The kids are wrestling in front of me, trying acrobatics perfected by a pair participating in the Macy's Day parade--an act far too advanced for my little ones. If I were smart I would have 911 dialed into the telephone just in case. Instead, I'm marveling once again (as I do any time I'm home with the kids alone all day) that Matt does this Every Single Day.
We're very different--if our kids were to depict for you "Mommy days" and "Daddy days," the pictures would be opposite in many ways. Matt's first instinct is to head outdoors. The kids dress themselves for the weather of the day, accomodating a span of some 80 degrees between their winter and summer playtime. Alternating between playing football with the kids and having an eye on them from a distance as he chops wood or rakes leaves, Matt thrives outdoors. It is now 4:45pm, and having had a day home with me, the kids have yet to see the great outdoors. I'm an inside kind of gal.
I suppose our instincts are similar, we just act on them in different domains. In between a few games of UNO, making collages with old magazines, and reading a Christmas story, I've managed to change all the beds, do a detailed vacuuming of all the upstairs and half the downstairs, put up the Christmas tree, and continually keep the kitchen table wiped down. Just as it is Matt's nature to shore up the outdoor resources for winter (the hunter in him, perhaps), I am continually cleaning a little here, neatening a little there (the gatherer in me, I suspect).
But I would be wise to follow Matt's example. My indoor kids are playing games that are better suited to the outdoors, and the volume level is rising by the moment. We're heading to a town celebration this evening for a parade and fireworks, and I can only threaten so many times to take this happy occasion away....off to the tub, threatening all along the way....
I asked both kids if they had something to add to this post. Lucas, always feeling guilty about some misdemeanor, immediately said, "Sorry???" Kyra's message is simple: "That's okay." You have to wonder about these kids!
2 comments:
What a fun post -- and I'm glad I can picture every bit of it! Lucas's "Sorry" at the end cracked me up!! I wish my kids fared better in the cold weather, like yours -- after sweating just 2 days ago, we are now popsicles, and my kids are unhappy outside. I love it -- it's bracing, it's invigorating. Grace isn't so bad, but Aidan ... forget it. We did manage to go for a walk last night after dinner, checking out our neighbor's endeavors of bedecking their houses with Christmas lights. They put up with the cold for that. I'm just in awe of your creative activities ... collages???!!! Way to go!!
Mom and I had such days, and Kyra and Lucas remind me of two little girls who got 'stir crazy' more than a few times. What impresses me is that you and Matt and Auntie allow them to be 'children' and don't rush them into a too soon pressure cooker of 'success.' I may be biased by I think that you are VERY successful
and I love you for that, and for so many reasons..
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