Parenting is No Joke!

Parenting is no joke. I mean seriously it is such a supremely important duty of creating and fostering human beings. Right now I am tap-dancing around the drills of potty training, kindergarten reading, pre-teen angst, and post-holiday recovery. When a person, like myself, is in the trenches of parenthood, it is sometimes the little, unbelievable things that brighten my day the most. 

I am not kidding when I say I have moments of rage-filled frustration that can melt away simply by finding a lost remote or overhearing my six-year-old say, “Thanks!” without being prompted.

Here are a few “no joke” episodes that have allowed me to see better days.

My Six-Year-Old’s Penmanship

Hardly anyone puts actual pencil to paper, except for school-aged kiddos working on their letters. My sixth-grader has a chrome book for all of her classes. My third-grader is knee-deep in program coding at her school. Whenever I do need to jot down a note, my slanted scratch of half-cursive and half-print is barely legible. Don’t get me started on having to write out checks. I’m not sure my husband even remembers how to do it. Plus I have been known to write “fourty” instead of “forty” in haste a time or two.

During a recent day of organizing, my duties included some lazy attempts to clear off the side counter in our kitchen which is the drop zone. You know, the place where the teacher notes and grocery receipts go to die. While picking up loose papers, I came across some school worksheets of my son’s. They showcased his letter writing and ability to copy sentences. As I glanced over his homework, I smiled in glee.

My little guy has the best handwriting in our entire household. No Joke! 

He goes top to bottom just like his teacher recommends. Upper and lower case letters are made in proper proportion. There were no visible smudges or ripped eraser marks. Basically my kiddo is killing it in penmanship. It was an awesome moment during a day when I was frazzled from a messy house, work deadlines, and the havoc that comes with getting back to real life after holiday break.

Small accomplishments are still great accomplishments. Victories are still victories. And being proud of my boy over a silly thing like handwriting melted my heart in a way only a mom could understand.

Family Vacations Sans Some Family

My crew loves the Black Hills. And we have taken some fantastic vacations to Colorado and Minnesota. However, traveling with a family of six is not always the most enjoyable experience. SHOCKER, I know!

My family travels a lot, but some of my fave family trips have been when one of my family members gets left behind. No Joke!

Cabin life or vacations that involve meeting up with others who have kids the same age as ours is one thing. That means my whole tribe can go, be together, and make it through with patience and limbs intact. However, trips involving: airplane travel, long lines, even longer days, high costs, and early wake-up calls are another ballgame. For example, amusement parks and ski resorts would be miserable places to take my two-year-old. If we did bring him, I too would end up miserable. And if it is bad for mom, chances are no one else is having fun either.  

Mama Needs a Break Too

I know I should feel more guilty when someone does not make the cut. But we have been to Disney twice and each time the youngest in our family stayed home and the trip was wonderful without him or her. On both of those travels, I realized how much I needed a break from wiping butts, wrangling a stroller, and sitting at tables that were highchair height.

Since amusement parks involve a lot of walking, my personal cut-off age is about four-years-old but it depends on the kid. My daughter at four did great at Disney World, but she is an old soul in a young body. My oldest son was five-years-old and he did fine when we went to Orlando. Except for at Universal Studios when he was too short for Mummy roller coaster. Thankfully grandma swooped in and took my screaming preschooler away to get ice cream. And I was able to stand back and act like I did not know the young man.  

Better for All

It may seem mean to some to not include all of my children on family trips, but my spouse and I have done it more than once. When we have traveled with just our oldests, there is a real feeling of vacation. A true break from designated nap times, playpen packing, bibs, sippy cups, and everything else that comes with little ones. 

The Younger Kids are Happy Too!

The little ones not making the vacation cut are often getting spoiled back home by grandparents. Plus they would not remember the trip anyway, or so my mind tells my mom guilt. Plus I am a middle child and fair is fair. There will come a day when the older children are too busy to go out of town, and it will be the youngsters’ turns to vacation with mom and dad sans the older siblings. 

Sometimes to take a vacation, I need to really take a vacation. Which might mean not everyone on the family tree makes the cut. That is part of the issue when you have a large family with wide age gaps. Or at least that is my most popular defense. NO JOKE!

And My “No Joke” List Continues

• My husband and I keep saying we will limit our children’s activities but have just booked hotel rooms so our middle can play in a hockey tournament during the middle of basketball season. NO JOKE!
• It seems like everybody on the planet has an Apple Watch or I-Phone, but I will never buy anything but Android. NO JOKE!
• We own a treadmill, but for some unknown reason, I refuse to use it. Hence, the 3000 steps I took last night as a home workout. It involved pacing a route through my bedroom, hallway, then downstairs, around the basement, up the stairs, through the kitchen, back to my bedroom. Repeat forty (not fourty) times and a person can work up a sweat. NO JOKE! And I hit 10,000 steps on my Samsung Galaxy Android Watch!

What is on your “No Joke” list when it comes to parenting and daily life?