The offspring have reached an enchanting new stage of life.. they have really honest, deep questions about the world around them. And their favorite time to ask is right after school, on the way home after Mommy's long day of work.
To truly understand the quality of response they get, please imagine yourself being verbally pummeled in tag team style after a 9 hour work day that involved answering 15, 000 questions, running 2 meetings, managing the behavior of 35 children that are not your own, teaching subject matter for 4 hours, planning for 3 different subjects, answering 17 e mails, meeting with the boss regarding 2 critical matters, and listening to 3 co workers vent about their personal problems. And that's a fairly normal day. I don't say that for sympathy. You simply need to know that I'm not in top form to answer these stumpers.
Here is a sampling of questions from the back seat that I recall from the last 2 months:
1. Where do babies come from?
2. Why do we pay taxes?
3. What is 3 +3+3++6+2+112+5+6 -4 divided by 3?
4. Why do we have to fill up the car with gasoline instead of something else?
5. Can I have a snack?
6. Are babies sinners?
7. What does the government do?
8. Is President Obama a good President?
9. Why does Uncle James have 6 kids and you only have 2?
10. When are we getting a baby sister like Matthew and Ethan got?
11. Do you like XBox or Wii more?
12. Are we ever going to fly on a plane?
13. How do you start a business?
14. How many people can I blow up when I join the Army?
15. Why do we get to eat nuggets and fries if they aren't really good for us?
16. If you had to live without chocolate or coffee, which would you choose?
17. If Jesus loves everyone, how come everyone doesn't love Him?
18. When I'm 16 can I drive Dad's truck?
19. Why doesn't Purple go to church with us?
20. How long until I can get married?
Now go back and reread and try to think of an answer after you run a half marathon.
That's the kind of response I tend to give. Which leads me to all kinds of guilt about not being a good enough Mom and spending quality time with my kids, and training them for the future. And while YOU, gentle reader, might give me grace and say "Honey, no one expects you to be able to answer that at that those times." my children have other thoughts. See, they still see me at The MOM, all powerful, all knowing, and completely faithful to meet their needs. They don't yet know that I am frail and more than a little imperfect and I don't have every answer. When I tell them "I don't know" they chuckle and think/say "yeah, right, you know, you just don't want to tell us." So, what's a girl to do? Delegate, of course!
Now, dear internet friends, which one would you like to answer?? Please, give me your best, so I can have it ready if they ever start to repeat.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Weekend Woes or Wonders??
My weekend plans were derailed by a stomach virus which took up residence in my youngest child. The original plan was: go to Ft Worth on Thursday night with my husband and spend Fri and Saturday at Youth Lab learning all sorts of new stuff about working with teenagers, hanging out with other youth workers, hanging out with our teen leaders, and being a grown up with no kids of my own to take care of.
That was the plan. Instead I got to: Leave school early on Thursday to take my dehydrated son to the Dr. so we could get antinausea meds so he'd stop throwing up, spend Thurs. night as a single Mom trying to get a fever to come down and get my little guy rehydrated, spend Friday at home with him as he came back to life and take care of my oldest and his mood swings at being taken out of school early for the 3rd day in a row.
On the bright side, I got LOADS of laundry done, spent some good quality time with my kids, achieved a nice, high Bejeweled score on FB, slept in until almost 9:30 on Sat morning, finished a fairly decent novel, deposited check in the bank, made oldest child feel special with a little after school snack at Sonic that his brother didn't get, AND I didn't have to wear makeup!
Woes and Wonders, it's all just a matter of perspective.
That was the plan. Instead I got to: Leave school early on Thursday to take my dehydrated son to the Dr. so we could get antinausea meds so he'd stop throwing up, spend Thurs. night as a single Mom trying to get a fever to come down and get my little guy rehydrated, spend Friday at home with him as he came back to life and take care of my oldest and his mood swings at being taken out of school early for the 3rd day in a row.
On the bright side, I got LOADS of laundry done, spent some good quality time with my kids, achieved a nice, high Bejeweled score on FB, slept in until almost 9:30 on Sat morning, finished a fairly decent novel, deposited check in the bank, made oldest child feel special with a little after school snack at Sonic that his brother didn't get, AND I didn't have to wear makeup!
Woes and Wonders, it's all just a matter of perspective.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Things you want to say, but can't
So on the Sleep Talkin Man blog today, sweet mild mannered Adam has channeled his inner teacher. Here is what I wish I could say to certain students who regularly fail to do their best and just "get by".
Oh my! Aside from the f-word, I have had those thoughts, but am restrained by my contract from saying so in that way. BTW, parents, when the teacher says your little Johnny is "not working to his potential", this is what she really wants to say!
Oh my! Aside from the f-word, I have had those thoughts, but am restrained by my contract from saying so in that way. BTW, parents, when the teacher says your little Johnny is "not working to his potential", this is what she really wants to say!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Word of the day: flexibility
F is for the freaky things that happen
L is for the love of others that makes me be flexible when I don't wanna
E is for everything changes.. that is proof of life
X is for x-rays.. I'm glad we didn't have to get any today
I is for insanity caused from crazy people.. yes, crazy people make me crazier
B is for my boy who is handling being sick like a real trooper
I is for I am happy the Lord has made His will clear
L is for Long weekends I don't get to spend away from home
I is for individuals who made my crazy day easier.. Thank you!
