From the Other Side

Today I watched our friends Isaac and Avery while Momma Sharon was discharged from the hospital with new baby sister Ellie (a perfect blessing in her own right). For some reason I found myself on more than one occasion looking at these wonderful children and appreciating all that my own parents put up with all those years ago. And I'm not talking about misbehaving or getting into trouble. Just before lunch I turned on a movie for the kids. Or at least I tried to - seems my blu-ray player needs a software update, so the movie was running a little slow. Each time it would freeze or slow down, the 2 four-year-olds started their own commentary: "What's happening?" "The movie is thinking again." "Yeah, sometimes the movie has to stop and think. Is it ready yet?" "No it needs to think some more." And on and on until the movie actually would start back up. Then there was the fact that all of these children had CLEARLY seen this movie (Cars) approximately 826 times before today as they could recite almost every word (and were doing so of course), and yet any time there was drama or action the kids would react like it was the first time they had seen it: "OH NO, the cars crashed!!" "Go Lightening McQueen, GO!!!" Then I wasn't sure when the kids were getting picked up, so instead of risking interrupted naps I just tried to have everyone do some quiet time with a different movie (I couldn't handle the malfunctioning blu-ray any longer). The 2 two-year-olds were SO exhausted but were doing that manic moving around to keep from lying still for even a minute, lest they give in and actually - gasp! - fall asleep. It was almost painful to watch them, and impossible to sit near them - the nervous energy was more than I could handle. I kept thinking to myself that I remember doing so many of these things when I was a child. I am grateful that my parents were understanding and loving, and taught me to be so as well. Kids will be kids, and I can either let them wear away at my sanity or love them for who they are and laugh the madness away. I try to do the latter as I did today, and hold on to my sanity for just a bit longer.