I used to be a grown-up

We took the boys to a local restaurant last week for supper. When we finished eating, I went to the register to pay for our meal. As the waitress and cashier stood patiently waiting for me to retrieve a pen out of my purse, I continued to dig and finally pulled out a bright, orange crayon by mistake. I just shook my head, sighed, and said, “Hmm. You know, I used to be a grown-up.”

I never cease to be amazed at the many ways life changes when we have children. No longer do I thumb through Country Living or search for the latest do-it-yourself, home improvement show on television. I’m much too busy reading the instructions on how to put a silly railroad track together, or checking the local listings for the official show times of the latest episode of Meteor the Monster Truck.

I used to keep a tube of lipstick and a bottle of perfume in my purse to help me freshen up when I’d had a long day. Now I have a pocket load of race cars and a purse full of sippy cups-items which are much more important than looking fresh or smelling good.

In my former life, I took pride in crafty things like scrapbooking and fashion and home décor. Now I keep all my photos in a shoe box in the closet, I only wear clothes that have already been stained, and I have a shower curtain duct taped to the bench at our kitchen table. A couple of toddlers can really wreak havoc on an oak finish.

There’s rarely a sitcom on prime time that I can watch with my boys much less a morning DJ or a block of “new country” on the radio that’s kid friendly. I guess maybe that’s why I abandoned listening to my own music and resorted to Burl Ives and other CD’s loaded with kids’ music in the boys’ collection.

Just the other night as I was preparing supper, I found myself mashing potatoes and bobbing my head to the tunes of “The Wheels on the Bus” and “Three Blind Mice”. I had to smile at the notion that I might actually be entertained by the simplicity of such songs.

A few minutes later, Brisco made his way into the kitchen. He heard children’s voices coming from the radio. They just happened to be singing, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”. He knows the tune well, and as he recognized the song, his eyebrows lifted and a smile crept across his face. He started dancing around the kitchen, clapping his hands, and spinning circles. At the end he shouted, “Hooray!” just like when we sing it together.

I guess when I really think about it, it’s not so bad living in a toddler’s world. When else can the innocence and ease of life be so fulfilling? Watching my kids being effortlessly entertained in a world that to them is still so uncomplicated is a place in which I’m starting to take refuge. Besides, I have the next 50 years to be a grown up.

Yes, having children changes every aspect of a woman’s life. I look forward to the days when I can again participate in adult conversations without having to simultaneously wipe a snotty nose or referee a sibling slugfest. I’m learning to look beyond those insane moments of toddlerhood and take the good moments as they come-and savor them.

“If You’re Happy and You Know It Stomp Your Feet.” I do.

And that’s All in a day’s work!