilet. I was
once able to navigate urban streets
while talking on the car phone and
looking for a decent radio station, but
now I can't get the wheels on my
stroller to all go in the same
direction.
I've graduated from a university,
written newspaper articles, and won
awards, but can't figure out how to get
carrot stains out of the carpet. I used
to debate with my friends about
politics, but now we discuss the merits
of cloth versus disposable. And when
did I stop talking in sentences that had
more than 5 words?
So in response to my husbands inquiry,
yes I did do something today. In fact,
I am one step closer to one of life's
greatest accomplishments. No, I did not
find a cure for cancer or forge world
peace, but I did hold a miracle in my
arms. Two in fact. My children are my
greatest accomplishment and the
opportunity to raise them is my greatest
challenge.
