I had a moment yesterday that gave me pause. I was passing through the living room, heading towards the kitchen- taking care, of course, to NOT step in front of the television, otherwise the shrieks of protest would be overwhelming- and I noticed #4, completely engrossed in the movie, sitting like this:
When I asked her why, her response was a chipper, “I don’t know!”
Of course.
Because when you’re a child, you can do things that don’t make sense. And no one will judge you, unlike when you’re an adult.
Ex.- Kids are full of energy, enthusiastic, and always in a hurry. So they run. Everywhere, at full speed. But as an adult, if you attempt to run everywhere, like to your car, to the neighbor’s etc., you look less full of life and vigor and a little more like this:
Adults are obviously more aware of being socially appropriate (well, some adults anyway. Others… not so much, as I’ve mentioned here. ) than kids are. Kids live in the moment, and do what amuses them. And sometimes, in the midst of my own adult busyness, I’ll happen to walk past a child, do a double-take, and mentally utter a “What the-“
Here are some of those moments:
“Now the drink can be further AWAY from me!” (Parent translation: “Now the drink is ON THE EDGE OF THE TABLE.”)
Paper bags warriors. Why do I even buy toys??
Like father, like son… The Captain has facial hair. This guy tried.
Books + duct tape- shoes. My English teacher heart wept inside at the sacrilege.
Toothpaste, to keep your teeth clean & white. Or when you’re hungry.
Vrooom… next stop…. Crazytown. At least they’re wearing their helmets?
… and the helmets also come in handy, when you’re… watching TV.
A juice BOX.
And sometimes, these antics are less amusing and more traumatic and/or annoying: for the mother, that is. Like so:
“Toiletries?”
Rainbow Looms- fun! yay! Thrown ’em! Yay!
We’re young & happy, yay! Doesn’t that make you want to hurl fistfuls of glitter into the air?! No? Just here?
“The powder room”
Got milk?
These are those moments when I’m at a loss for words. Sometimes I laugh in appreciation of their antics, and other times… not so much.
But what I’ve come to cherish is their sense of creativity, of amusement simply for their own amusement’s sake. My kids don’t look at a pile of clothes, toys, or random remnants scattered on the floor and see a mess, like I do. They see potential for fun. They see the opportunity to try something different, to imagine, to create.
The words “What the-” slip out of my mouth too often. At times, it’s in reaction to a catastrophe, usually involving spilled milk, broken glass or writing in places that writing simply should not be.
But then there are the happy “What the-“s, the ones that make me pause, take in the scene, and smile. Or laugh. With this crew, the laughter happens often. Because as an adult I don’t always understand why my kids have chosen to do what they’ve done, but I appreciate it.
(Disclaimer: Exceptions include broken glass, spilled liquids of any kind, experimenting with household spices or cleaning products, and inserting objects of any kind into the toilet. Those mental are followed with a “What the- add expletive here-!!”)
Image courtesy of www.sodahead.com
© Copyright Six Pack Mom, All rights Reserved. Written For: SPM Writes
I just love reading your posts! I’m going to have to write a companion post to this so we can compare pictures. The juice box.. My son has taken to wearing a fishing net on his head.. and has tried to drink through it. The rainbow loom bands – have you had to try to remove them from under the quarter round edging on the floor? Of course you have! Isn’t it terrible!? I have to say, that extendable straw.. epic. Yep, my companion post is coming! Adorable kids, adorable messes, and one lucky Momma. After all, everything is better with glitter!
I’d love it!! Not to mention, I’d love to see what other weird things other kids’ mom’s are up to- it’ll make me feel better. 😉
Kim that is an awesome idea. I have been collecting pics like that too. I might just have to join you in writing a companion post. My son just jumped on my lap, squeezed my face together and said, “I’m hungry, chubby cheeks!” so I guess it is lunch time!
So glad you are able to see the bright side of things. Are those really your children in those photos?! I have to think back a bit to the craziness of my daughters. I know I’ve got a few photos in storage — wads of toilet paper sticking out of her nose because she had a runny nose. [Efficient!] And then she climbed in the sink to have a seat while admiring my jewelry. Oh gosh — NOW I’m remembering. The oldest tied the corners of a sheet to her little sister’s wrists and ankles so she could be a butterfly. If we could just bottle up their cuteness and sell it ….
Yes, Bridget, those pictures are all of my own kids- and many more moments that weren’t captured on film. I know it goes by quickly, so I try to have a sense of humor about it… most of the time.
Love these! And so true… I have experienced many of these moments myself.
Hahaha!! This is awesome Stephanie. I cringed for you at the rainbow loom photo! I can’t stand cleaning up those things…and my vacuum hates me.
It doesn’t get more real than these pictures! Love them! I wish I had some pictures of the things my big kids did when they were small (like the butter and eggs on the kitchen floor).
Love this post! I’ve definitely seen a lot of that at my house. Thankfully my kids have never thrown things in the toilet, but writing all over the wall has happened several times, the straws, the glitter, you name it. But I know I will miss it when they grow up:(
I love that you have this wonderful compilation of photos to commemorate all of these fabulous moments!! Definitely one to keep for when the kids are older!
These photos are hilarious! I can say that I have a number of similar photos of my kids. Thanks for the chuckle 🙂
My daughter was looking over my shoulder as I read and when I got to the straw picture she exclaimed, “Are those straws?! Can we DO that?? Let’s try it!”
She was very impressed with the creativity she saw 🙂
I enjoyed reading this post and the pictures of your Children. It makes me miss my older children when the were little. They were always getting into something. Now my little one he does things but he’s sneaky! Thanks for sharing a peek into your life with your beautiful children.
Haha great post.. I have seen very similar things with my kids at my house… Ahhh to be a kid again 😉
So I want to laugh, like really hard, and then give you a hug. People keep telling me we are going to miss this. I’m a bit skeptical sometimes 🙂
I’m actually a bit jealous of all the fun your kids seem to be having. LOL
I apologize but I did laugh out loud at the “toiletries” bit. Sorry, but it was just too funny!
I love this! I just found my son tucked in a tiny box the other day too. Kids are weird creatures, aren’t they? By the way, I love the Friends reference, too funny!
I love this post! The photos are so funny and remind me of my life so much! However much it messes up your day that they have blocked the toilet up, it does make good stories afterwards and will keep putting a smile on your face in years to come!
So many of these photos look familiar 😀