Life with young children makes an otherwise sane human being accept certain things as "normal" that the rest of the world views as "odd."
Like buying pants for your child specifically because they have extra pockets to hold all the treasures he's always finding.
Or walking through the aisles of the grocery store accompanied by children dressed in Halloween costumes. In April.
And, finally, going to the pool (and the beach, and the boardwalk) for an entire summer with children who insist on wearing rain boots.
One gets many strange looks from other adults when one is spotted calmly escorting their rain-boot-clad child in cloudless, 90-degree weather. To the pool. These looks are usually followed with a laugh and an understanding nod, as if to say "ah, I see you chose not to battle over the choice of footwear this morning."
Half of parenthood - motherhood, especially - is about knowing when to let go. Yes, my child's pants are laden with little toy cars, rocks, leaves, and a random plastic barrette of dubious origin. Yes, my child wore a full-body dinosaur costume to Acme last week. And yes, my child will probably once again insist on wearing rain boots to the pool this summer. He's not screaming, crying, or having a temper tantrum, is he? No? Then it's all good.
Parenthood is about learning to let go and realize what our children have know all along: rain boots aren't just for rainy days.
3 comments:
I remember a little girl, she shall remain nameless, who wanted "Marie Osmonds hair" yes she wanted her actual hair. Anyway, since Marie wasn't giving it up, this little girl decided to put pigtails in her own hair even though it was only about earlobe length. These pigtails were about 1" long sticking out at all different angles. Her mother (me) let it go and took her proudly to the mall.
Your right you just have to pick your battles and let them be so you can have funny stories to tell them when they grow up.
Love, Mom
You're so right about picking your battles, there are so many worse things than wearing rain boots on a hot, sunny day.
Love the pic!
Michelle, this reminds me that Marion always wanted long hair. I, on the other hand, felt that getting bubblegum out of SHORT hair was difficult enough. So she had a pixie cut for her early years. She compensated for this by wearing TIGHTS ON HER HEAD daily for about two years. She tossed the dangly legs around with abandon, and we got so used to her with the things over her head that we often forgot to tell her to take them off, and so she wore them everywhere: to the store, to the pediatrician, to the park. She couldn't wear them to school, but they went on her head the minute she got home until bedtime. She favored the pink ones. xoxo
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