While I fully recognize that some parts of this country are still bedded down with snow, here in the Pacific Northwest we’re getting teased mercilessly with Spring-like sunshine and budding plants. We’ve been blessed with a couple of gorgeous days and the neighborhood has been all abuzz with lawnmowers, pungent bark-a-mulch and the onset of hyper kids.
I’m not quite sure I’m ready for this. The kids that is. (I have no problem with lawnmowers, or bark-a-mulch, as long as I’m not pushing it or spreading it.)
You see, there is a certain standard set with dark days and rainfall. The kids typically stay close to home and are resigned yet satisifed with indoor play. There are little to no expectations for exciting activities and visiting neighbor kids are limited to once or twice a week between bouts of rain showers.
This is not such the case with Spring.
As soon as the sun begins shining my doorbell starts ringing.
“Can Avery play?”
“Is Avery here?”
“What’s Avery doing?”
While there are definite advantages to having social kids there is also a bit of baggage that comes along with the barrage of little neighbor friends. Over the last couple of years I’ve pinpointed a few key points of the most bothersome baggage.
1) Jack has yet to earn his freedom. Jack is certainly on his way to gaining a little independance but given his inability to detect oncoming traffic, failure to recognize friend from foe and general lack of any sense of direction Jack is still resigned to homebound play. He doesn’t understand this fact and harbors a whole lot of resentment watching his sister flock freely down the street. And a resentful three-year old = a whole lotta work.
2) I will be losing my privacy. Have you ever tried to make a quick run to the coffee maker in your underpants only to be met by the freckled-face neighbor girl coming back from her foray in your refrigerator? Well, I have. And they were not my best underpants.
3) Long gone is my quest for a clean floor. Although I do try and employ the “take your shoes off at the door” rule with my kids I can’t stand constant guard at the door. We have wood flooring and it takes but one pair of crusty-bottomed shoes to ruin an entire mop job. Springtime brings many a pair of these shoes running through my house and unfortunately also brings many an emergency clean-up. *Sigh*
4) Snacks become a hot commodity. More kids means higher snacking demands. The phrase, “Can we have a snack?” becomes as common as “You kids are driving me nuts” around here. There is something about the sun shining that incites a gnawing hunger in even the smallest of child. Failure to provide snacks can bring out the ‘ugly’ in a kid. No one needs to see that.
5) Decibels reach unhealthy levels. Any mother (particularly those with toddlers who nap…or those with a certain unapologetic propensity for napping themselves) understands the frustration involved with the sudden onset of “noise.” Don’t misunderstand…both of my children have their own special gift of audible chaos but increasing the number of kids increases the volume of noise almost exponentially. Ah, how I will miss the silence. (Well, as silent as a house could be with a three-year old who runs around counting his moms boobs on a daily basis.)
So, as you can see, I anxiously await Spring and all it brings. But, I will have to begrudgingly admit that I secretly love the chaos. There’s a distinct sense of purpose which accompanies more active kids and I do thrive a bit on purpose. Life definitely get a little crazier around here but along with it comes a shining sun, growing Vitamin D levels and that delicious smell of grass (well, delicous until about the end of May when I start sneezing out my lungs on an hourly basis.)
And I’m looking forward to it (Spring, not the sneezing.)
Mindy
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Mindee@ourfrontdoor
Mindy
I remember those days. My oldest and middle step-daughters were 6 and 4 when my Son was born, so were well on their way to total freedom by the time Matthew was old enough to take notice. Double the resentment! Now that he’s 13, he prefers to NOT have mom around while he’s within range of his friends. Makes for a quiet house when the weather is nice.
Don’t worry, your freedom will come soon enough.
Oh, and um … counting boobs? How many do you have?!
So far, only two. But Jack is apparently searching for more. =)
Mindy
I loved those days (BIG SIGH) when my kids were little, but remembering the little annoynances helps me miss them less! Yes, I used to complain about it back then, but that’s beside the point…NOW, I miss those days!
Hey, we wouldn’t be “moms” if we didn’t complain a little, eh? =)
Mindy
Those days have started to hit my house with force. Unfortunately, I do have a napping baby who wakes very easily, so kids are usually sent outside to play in the dirt. My oldest is only 5, so no roaming aloud just yet, but I’m sure it’s coming.
Yeah, waking the napping baby (or in my case, little boy) is enough to send me right over the edge. Fortunately, most of the neighbor kids have witnessed this so I’m hoping for a *slightly* quieter house this time around. Good luck! =)
Mindy
I always plaster a sign right over the doorbell that says “Please Knock”. Of course I had to explain it to non-readers but it keeps me from coming out of skin when the doorbell rings at 8 a.m.
It’s pretty amazing isn’t it, how quickly these kids can jump out of bed when “playing” is on the agenda and school is nowhere in sight. =)
Mindy
It has been a long long winter. A ringing doorbell at 8am is something I can live without. You must be the “house” that every kid goes to. Stock up on those snacks!
Build a fence. Then you can make all the kids play outdoors. We had the only fenced in yard on the block and I soon became convinced that the other mothers sent their kids to my house on purpose! There’s nothing like feeling a tug on your skirt and looking down to find a two year old asking for “kew wade”. Especially when he lives two doors down. =]
I complained. But I loved being the kool-aid mom on the block.
♥Spot
Ah! Fun times. Full house, empty shelves, and a satisfaction that they love hanging at your pad. Poor little Jack it’s tough being the youngest.
Spring? Is it really THAT close? (getting hopes up here!)
My daughter is 14 now so we’re still busy, but it’s a different kind of busy. I loved having the house everyone wanted to come to. I agree that those days come and go way too quickly.
I am so with you on the wood floors. We have them and it is amazing how quickly they can look dirty.
Ahh spring and all its little glories.
Your daughter is very lucky to have friends that live so close and a mother that is so willing to put up with the chaos. My mom would have never…