When I Grow Up

Lately my children have been fixated on what they are going to be when they grow up. They are at the best age for this because for them, the possibilities are infinite. No one has yet told them that their dreams are unrealistic or too hard or just plain impossible. Their aspirations are ever changing and often reflective of what they are watching, wearing, or doing at that moment.

For the entire summer Madeline wanted to be a doctor. She was staunch and unwavering in this, no matter who asked her the question. It became such common knowledge in our family, that at one point Rebecca's career path ( a nurse for Maddie's doctor office) was directly related to her sister's chosen profession. Fast forward a couple of months and the new dream is to be a ballerina. Never mind the fact that she is built short and round like her mother and is completely without rhythm. She is going to be a ballet girl and that is it. Rebecca has been fairly consistent in that she wants to be a cheerleader. Cute outfits and getting to jump and yell? Sign her up! Occasionally she wants to be a cowgirl . . . I wonder what she will think when she discovers that she could by a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Daniel's imagination has been the most active, which I'm sure is a credit to his age. This week he has wanted to be a robot designer, soldier (because his dad got to eat donuts in the army), and a rock star who plays the piano.

Listening to the kids and their hopes and dreams for the future, I cannot help but reminisce about what mine were as a child. The earliest desire that I can remember was to be a writer. I wrote everything from poems to short stories, and even attempted a book in elementary school. Later, as life happened, and writing became less creative and more analytical, the dream was forgotten. How wonderful to have rediscovered that desire! I could not ask for better fodder than my children, whose imagination is alive, tangible and inspirational.

Privacy Lost

My grandmother loves to tell the story of the successful business woman who was telling women that she came up with all of her best ideas while she relaxed in her bathroom with the door closed. As soon as she uttered this statement, the rest of the women in the room knew that she did not have any kids. Grandma has a tendency to repeat her stories often, but this one definitely resonated with me. Any mother with children of a certain age knows that a shut door does nothing except beckon their children in. The bathroom is no exception, and in fact seems to be my children's Mecca. Rebecca once pulled up a stool directly in front of me and sat down with a bowl of cereal and just watched me. Seriously?! She acted like she was at the movies. Conveniently for Maddie, my bathtub has a step which she has claimed as her own personal seat. Naturally, the company alone is not the problem. But watching turns in to The Questions and The Comments. Yes, many of life's lessons are learned in the bathrooms of our house.
The girls have also taken things a step further and have continued their invasion on all bastions of privacy on my body. Rebecca has recently, yes recently, developed the habit of shaking one of my boobs while talking to me. Maddie thought that looked like so much fun that she shook the other one. Obviously this leads to talks about why this isn't okay and the eventual shriek of "Let go of my boobies," but just the fact that it needed to be said is beyond me. Madeline keeps running her hands all over my face, which would be cute and loving if it didn't happen with such frequency. And trying to sit down without someone climbing all over me? Impossible!
I know the day will come all to soon when my children are too wrapped up in their own lives to be so intimately involved in mine. These are times to swallow my frustration in the moment and thank God for children who are so secure in their love for me that they still see me as extensions of themselves. Times to thank Him for His blessings and just enjoy the closeness that we share with our little ones when they are this young.