I Sat Down And The Heat Was Already On

Kids. We try so hard to be their friend and sometimes we need to be their disciplinary first and foremost. I truly believe in the long run that is what will make our relationships with our children stick. Finding that happy-medium can be dreadful and extremely difficult.

Recently I had to get a little stern with one of our kids. The amount of dislike that came from one little human whom is walking around with my DNA was heart wrenching. There were nights that I literally cried myself to sleep. I kid you not. The constant pressure going through my over-exhausted Mom brain was just too much to handle.

It’s a total mind fuck. Being a parent, that is. In all the best possible ways, it truly is exhausting. There are moments that I wonder sometimes how I am going to make it through the teen years. There are moments I wish they were all babies. And, there are also moments where I want them to stay exactly the way they are because above all I know these moments are not going to last and I will one day miss these moments. Every single moment.

I have recently found a way to my children’s hearts. A small fraction, to my knowledge. It’s something very doable and a small gesture to let them know that “I am here”. It’s a simple ride to school rather than taking the bus. They dislike the bus in the morning. They refer to it as being very “Chaotic”. In all honesty, we are a family of seven with three dogs, four cats, a loud bird, a very needy guinea pig and two very smelly Chinese dwarf hamsters. “Organized Chaos” doesn’t get any better than this! So, I am not sure what seems to be chaotic to them, but I’ll take it! We all have our shit, I guess.

We talk, I go over some things that I would love to see them do for the day and most mornings their AirPods are not in their ears and they are listening. Even when we don’t think so, our kids are listening. Keep communicating with them. I work from home so it is something that I can do for them. I made my morning all about them. I stay in the living room while I drink my second cup of coffee, not my first.

Photo taken by the author. My favorite mug!

Sorry kids, that first cup of coffee is still important to me and you are not taking that away! I will always drink it alone in silence.

This morning my kids got to the car before I did. It was warmed up already. I sat down and guys; You will never believe this! My seat warmer was already turned on. You heard me correctly. My son, the one I had to get stern with these past few months thought of me. My heart exploded!

I didn’t want to make a big deal out of this, especially because his brothers were in the car as well. I smiled, I know he saw me smile. I texted him when I knew he was at lunch and the text read, “Thank you for making sure my seat was warm for me(with a heart emoji inserted).