What’s a typical weekend day like at your house? Here, the kids sleep well, eat well, and take care of themselves. But… don’t be fooled—it’s anything but a walk in the park.
This weekend, my daughters washed the car… and I found my 8-year-old on the roof of the car…
They cleaned out the bookcase… and turned it into a dollhouse using sheets and empty Kleenex boxes to make beds (where on earth did the tissues go?)…
Food coloring made its way on its own from the cupboard to my 11-year-old’s room, and so did the glue (slime recipe—that &@$*% slime)...
They helped plant the flowers and water them; I can follow the trail from the front door all the way to the back door…
I found the sleds hanging from the jump ropes in the tree.... along with a colander.
The karaoke machine’s mic hanging from the window—that was to amplify the lovely sound of the birds. Too much creativity is like not enough, at least for a mom!
When did I lose control? I don’t know exactly when. Yet it was off to a good start, I swear! I’ve looked after children before. I worked at summer camps and taught toddlers how to ski. Everything was under control—it was even easy. It’s true that my job back then was mainly to entertain the kids, and I’d hand them back to their parents after a few hours. But with my own children, I can’t hand them back to anyone, and my main role is to raise them and prepare them to become independent, responsible citizens. I encourage them to express themselves and explore. I foster creativity and reinvent lessons and homework with them every week during our “Crazy Tuesdays.” Have I created a problem for myself by trying to make everything fun, or is it just in their genes? I never would have believed that one day I’d dream of peace and quiet. Dream of doing nothing. Dream of being bored. And yet!
As they grow up, my daughters are gaining a lot more independence. I get moments of respite and more time for my own projects. I watch and listen to them with pride—most of the time. They’re capable of reasoning, but also of arguing. Their creativity knows almost no bounds—just like the chaos they can create around them the moment I turn my back. Still, I prefer the chaos of their creativity to the silence of electronic devices.