T is for tomorrow, I wonder what that will bring
Y is for yucky tummy virus that is just awful
L is for the love of others that makes me be flexible when I don't wanna
E is for everything changes.. that is proof of life
X is for x-rays.. I'm glad we didn't have to get any today
I is for insanity caused from crazy people.. yes, crazy people make me crazier
B is for my boy who is handling being sick like a real trooper
I is for I am happy the Lord has made His will clear
L is for Long weekends I don't get to spend away from home
I is for individuals who made my crazy day easier.. Thank you!
T is for tomorrow, I wonder what that will bring
Y is for yucky tummy virus that is just awful
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sick of the hurtin'
Ok, I've got a soapbox I need to get on for a while. I am so sick of marriages breaking up! Just angry and sick and sad about it.
Ok, where did this outburst come from you might wonder?? Before you go assuming there is trouble in Willingham's World, let me assure you that we are happy and fine and secure. I have been inundated lately with co-workers going through divorces. I have been faced with numerous friends and church family who are struggling to stay in their marriages. I have heard countless tales of infidelity, verbal cruelty, selfish ambition, careless living, and just plain being a butt head for no apparent reason.
My heart hurts for my friends. For the women who have cheating husbands. Who have tried to reconcile and keep the faith of their marriage promises in the face of ultimate betrayal. Who have to answer their children's innocent questions about "Where is Daddy?" Who are left to pick up the pieces of their life with destroyed credit, embittered views, and a loss of faith because the one who was supposed to love them the most sought another's love.
My head can't understand the pain of the husbands who live with harpies of wives who emasculate them and demean them and show no honor to their spouse. Men who have to navigate a world which is often times hostile to a man being manly and model Godly behavior to belligerant, arrogant females who act nothing like ladies. The guys who want to do the right thing and have no support.
My eyes cry for the kids of divorce and crummy marriages. I see them everyday. Dad's in jail. Mom's moved and left them with Grandma because her job was too important to raise them. Kids who view adults as their servants or their abusers. Children who have no foundation of solid family love and support. Students too busy raising their younger siblings, hiding in their rooms, visiting non custodial parents, diappearing into media, or embittered by their raw deal to get their homework done, or even remember what was assigned.
And I am so tired of the weak marriage. The one that gets by, but never flourishes. That marriage riddled with misunderstanding because the participants are either too stubborn or too broken to work on fixing it. The lopsided marriage of misuse or emotional abuse where a spouse is too blind to notice it slipping away. The busy marriage that doesn't take the time to heal, grow, or acknowledge the good deeds done in love because the XYZ is critical "right now. We can deal with THAT later."
Yeah, my heart is hurting right now. I am thankful for my marriage and my family and all the good in my life. I don't discount that at all. But I see so much pain and suffering in the world around me, that rich, well financed world I have been called to minister to. Money certainly can't buy happiness. I wonder why people try.
Ok, where did this outburst come from you might wonder?? Before you go assuming there is trouble in Willingham's World, let me assure you that we are happy and fine and secure. I have been inundated lately with co-workers going through divorces. I have been faced with numerous friends and church family who are struggling to stay in their marriages. I have heard countless tales of infidelity, verbal cruelty, selfish ambition, careless living, and just plain being a butt head for no apparent reason.
My heart hurts for my friends. For the women who have cheating husbands. Who have tried to reconcile and keep the faith of their marriage promises in the face of ultimate betrayal. Who have to answer their children's innocent questions about "Where is Daddy?" Who are left to pick up the pieces of their life with destroyed credit, embittered views, and a loss of faith because the one who was supposed to love them the most sought another's love.
My head can't understand the pain of the husbands who live with harpies of wives who emasculate them and demean them and show no honor to their spouse. Men who have to navigate a world which is often times hostile to a man being manly and model Godly behavior to belligerant, arrogant females who act nothing like ladies. The guys who want to do the right thing and have no support.
My eyes cry for the kids of divorce and crummy marriages. I see them everyday. Dad's in jail. Mom's moved and left them with Grandma because her job was too important to raise them. Kids who view adults as their servants or their abusers. Children who have no foundation of solid family love and support. Students too busy raising their younger siblings, hiding in their rooms, visiting non custodial parents, diappearing into media, or embittered by their raw deal to get their homework done, or even remember what was assigned.
And I am so tired of the weak marriage. The one that gets by, but never flourishes. That marriage riddled with misunderstanding because the participants are either too stubborn or too broken to work on fixing it. The lopsided marriage of misuse or emotional abuse where a spouse is too blind to notice it slipping away. The busy marriage that doesn't take the time to heal, grow, or acknowledge the good deeds done in love because the XYZ is critical "right now. We can deal with THAT later."
Yeah, my heart is hurting right now. I am thankful for my marriage and my family and all the good in my life. I don't discount that at all. But I see so much pain and suffering in the world around me, that rich, well financed world I have been called to minister to. Money certainly can't buy happiness. I wonder why people try.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Quotes of the Day
Josh said, in a very serious voice: Ryan, I don't care if you were joking, we don't JOKE ABOUT BLUEBONNETS! They are rare and precious.
Kid from my class: Eggs, eggs, they are everywhere.. It's like the Easter Bunny had diarhhea.
Josh, on taking his first communion with the family: Mmm, that juice was really refreshing.
Kid from my class: Eggs, eggs, they are everywhere.. It's like the Easter Bunny had diarhhea.
Josh, on taking his first communion with the family: Mmm, that juice was really refreshing.
