I love Dads who are more than willing to care for the children while the mom goes out. And, I love moms who can totally relax in these situations even though they know that things won't be done quite the way they would want them to be.
I like to think I'm that kind of mom, but there are times when I do just shake my head.
Times ... like these ...
I think it was the night I ran over to the library to pick up a book or something before they closed. Dan got bed time started.
When I arrived home and went upstairs to Madelyn's room what do I find? Dan and Madelyn lying on her bed reading while Elijah stood in Madelyn's dormer COLORING ON THE WALL WITH A MARKER!!!
I freaked out.
I said, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? YOU DON'T COLOR ON THE WALL!!!" Poor Elijah starts crying because he was just "drawing a ghost," and Dan says ... (I still can't believe he said this) ... "Madelyn said they could." ... That's right. I'll give it a minute to sink in. I sure needed that minute for it to sink in after he said it.
I think I stammered and stuttered before I was able to get out a "WHAT???" I half expected Dan to pull out a marker of his own and show me the pretty picture he was able to color on the wall! Just kidding, but that would have been funny.
Come to find out, Madelyn thought it was okay to color on the wall because the markers are washable so you can easily wipe them off after you are done.
Okay. Now I am understanding the logic, along with why I had been finding towels with what looked like ink or paint on them.
The problem is that not all of her markers are washable and neither she or Elijah will know which ones are or aren't as they are coloring. So, I made this point clear to them, along with telling them they were forbidden to color on the walls.
A few days later what do I find? A little stick person drawn in black above Madelyn's bed with smears around it like she had tried to wash it off.
She was on restriction for a week.
But, the cute part is that later she tried her darndest to wash it off. She was singing the whole time. I thought she had been playing upstairs because she was singing away, but when she came down she said she had been trying to wash the wall. She said, "I used so much soap and so much water and only a little was able to come off." I said, "Well, how 'bout we just don't color on the walls anymore. Deal?" "Deal." She had learned her lesson.
Okay, back to Dads. A few weeks ago when I went away to GA I came home to a messy house. That's okay. It took a bit to get it back together, but my kids were healthy, fed, and safe. At one point I said to Madelyn, "Have you brushed your teeth?"
I like to think I'm that kind of mom, but there are times when I do just shake my head.
Times ... like these ...
I think it was the night I ran over to the library to pick up a book or something before they closed. Dan got bed time started.
When I arrived home and went upstairs to Madelyn's room what do I find? Dan and Madelyn lying on her bed reading while Elijah stood in Madelyn's dormer COLORING ON THE WALL WITH A MARKER!!!
I freaked out.
I said, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? YOU DON'T COLOR ON THE WALL!!!" Poor Elijah starts crying because he was just "drawing a ghost," and Dan says ... (I still can't believe he said this) ... "Madelyn said they could." ... That's right. I'll give it a minute to sink in. I sure needed that minute for it to sink in after he said it.
I think I stammered and stuttered before I was able to get out a "WHAT???" I half expected Dan to pull out a marker of his own and show me the pretty picture he was able to color on the wall! Just kidding, but that would have been funny.
Come to find out, Madelyn thought it was okay to color on the wall because the markers are washable so you can easily wipe them off after you are done.
Okay. Now I am understanding the logic, along with why I had been finding towels with what looked like ink or paint on them.
The problem is that not all of her markers are washable and neither she or Elijah will know which ones are or aren't as they are coloring. So, I made this point clear to them, along with telling them they were forbidden to color on the walls.
A few days later what do I find? A little stick person drawn in black above Madelyn's bed with smears around it like she had tried to wash it off.
She was on restriction for a week.
But, the cute part is that later she tried her darndest to wash it off. She was singing the whole time. I thought she had been playing upstairs because she was singing away, but when she came down she said she had been trying to wash the wall. She said, "I used so much soap and so much water and only a little was able to come off." I said, "Well, how 'bout we just don't color on the walls anymore. Deal?" "Deal." She had learned her lesson.
Okay, back to Dads. A few weeks ago when I went away to GA I came home to a messy house. That's okay. It took a bit to get it back together, but my kids were healthy, fed, and safe. At one point I said to Madelyn, "Have you brushed your teeth?"
She hesitated. Dan just stops and looks at her. She looks at him. Then after a moment he says, "We talked about it." ... Oh my.
It's okay though. Dan is wonderful with the kids. He is like the "fun uncle" only he's their Dad. The kids have so much fun with him, especially at times like yesterday when he is making up a song about having broken legs. Madelyn loved it so much he had to sing it for me later in the car so I could hear it which then started a whole series of made up songs from all of us. Elijah's song just consisted of weird noises and happy squirms.
So what if he doesn't brush their teeth for 3 days (bleh, bleck, shiver) I know he is loving on them like crazy, taking them to the park (of course letting them do more dare devil things than I would, but that's okay), feeding them lunch (even if it is 3 pm), reading to them, talking with them, and teaching them about stars or something with technical words I don't even know the meaning to. He's their Dad who gets loads of joy from spending time with them.
I praise God regularly for providing me with such a wonderful husband and father to my children, and I am going to do my best to let him take care of them the way he wants to when he has them all to himself. They will be blessed from the time as much as he will. And, I'll try to not bring up the tooth brushing thing years from now when we have to start dealing with cavities ;o)
1 comment:
I am laughing hysterically out loud! Oh, the differences in our husbands, see that would have been me on the bed with madelyn & CJ coming home to that! ok, well not really, but I can't imagine CJ's freak out session! I am still laughing!!!!
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