Bring the boys back home...

For those of you that have kids...you understand the need for the occasional break. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids more than life itself, but when they've been out of school long enough for the summer break, and the fun meter has reached it's max, they start to get bored, and consequently get into mischief, which turns into trouble.



You know what I mean... "Mom!! Dad!! Ethan called me an weirdo!"...ten seconds later..."Mom!! Dad!! Ryan won't stop hitting me!!"...ten seconds later...*SLAM* *SMACK* the fight's on, then someone ends up crying, then mom and/or dad have break up the brawl, then someone gets grounded or put to bed early...we've all been there, and if you haven't...get yourself some kids and try it on for size. It's a LOT of work, but the reward is something that words cannot describe.

Our boys Ethan and Ryan have spent a ton of time with their 6 grandparents this summer, and this week my folks took them up to the mountains. The silence in our house is almost deafening...so nice, but yet so empty. It's strange to come home and have the house perfectly spotless with no messes to clean up, no fights to break up, etc...again, we'll get into my OCD discussion at a later date. When they leave, Kim and I have made it a ritual to hit a few dinner and movie outings, because we're so excited to be able to go to "grownup" restaurants and flicks for a change instead of the crappy playland food and Disney...not that I dislike the latter by any means...sometimes it's just time for a change of pace to realize that yes, we are adults.

After a couple of days though, we find that most of our conversations revolve around how much we miss the boys, and how we can't wait for them to get home. When they're not home, I start to realize that they aren't going to be at home forever, and I start worrying about the number of years they have left before they leave home, if I've been a good parent, am I doing everything that I can for them, am I preparing them for success, am I reading to them enough, am I building their self confidence, am I supportive in everything that they do, am I a good role model for them...the list goes on and on. I think about what I would do if something happened to them...an accident of some sort...what would I do, and would I ever recover, do I have any regrets? Wasn't that a bucket-o-sunshine to read? Sorry about that, but I think my previous posting planted that seed. See what I mean? You can't wait to have some mommy and daddy time, but it's only a matter of hours until you're dying to get them back!



Just like any other addiction, your kids will pull you down that road too...you'll realize it when they're not around. ;)

Cheers!