Today's Chat: RU kidding?

By SAVANNAH CUNNICK

You know....KIDS....all the joys of PARENTHOOD...

Yes, there you go...the ever loving sensation similar to being pecked to death by a chicken !!

Many of us live or have lived one time or another in a madhouse that was ruled by that tiny army we created ourselves.

A place where our voice would get so LOUD that even the NEIGHBORS brushed their teeth and got dressed !

Having a child versus a pet...I had both..You can't get a tax credit for a cat. There's soooo much drama from the beginning to the empty nest. Starting with disappearing pacifiers, sippy cups, blankeys....then missing favorite torn jeans,
cell phones, book bags, acne cream, food fights...keep going. Through each stage, there is the ever existing TRAUMA !

I'M CALLING GRANDMA...SHE'LL COME AND PICK ME UP!! (Wrong..she raised ME...she's not coming..you're going nowhere but to your room !) And WATCH OUT...when the house is TOO quiet ....no noise...scary..too peaceful...SOMETHING is going on !! (and, the search begins...)

For years, my only SILENCE was a trip to the
bathroom ALONE ! One Mother"s Day, I got the perfect present: a watch with every day having 36 hours. I felt like just letting the dog swallow my old
one...but he realized it was too TIME consuming.
I totally believe that people who say they sleep-like-a-baby usually don't have KIDS. I'll never forget my best friend once told me that she attempted to get a nap... after lunch she had put her twins to bed...when she was half asleep suddenly one of her preschoolers was standing next to her bed staring at her. She opened her eyes and yawned...a BIG yawn...and the KID sneezed right in her mouth. Trust me, that woman prayed for a week that those preschool germs where not infectious...!

Our neighbor once asked my husband: Why do you say you have a PERFECT son?....Well, he doesn't smoke, drink whiskey or come home late. Well,...how old is he?...He will be 6 months old next week.

When Aunt Martha was raising her klan...she was known to have gone to the liquor store and ordered a PARENT OF 3 TEENS-SIZE bottle of wine.

To this day, I think my favorite ad on t.v. is the one where it was announced : Due to the weather, school will be closed for the next 3 days....and the mother in the grocery store picked up a large bottle of red wine and put it in her grocery cart on the way out. Priceless and SO true !

Uncle Festus is so thrilled that HIS KIDS now have KIDS of their own. He delights in buying the NOISIEST toys ...giving them to the grandkids and leaving. (Evil Festus !)

Most memorable in the early KID days was the age of TWO. Having a two-year-old is like having having a blender without a top on it. May your coffee be stronger than a child at that age ! Oh Hey...how about putting your toddler to bed WHO ISN'T TIRED...? It's like putting a drunk friend to bed...they're singing to themselves, requesting water, incoherent babble, crying, some weird yoga poses, hiccups..and then they pass out.

Raising BOYS is not for the faint-hearted. Finding out that one son got even with his brother by cleaning the toilet with that brother's toothbrush. Then, coaxing the DOG into believing that the indoor Christmas tree could be used for his indoor plumbing. Then there were the hours of watching flubbed-up magic tricks and pretending to be amazed. Then marathon knock-knock jokes and riddles : How do you know carrots are good for you?

You never see a RABBIT wearing glasses have you? and... Why are frogs so happy? They eat everything that BUGS them !

Hey, what ever happened to the good ole BOARD GAMES ? They DO still sell them at the store and there is a great selection. Get my drift? Turn off that t.v., computer and cell phone!! Return to REAL family time.

Another thought..Don't raise your kids to have more than you HAD --- raise them to be more than YOU WERE.

Don't YELL at them...just lean in real close and whisper. It's much scarier.
You are the greatest influence in your child's life...even in the know-it-all teen-age years. As each day goes by, you will never have THAT DAY with your KID again...breathe and take notice .It's worth having children...just DO IT RIGHT ! No one said it would be easy. We're all in it together.

Having KIDS doesn't make you a parent...Raising them does!

It's so important to teach your KIDS to have RESPECT...for you and for others. Uncle Henry told us: My parents whipped my butt when I did something bad or was disrespectful. I wasn't abused, I was disciplined. I learned what my boundaries were and knew what would happen if I crossed them. I didn't fear them or hate them. I loved and respected them. It's NOT like that TODAY. What the heck happened?

Enjoy each day, Mom and Dad, it will be gone before you know it. Say uplifting things to your KIDS and praise them. Don't let yourself become so concerned with raising a GOOD KID that you forget YOU ALREADY HAVE ONE !!

We love our two sons very much. They are adults now with their own families and responsibilities and live clear across the United States from us. It is a lonely life without them. So, the time we spend with the boys now is so very special and much too short. As I said, treasure the times you
can NOW spend with your growing children...because time goes by so swiftly and before long..they are out of the nest.

Happiness to ALL.

HUGS,
SAVANNAH