This is Miss Braeya back in June, the first night I brought her home.
This is Mr. Kaegan last March on his fifth birthday.
Kids are awfully cute. This morning I was standing in church, just singing away, when I felt a tap on my elbow. I looked over to see if someone was trying to get in my pew but there was no one there. That was odd. I definitely felt a tap. So I looked down, down, down…way down…and there stood Ben. Four-year-olds are on a much shorter eye level. He’d been sitting a couple of pews back with his mom and decided he wanted to take a break and come up to visit me for a song or two. I rescued him from a nose-picking adventure and we looked at a few pictures of Savannah and Liam that were passed up the rows of pews from their mom to me. Then he was done and ready to go back to his home pew.
Just a little minute – but just a cute one. Ben’s fun. I love it when he comes over with his mom and brother. She and I watch TV and Ben and Isaiah run around the house, chasing the cats and dumping all the toys out of the green laundry basket. Last week when they were over, Ben yelled for me to come upstairs where he parked on my bed to watch Nickelodeon on the little TV. I hurried up there to see if anything was wrong. He was stretched out in the middle of the king size bed, propped up on all the pillows, hands behind his head and his legs crossed with a blanket nearby, just in case. I asked if something was wrong and he just smiled and said with great wonder in his voice – “There was a Hot Wheel on TV!” J
Most of my friends have kids, and I am Aunt Bekah to more non-related kids than I am to my own flesh and blood. I have my own car seat, a stack of toys, books, sidewalk chalk, and crayons…and I have a wish list of other things it might be handy to have around, like a high chair, pack-n-play, and stroller. If it weren’t for the kids and their adventures at my house, my scrapbooks would be half as thick as they are. But I wouldn’t trade any of it.
However, I do have to say, there are times when it’s awkward to only be the aunt and to not have kids of my own. Maybe someday I will have my own – but until then, I have had to find a way to make a place in a world full of talk of potty-training, safe toys, sippy cups, the appropriate order of food introduction, and a host of other conversations. Most things I have an opinion on. And in most of them, I seem to stand alone. But I can’t say anything because I’m not a mom. And for those of you who are non-moms with me, you know the cardinal rule is to keep your mouth shut because if you’re not a mom, you really don’t know what you’re talking about.
This week I emailed my best friend about a very random subject, which led us to talk about her college roommate. Lynnette caught me up on what was happening in Susan’s life and said to me, “She’s a pet mom like us.” My eyes lit up at that statement! Sure, Susan lives three states away and I haven’t talked to her since Lynnette’s wedding. But we have a new thing in common! We’re pet moms!
Lynnette and I began discussing the way pet moms should stick together just like moms of humans do. In fact, we decided to start our own group. You’re familiar with MOPS? (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers?) We’re going to start a MOP group – Mothers of Pets. And in fact, we’re going to call the original group MOHPS – Mothers of Human Pre-Schoolers.
While other moms get together to discuss the enormous unfairness of their kids only wearing shoes for two weeks before outgrowing them, we will discuss the greater unfairness of the loss of one corner of a favorite shoe to a naughty puppy. While MOHPS swap ideas of how to con their HPS’s into eating enough vegetables, we MOP’s will swap strange stories of why a cat will beg pork chop bites and then promptly snub a warm, soft French fry. Moms will carefully think out a plan to determine how much time per day their kids will be allowed to watch TV – and what shows are on the approved list. We will turn the TV on as we leave the house so the poor lil guys have some company while we’re out!
Kids are cute – very cute. And maybe someday Lynnette and I will each join the ranks of MOHPS. But in the meantime, we’re thrilled to have our own group going. A group where we fit in with the faithful few who have, for the time being, limited the parenting skills to the pet arena. So Lynnette, pet-mom of Belle, and I, pet-mom of Kaegan and Braeya, proudly launch our own club!
Just a little minute – but just a cute one. Ben’s fun. I love it when he comes over with his mom and brother. She and I watch TV and Ben and Isaiah run around the house, chasing the cats and dumping all the toys out of the green laundry basket. Last week when they were over, Ben yelled for me to come upstairs where he parked on my bed to watch Nickelodeon on the little TV. I hurried up there to see if anything was wrong. He was stretched out in the middle of the king size bed, propped up on all the pillows, hands behind his head and his legs crossed with a blanket nearby, just in case. I asked if something was wrong and he just smiled and said with great wonder in his voice – “There was a Hot Wheel on TV!” J
Most of my friends have kids, and I am Aunt Bekah to more non-related kids than I am to my own flesh and blood. I have my own car seat, a stack of toys, books, sidewalk chalk, and crayons…and I have a wish list of other things it might be handy to have around, like a high chair, pack-n-play, and stroller. If it weren’t for the kids and their adventures at my house, my scrapbooks would be half as thick as they are. But I wouldn’t trade any of it.
However, I do have to say, there are times when it’s awkward to only be the aunt and to not have kids of my own. Maybe someday I will have my own – but until then, I have had to find a way to make a place in a world full of talk of potty-training, safe toys, sippy cups, the appropriate order of food introduction, and a host of other conversations. Most things I have an opinion on. And in most of them, I seem to stand alone. But I can’t say anything because I’m not a mom. And for those of you who are non-moms with me, you know the cardinal rule is to keep your mouth shut because if you’re not a mom, you really don’t know what you’re talking about.
This week I emailed my best friend about a very random subject, which led us to talk about her college roommate. Lynnette caught me up on what was happening in Susan’s life and said to me, “She’s a pet mom like us.” My eyes lit up at that statement! Sure, Susan lives three states away and I haven’t talked to her since Lynnette’s wedding. But we have a new thing in common! We’re pet moms!
Lynnette and I began discussing the way pet moms should stick together just like moms of humans do. In fact, we decided to start our own group. You’re familiar with MOPS? (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers?) We’re going to start a MOP group – Mothers of Pets. And in fact, we’re going to call the original group MOHPS – Mothers of Human Pre-Schoolers.
While other moms get together to discuss the enormous unfairness of their kids only wearing shoes for two weeks before outgrowing them, we will discuss the greater unfairness of the loss of one corner of a favorite shoe to a naughty puppy. While MOHPS swap ideas of how to con their HPS’s into eating enough vegetables, we MOP’s will swap strange stories of why a cat will beg pork chop bites and then promptly snub a warm, soft French fry. Moms will carefully think out a plan to determine how much time per day their kids will be allowed to watch TV – and what shows are on the approved list. We will turn the TV on as we leave the house so the poor lil guys have some company while we’re out!
Kids are cute – very cute. And maybe someday Lynnette and I will each join the ranks of MOHPS. But in the meantime, we’re thrilled to have our own group going. A group where we fit in with the faithful few who have, for the time being, limited the parenting skills to the pet arena. So Lynnette, pet-mom of Belle, and I, pet-mom of Kaegan and Braeya, proudly launch our own club!
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