13-Year-Old Logic

One morning over breakfast, for some unknown to me now reason, I was explaining to Zibbi my theory on parenting.  I contend that mothers get blamed, while fathers get credit.  Benja then jumped in to say, "No, I am pretty sure DAD came up with that theory..." 

Zibbi then responded, "I think Benja should get blamed and YOU should get credit."  What a little cheerleader she is.  (And poor Benja, he keeps trying to break through the "like" phase of their relationship and move up to "love".)

5- and 8- year-old Logic

On St. Patrick's Day, Lotta (8) insisted she would catch a Leprechan.  (Apparently, that is a "thing" right now).  That afternoon, we had a birthday party to attend.  Before the party, Lotta set a trap.  Around the trap were small houses for figurines, she made sure to put figurines in each of the houses, peering out the windows, so the Leprechan wouldn't be confused that it was a residence for HIM.  (How tall does she think they are??)  Throughout the party, Lotta kept mentioning how excited she was to catch a Leprechan.  It might be in the trap already! I kept cautioning, that Leprechans are extremely mysterious, they are not like Santa. (Zibbi informed me at the party that her thighs were getting bigger, like mine.  I said, you mean, longer?  She said, no, fatter.)  Anyway. 

 When we arrived home, Lotta excitedly ran to the trap.  Low and behold there was a tiny note with tiny writing (that I could not, in fact, read).  Lotta became suspicious however, as Benja (13), put his hands over his mouth and seemed to be smiling and laughing.  At dinner that night, Lotta explained that she thought Benja was involved.  She said that she thought Benja shrank down to Leprechan size and wrote a tiny note for Lotta to find. 

Now on to Zibbi logic...

The afternoons have started warming up a bit around here.  So now when Zibbi departs the bus, she has all of her layers off and tied strategically to her back pack.  A sweater, snow pants, a dress, a scarf, could all be tied on.  It's a good solution.  The only problem being she isn't tall enough for all of the items to not be dragged to through the slush and mud and puddles. 

Protesting the Protest

On Friday, Benja (13) participated in a climate march.  It included a walk out of school, a walk to East High School, then a walk to the capital.  I became concerned about the amount of walking AND the need for him to carry two bags--his diabetes bag and his lunch bag.  I suggested he bring his lunch in a plastic bag, so he could then put the bag inside his other bag.  Benja sighed and said, "MOM!  That is EXACTLY what we are marching against!"  His emotional response made me feel like he would in fact be sent the front and booed by his fellow protesters, for my even suggesting it.  I mean he has a point.

What Exactly are we "Saving" Here?

So Friday, we had a sunny warmer (in the upper 30s day!) Just in case you wanted to talk about the weather, it has been extremely cold and snowy for about the past two months.  So there was a great need for a bit of a reprieve.  Then, Saturday, alas it started raining.  Cold raining.  Which soon turned into more snow. 

Then today, Sunday, was daylight savings time.  I didn't used to feel so strongly AGAINST daylight savings time.  Prior to children, I had no real feelings about the whole thing.  Then, every year, with small children there is the struggle for bedtime, which now suddenly occurs in the DAYLIGHT.  And the opposite struggle to go back to awakening in the dark.  Sigh.

At bedtime, I was explaining to  Lotta (8) and Zibbi (5), how the time was changing, and we were losing an hour at midnight.  I further explained (complained?) that we all participate in this activity so that golfers can golf later in the daylight.  Lotta paused and said, "I can't imagine ANYONE golfing tomorrow." 

It Pays to Advertise

Wednesday was my birthday.  I once heard a comedian say that any adult who goes around telling everyone it is her birthday is a **** (insert derogatory word here).  I am most certainly one of those.  On March 6 (mark your calendars!) I made a point of telling all the clerks I encountered that day, and for my effrorts, I received for FREE a Starbucks Green Tea Latte (the largest size of course, the only size for a FREE), a Bloom cupcake, and flowers from Trader Joe's.  I just think, in a way, it's a service to announce that it's my birthday, so that everyone can join in on the celebrating!

And I must say, the employees at Bloom are so extra especially friendly.  Every single time I go in there, I end up giving them way too much information about my life.  And then upon returning, I repeat the mistake.  However, they are so extremely lovely that I end up feeling like the really DID want to know about my childhood. 

I was lucky enough to get to volunteer in Zibbi's kindergarten class room on my big day.  Zibbi insisted that I bring in a treat to share ("healthy" lollipops from Willy Street Co-op).  In exchange, the entire class made me posters they hung on the door.  SOOO sweet.  I mean how could posters from 5-year-olds NOT melt your heart??

I attended a workshop at Dreambank that same day (I know, busy day!) on Radical Relationship Responsibility and it was the presenter's birthday too!! (insert a gasp here) He mentioned that he turned 39, which meant he was exactly a decade younger than I.  When I explained how I was late because I had to pick up my FREE birthday Starbuck's .  He hit his chest and said, "Respect".  And I thought, there's that decade between us, I could never ever pull off saying "respect" that smoothly.  The following morning, I even tried it with Benja.  And he immediately rejected my attempt, with a loud and emphatic, "NO mom.  NO."   

Then Thursday, I volunteered in Lotta's class room and EVERYONE wished me a happy birthday.

Apparently, since Lotta did not have the great good fortune to have me IN her class room on THE day, she made sure to SHARE with EVERYONE that it was indeed my birthday.  Even people I did not know were wishing me a happy birthday.  Unfortunately, this time I did not bring treats to share, my bad (I can get away with THAT saying). 

The thing that makes my heart sing is my daughters being able (even at 5), to think of someone else's birthday experience.  Especially at 5, this is super challenging.  They saw how important it was to me and carried that into their day and made choices to spread joy to me.  Lately, I've been thinking of my children as time travelers.  Yes, Ellie is in the past.  But I so often see her around the neighborhood, in the bench at her school.  Or in the books that Zibbi checks out from Lapham Elementary Library that we donated.  She's now on a quest to find them all.  Benja and Lotta and Zibbi, I think of sending them into the future.  I want them to have the tools of kindness and love and humor and creativity to solve impossible problems.  After a day like my birthday, I feel inspired for what they will bring.