Helen has this brilliant teacher, Mrs. P., she has these
great ideas that turn things like reading time into something special. Friday the kids made towel and chair
forts, turned off the lights, then curled up with a good book. Last week she also had the kids create simple yet thought provoking
3, 2, 1 Mother’s day cards.
The card consists of the Top 3 reasons each child has for why they love
their Mom. Helen listed them as
follows.
Number 3: You
take us to do lots of fun things.
Number 2:
You’re always there for me.
Number 1: You
will love me no matter what.
It was such a gift for me to know these three things. I have just spent a good portion of the
school year yelling at them for loosing at least 100 socks, for spending more
time getting up from the table than eating at meal time, and for turning their
rooms and playroom into the pit of despair. I could go on and on and on but the bottom line is that a
whole lot of parenting is spent in a grumpy state. I have been particularly grumpy with Helen because she is 9
and now at the Bart Simpson age.
Before I was a parent I had no idea Bart was portrayed at that stage of
life for a reason. 9 year
olds are obnoxious. I was
obnoxious. John was
obnoxious,……sometimes I think men never really leave the Bart Simpson phase, it
just morphs into Homer.
I see how Helen looks at me now when I correct her. It is no longer the hurt little girl
who is sad and remorseful for doing something wrong. She gets sullen and mumbles under her breath things like “I was
JUST trying to be funny. I was
JUST trying to make a point. I was
JUST reading a book and enjoying being engrossed in another world and didn’t
notice you leaving Target to go get Lauren from tutoring which is why you had
to have the store put in lock down while the book and I were being located.”
Ah, we are entering the stage where being a parent means
spending a lot of time being disliked.
So, to get a card that says “I love you for taking us to do lots of fun
things, you’re always there for me,” and most of all, the one I love reading
more than anything because it is so true, “You will love me no matter what,” brightens even the rainiest Mother's Day.
Thank you Helen and Mrs. P for the rainbow.
