Never a Dull Moment

Life with my oldest son is busy. He is happiest when we have a plan. A plan to bake cookies. A plan to go to the museum. A plan to have a playdate every single night of the week. A plan for karate twice a week. A plan for swim team. A plan to play LEGOs before school. A plan to audition for the talent show.

While the rest of us, in a quiet moment or 7 minutes, between activities might take a deep breath and prepare ourselves for the next rush of classes/lessons/homework/fun he will say, "I'm bored. What can I do." I don't know where he gets it. Our future with Cooper is really exciting. I can just imagine the accomplishments and the trouble he'll get involved in. The prospect is breathtaking. Sometimes I worry I'm not the right mother for him.

I recently went to a luncheon with lots of older ladies -- golfers -- and I was talking to one particular woman about her daughters. One of the daughters I knew of and knew to be a responsible, studious, and an outstanding star in sports. And this woman, we'll call her Patsy, is remarkable in her own right. A fairly great golfer, pretty as the day is long and just as peaceful and serene as you can imagine.

In the course of our group's conversation someone who has known Patsy longer than I asked after her oldest daughter. Patsy's face grew to one of content reflection and she smiled and said, "Oh she's great. Just great." Then she proceeded to recount all the interesting things her daughter was in to.

Somehow this conversation lighted upon the daughter's high school years. And Patsy -- with literally no judgement in her voice -- recounted the trouble her daughter had found. Though temporary, her daughter was one they never really had tabs on. No matter what she did or was involved in, her friends knew to always get her home to her family. Unfortunately that often meant, dumped drunk and unconscious in the lawn.

In all of this recounting of what sounded like a world of trouble I kept expecting Patsy to sigh or show some level of disappointment. She. Did. Not. And then she said, "Yes, there is never a dull moment."

Extraordinary perspective for a parent to have. The day to day experience of having kids never really goes as planned. And that is not an opportunity for frustration, it turns out. With a pinch of wisdom from Patsy it can be a great adventure. I have zero expectations that Cooper or Mason will be rebellious beyond the norm. They are generally rule followers who make great choice beyond their years. But when The Coop runs us into the ground with his endless energy I need to just sit back with peace shining on my face and say, "Ahhhhh, never a dull moment."