Hundredth Day of School

There were two different days of celebration for my girls to celebrate the 100th day of school.  How is it possible that two girls at the same school could celebrate that magnificent day on two separate days?  I just found that funny.  Anyway...


Sister Hohosh is usually so incredibly willing to come and sit with my little ones while I go do these outings.  They last about an hour, so she gets some fun playtime with my kiddos and I don't have to lug them to school.  Unfortunately she's been sick and Steve was teaching, so I told Sarah that I probably would not be coming.  Oh, the tears that erupted from that girl.  Seriously!  I or Steve have been to every party so far this year, which I consider a feat in itself.  So I hurriedly dressed everyone, got the girls onto the bus and 10 minutes later followed in the van.  Since we have to park forever away I brought the double stroller, knowing there was no way Tommy was going to walk that far without issue.  We took the last parking spot (thank goodness for that!) and trudged up to the school.  I was pretty proud of the fact that we were right on time.

Everything started out great.  Ryan found dinosaurs, Tommy had brought McQueen (his favorite toy) and Anna was intent on all that was going on around her.  But then Tommy realized he didn't feel well and wanted his babash.  I refused to let him have it.  I think it was a pride thing about having my 2 1/2 year old with a pacifier in public.  Should have just eaten that pride, I tell ya.  So he was crying in hysterics.  I handed off my phone to let him play and that didn't help either.  Then Anna remembered that it was her nap time and she started to scream in her oh-so-charming manner that I usually keep hidden behind closed doors.  So there I was with two screaming children trying to help Sarah do her little celebration projects.  I was mortified.  So incredibly embarrassed.  And then of course the celebration lasted much longer than I had planned, which didn't help.  To make matters worse, there were all sorts of parents looking over at me with their furtive glances, probably wondering who that crazy woman was with 4 little children in a Kindergarten classroom. 

It is in those moments that I start to question myself.  And I guess not really seriously, but it still makes me pause and think.  I see all these kids that are the "center" of their parent's world.  An only child or maybe with one sibling.  Those parents can throw every ounce of time and effort they could ever want towards those kids.  And as much as I try to do these extra things that are hard, I just don't have the time to do that for every single child every single day.  I can't enroll my kids in a million activities.  They won't be the best at dance or swimming or any of those things because we just don't have the time to be running around doing those activities.  And I feel bad that my kids have to watch other kids get to do all those things.  I've even seen kids "one-up" my kids with the talents they do have and it breaks my heart.

But then Steve centers me and reminds me that the most important years of their lives are right now.  And where do I want them to be learning and growing?  I need them to be here in the home.  Maybe they won't be championship ball players.  They won't be doing backflips next year like the other kids. But they do get a whole lot of love at home.  And I am the one giving that love.  I don't have to farm my kids out to strangers and have them rear my children.  I already don't get enough time with them during the day, since they're at school so much.  So at this stage of their lives they will be average kids.  Well- what used to be average.  West Point is fairly ridiculous in the amount of activities people enroll their children in.  And I hope they will learn to be loving, respectful people that have a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father and know that because they are children of God they have great worth.  I'm trying.

I have 6 children.  There is no getting around that.  I know that each of these kids was sent to our home and that we have been entrusted to do our best to rear them with love.  And that is what we are doing our best to do.   Some days it's just tough to feel like I'm doing enough.

ps- I did make it to Katie's celebration sans children and it went off without a hitch.  Whew!