Our household buzzed for over two decades with the loud and constant ruckus created by two growing boys, their equally boisterous father, and a regular stream of friends. It had become, at last a place where I could finish a cup of coffee while it was still hot. Where I could finish a book in one evening if I wanted to. Where the laundry was caught up, and the heap of shoes by the door shrunk, along with the dirty socks with holes in the heels. No more starving teens rifling through grocery sacks, while simultaneously scarfing down a bag of Doritos and draining bottles of Sobe as quickly as they were pulled from the bags. Raising children, managing marriage, careers, parents and in-laws, I sometimes teetered on the brink of chaos. Organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless. Concurrent obligations, short term goals, long term plans, homework, report cards, PTA, the long and short of it, running the marathon of motherhood made me breathless.
The passing of time has a different meaning for me now than it did back then.
Now that I'm a "Mimi", the chaos is creeping it's way back. But I don't care. My darling, intelligent, busy, golden haired grandaughter,
Shelby is creating lovely, glorious chaos with me right alongside her. Mini trails of cheerios, droplets of apple juice and peanut butter smudges leave a carbon footprint fit for framing. We play in the sink with a big purple plastic bowl, filled with water, accessorized with spoons, cups, and a wind up penguin sporting flapping flippers and spitting water all over our faces. Finger painting with applesauce and chocolate pudding is A-OK. The methodical placement of green beans from high chair to floor, one by one is allowed. Body decorating with an entire box of Elmo Band-Aids is acceptable. We dance to "Dragon Tales" in the kitchen like a couple of 2 year olds. We sing "Happy Birthday" just to hear our own voices.Her perfect, pink hand in mine feels so right. The long and short of it, she leaves me oh so wonderfully breathless!!
Watching my children grow and change was terrific, but I have to admit that I didn't always take the time to stop and smell the roses. There didn't seem to be enough hours in the day as it was, moving from one project or activity to another, then another. One day flowed into the next, followed by the weeks, the months and the years. My gosh, I woke up one day, and my little ones were all growed up! There's an ebb and flow to the craziness brought on by the vicegrips of parenting. I can remember when the relief from daily car pools changed to sheer panic once the boys got behind the wheel of their own cars. Worries were exchanged for new worries with each developmental milestone.Accomplishments were rewarded with well deserved praise, then more fine tuning of responsibilities. I didn't consider myself to be overprotective, but maybe a little (or alot) hyper-vigilant, so I suppose part of my personal craziness was self imposed. I can almost hear myself hollering threats down the stairs "stop that right now and clean your rooms" or "don't make me come down there you two" insisting on civility at some level or at the very least, softer blows inflicted.
But now, who cares about being so doggone civilized anyway? It's boring and overrated. Let's crank up the music and holler and scream and jump up and down. Pillow fights......oh yeah!! Food fights.........well, I have to draw the line somewhere. Having grandchildren is as wonderful as everything you've heard. To me, it's breathtaking. There's no pressure, and a lot more enjoyment. There's more acceptance, loads of laughter, less inhibition and minimal worry. This time around, I want dessert first. I'll have a scoop of raspberry sherbet please as big as the sun and the moon, and the stars to go along with my little golden haired sugar cone!
And, I'm getting pretty good at ignoring the dust bunnies.