Thursday, March 13, 2008

Can't Be Done With Kids In The House

Those of you with children will completely understand where I'm coming from here. You'll relate, whether your children are still small toddlers or about to leave the nest. Those of you without kids, you probably won't understand this as much. But, you'll be be able to laugh right along side the rest of you who have already been there--done that with kids. Yours are grown and gone, perhaps with kids of their own, living the same things you went through when they were small.

From the moment a little one takes control... I mean, joins your family, there are some things that change. Some things that you simply can not do anymore. Granted, its differs depending on the gender of your particular child. But I would hazard a guess that your parenting partner in crime and love would then be the one experiencing this!

For starters, no longer can you walk from your room to the laundry room wearing less than your pj's. If your child is still small, you can probably get away with a towel, but that changes when they become teenagers. And heaven forbid they have friends staying over! Then, not only do you need to be actually wearing something, you should be completely ready to begin your day before you walk out of your bedroom!

If your child is small, its probably best to put the dog food dish in a different room. Behind the baby gate. Failing that, you should probably just start buying the softer stuff until all their teeth come in.

Quality time with your spouse is no longer spontaneous. If you don't plan for that contingency, trust me when I tell you it will reach a point where you will find yourself locked in the bathroom with your spouse out of desperation. Err..... I mean, you will begin finding more creative ways to express yourself with your honey. ;)

There is no more sleeping in on weekends, either. At least, not at the same time as your spouse. When the kids are toddlers, its the fear of what they might be doing that gets you up and running. When they're in the later elementary years, its the blaring of the cartoons that rouses you. When they're teenagers, you're back to wondering what they might be doing!

Movie watching? Well, that never has to be done all by your lonesome again. If you are extremely fortunate, you don't even have to pick the movie any longer, it will be picked for you!

And who ever really wanted silence in the background when you were on the phone?

Or a nice, quiet place to read a book, uninterrupted?


On the other hand.......

Its simply not possible to spend an evening with your kids and not smile. At least once. Probably more than you can count.

Forget going to bed without hugs and kisses anymore. Those days are behind you. When the kids are small, you're even blessed with all the slobber they can ever share with you. But nothing beats the levels of tightness when they hug you, pretending they're a different wild animal with each one. My favorites? Monkey hugs. You know... the ones that use arms AND legs.

You know what? Given the choice between a movie alone, and a Monkey Hug? I'll take the Monkey Hug, please.

But I reserve the right to beg Grandma to take them for a night so I can walk out of my room and down the hall in nothing but a towel at least once a year.

19 comments:

Shellie said...

Oh, I agree. I didn't know that teenagers were almost as bad as babies at interrupting your romantic life, but they are!

Flea said...

Oh so true! I loved it this year when the children all went away to school and I now have half an hour alone with the Hunny before he goes to work. Woohoo! I am SO looking forward to being an empty nester! Thanks for the laugh, SM!

Sue said...

*chuckle* I was nodding along in agreement the entire time.

I miss using the bathroom without somebody having an 'emergency' or needing to talk, you know, right then. hahaha

Burgh Baby said...

I laughed at loud at "little one takes control." So true, so true.

I dread the day the monkey hugs stop. They are, by far, the best part of my day, every day. Well, maybe the kisses are. Or the "wuv voo" moments. Dang, I'm going to miss it all when it's gone. *sigh*

LunaNik said...

Yep, monkey hugs are fantastic!

I'm lucky I have girls so I don't have to worry about the towel thing until they start having friends over.

And yes, time with my honey has become less spontaneous and more planned. Boo.

Great post!

The Sports Mama said...

Shellie, its worse with teenagers since they have an idea what you're doing! Nothing kills the mood faster than knowing your kids know what's going on!

Flea, you say that now.... I'll ask you again when your youngest has moved out! lol

Sue, Welcome to my little corner of the world, and thanks for commenting! I agree... its incredibly inconvenient when you hear the banging on the bathroom door right after you've locked it!

Burgh, too true. Those are the moments I'm trying to hold onto as long as possible. If you think holding onto a squirming toddler is difficult, try prying a decent hug out of a teenager!

Thanks, Nik! I've had to start training myself to think positive about the planning thing.... if I have to plan it, I might as well plan it to be something spectacular! It's opened the door to a lot more creativity, I'll say that!

Sue said...

You're welcome to the badge if you'd like. ;-) You're on the sidebar... you're entitled to it!

Unknown said...

TOUCHE~~loved it. And, very very true!

I dread the day he no longer says he wants to hold me. "I hold you, Mommy!"

*~*Cece*~* said...

So true! Now that mine are 6 & almost 10 we can sleep a little longer, worry free. Not uninterrupted though. My 6 year old will ALWAYS come to me first thing on a weekend morning asking me to get up & turn the TV on for her. Then 15-30 minutes later she's in asking me to serve her cereal. Oy. Now I've gotten to leaving a bowl, spoon & cereal on the counter for her THEN going back to bed!

Unknown said...

I'd take the monkey hug too! What a great post! :-)

Happy Blog Hoppin' Friday!
"Margarita Mom"

Jared said...

Hehe! Good Post! I've only been doing this parenting gig for a year now and have experienced many of the things you mentioned including the walk to the laundry room, dog food relocation, and some wild bathroom experiences. :D

I don;t get Monkey hugs yet, but the full on tongue kiss action makes up for it. :D

Jared
"Booze Clues"

PG said...

"There is no more sleeping in on
weekends, either. At least, not at the same time as your spouse."...

Oh yeah. Only problem is, I am not so good at keeping track who's weekend it is to sleep in. I feel I have shorted my wife big time!

Debbie said...

Yes, been there done that and now DREAD when my son leaves to possibly join Air Force.

I remember having a sobbing fit after the first outing with my son and he had diarrhea the entire day. I thought OMG will my life always be this way? 24 hours a day with this responsibility!

Now...I'd kill to have those days back and when the boy even thinks of walking in the room I'm in, I'm muting the TV or stopping what I'm doing so I won't miss a conversation! Gosh...21 years have passed. Enjoy this time!

April said...

Grandparents rock! Monkey hugs, smiles, and laughter...they're all really special, but having those moments of silence (so long as they're just moments) can be nice, too!

Jennifer S said...

I need grandparents who live close by! Need. Seriously.

This was so funny. Painfully funny, since every bit if it rings true.

I laughed out loud about the dog food.

Karen said...

Well said, girl. Well said. Our kids ate their fair share of dog food (and then some). Sleeping in doesn't happen unless we get a hotel, and alone time happens so late at night that we're barely awake ourselves!

But Luke still plays the "I love you more" game and I love it.

Amy said...

This morning my kids slept in until 10. Heaven!
I actually got up before them because I was starving! At 10:15 Jeff and I were making pancakes and Belle comes down the stairs MAD!
"What happen to my cuddle time!"

Apparently she really likes hanging out in bed with us first thing in the morning. And so do I.

Flea said...

Yeah, I'll still be saying it. :) But looking forward to grandkids by then. Mine no longer give kisses, just hugs. Very sad. :( Well, not horribly sad. I'm not overly affectionate, so I know that's my fault.

Cecily R said...

Well Said!!!!!

Sometimes I miss life before kids and then I realize I don't really remember it very well.

Jon will take all the kids every once in a while and leave me home alone. The first hour I love it. Then I start watching the clock.