Parenting Skills or A Skillful Parent?

This week I'm taking a break from work to slow down and, hopefully, accomplish some put-off-too-long projects around the home. As I was working downstairs in the family room, I was thinking of where I happen to be in this life of mine.

I have two teenagers. My son is 18, and my daughter is 16. Terrific kids - couldn't ask for better. But I remember the anxiousness of having a baby and a toddler - two in diapers at the same time. The sleeplessness. The being up before the sun no matter how late I crawled into bed. The endless laundry and cleaning up of toys. And being in-tune to their health. Monitoring them when they had a cold - taking temperatures, wiping noses, administering medicine, giving baths, making sure they were eating and drinking properly. There was a LOT to know and a LOT to do. And it took me, personally, some time to gain the confidence of being a mom to these little ones.

And yesterday, I realized why I truly needed that confidence. Because, when these adorable ones were little, they looked up to me like I was the most wonderful being on the planet. No matter what I did or said, I was adored.

And then I had teenagers:

"Mom, don't make that face."
"Don't make that face when you say that."
"Don't make that face when you laugh."
"You sound funny when you laugh."
"Don't move your arms like that when you talk."
"Don't stand like that."
"Don't buy any new clothes unless I see them on you first."
"Don't talk about me to any one or tell any embarrassing stories about me to anyone."


And, of course, when I make a joke, no one laughs - but if they make a joke and I don't laugh I get - "Did you hear me? or Are you paying attention?"

My biggest fans have become my harshest critics. I blame the hormones - theirs not mine, of course.

It's okay though, I'm just biding time until they become parents and suddenly I will become the wisest mother of the world again. I can wait........It will be well worth it.

Have a blessed day!

--Liane

Reflecting

Good Morning! I hope all of you Moms and future Moms had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. I certainly did. After spending some time with my mom I came home to freshly baked scones with coffee, a bouquet of beautiful flowers including lilacs and daisies, hand-made beaded earrings, and a fabric purse that I fell in love with weeks ago and wouldn't buy for myself. And the house was sparkling clean. Yes, my two adorables spoiled me rotten and I love them to death! Thank you Geoff and Lace!!

I've been quite busy lately, actually quite exhausted. Work has picked up incredibly due to the relocation of one of our branches and I've gone several days in a row without even sitting down at work. Every part of me has been achy.

My daughter and I watched a movie the other night that made us both think of Rhonda @ Farmhouse Style. It was The Secret Life of Bees with Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning. It's a great movie (some bad language) and without giving it away for those who haven't seen it, I'll just say that I admit that there have been times in my life where I fantasized about running away. Especially when I have been influenced by watching Murder She Wrote and the Gilmore Girls. During times of feeling overwhelmed or being stressed I've thought of hopping in the car and driving to Cabot Cove or Stars Hollow and living a life of anonymity amongst a community that would love me and accept me with no questions asked. Of course I wouldn't have to work because of the sizable trust fund that was established for me (no, I don't drink) and every day would be warm and sunny and perfect for me to work in my cottage garden. Everywhere I went (which would be within walking or bike riding distance from my cottage) I would be warmly greeted by the business owners and townspeople. Oh yes, and every un-attached single handsome man would flirt with me but be respectful of my independence. Sigh!

Well, the movie made us think of Rhonda because of her recent endeavor of bee keeping, not because she fantasizes of running away!!

Of course, I would never actually run away. My life is blessed beyond measure and I love every bit of it - especially my wonderful family.

I hope you all have a very happy Monday!

--Liane

What was I thinking?

We have a brand new baby boy in our church family. About six weeks old, big blue eyes, chubby cheeks, wobbly little head, and so adorable. Finnegan is his name. As I looked at him today I kept thinking to myself, "Where did the time go?" . It seems just a short time ago that I cuddled my baby boy in my arms and played tea time with my sweet baby girl. But now my "little" boy is nearly six feet tall and graduating this year and my "little" girl is now a young woman getting ready to drive this summer.

And then we came home. I'm trying to prepare dinner and my "little" ones are flinging dish towels at one another across the island. We have a contraption made by Geoff, initially for himself, of a fort made out of two large cardboard boxes connected with a roll of duct tape. It's for the dog he claims but he crawls into it just to tease the dog. This is happening in the dining room, and not too quietly. I'm still hearing myself say, "Will you two please calm down?" or "Do you have to be so loud?".

So after dinner I come downstairs to the family room and the noise from above, thumping, jumping, yelling, maybe wrestling, is right above my head. It does sound like I have a bunch of young children, not two teenagers. It's only going to be a matter of time when they discover that I'm gone and will come to find me and bring the noise with them.

I'm so glad that my kids still like to have fun. We're a playful family and I hope they never outgrow that. Sure, they like to have their down time when they hole up in their rooms, doing whatever, but they always venture out to see "what's up" with the rest of the family. More rumbling from up above - it sounds like bowling. I don't even think I want to know.

And I wouldn't have it any other way. I was thinking earlier in the day that I'll no longer have my little ones. Not true. They may too big for me to cuddle, but they'll always be my little ones no matter how big they get.

Liane