Friday, July 18, 2014

Wow and What I Know For Sure

My kids can be a rowdy bunch.  They are boisterous and funny and a little bit nuts, but almost always having a good time.  They are not mean, they don't swear or steal.  I love my rowdy bunch, even when I take them places like the grocery store. Even when they bicker or do normal kid stuff.  Even when not everyone gets how wonderful they are.
"If you keep bugging your brother, I am going to pick you up and put you in this baby seat," I said channeling my best Claire Huxtable-I-mean-business-mister face. I said this to Peyton who is three inches taller than me.

"Ooooh, I'd like to see you do that," an older gentleman said as he walked by us in the fresh produce section.  

"I'm not afraid, I'll do it," I said.

"Oh, I know that's true," the man replied laughing.  "Boy, I remember those days."


We continued shopping and my kids continued to be a bit um, boisterous.  

"Stay here, I'll be right back," I told them as I walked over to pick out the cheapest chicken breasts.

"Wow," said a mother next to me nudging her teenage daughter and pointing.  "I mean, just wow."

She was pointing at my kids.  Her "wow" wasn't a nice "wow."  It was a "wow" filled with judgement and annoyance and superiority.  Her "wow" was mean.  It wasn't even a "wow" that meant she'd been there and remembers when her kids were little and got restless running errands.  Nope, it was a "wow" just meant to be rude and suck-y and teach her teenage daughter to be that way.

I looked at my kids and felt a new sense of pride.  "Wow," I thought.  My "wow" was filled with love and pride and happiness.  Those loud, rowdy kids were interesting and fun and so alive.  


I love being their mom and having the most non-boring trips to the grocery store ever.  I am grateful for opportunities to teach them to support people and laugh with people like the nice man in the fresh produce section. And when I "wow" someone, it is going to be to lift them up, not weigh them down with judgement or ridicule, I know this for sure.  

We are our own little parade in the grocery store parking lot!


Here's what else I know for sure this week, right now:


  • Summer is my favorite time of year for so many reasons, like the fact that we can all take the dog for a walk together in the middle of the day.



  • This movie, Boyhood, looks ahhhhhmazing. 




  • My kids made up a great new game at the beach the other day.  They bury my feet in the sand and they tell me I have to sit down and not move. They think they are being mean making me sit. Ha!




  • There's nothing better than fresh peaches and sweet tea in the summer.



  • My Listen To Your Mother reading is up on YouTube!  Check me & the rest of the Metro Detroit cast out.


What do you know for sure this week, right now?  Share it here or on my Facebook page.

4 comments:

  1. I LOVE all the positive wows - you are amazing and I want to grow grocery shopping with you :)
    I also want you to tell me how you got your dog to walk with that muzzle - we just bought the same thing for our dog. because he pulls like a maddog when I take him for a walk and he won't move an inch with that thing on and try to get rid of it...
    I know for sure that I will not worry about things I cannot change and that I will be able to handle whatever life throws at me (funny you asked, I just wrote about it on my blog last night ;) )

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  2. People's judgment is a reflection on them, and not the people they are sending rude wows out to. You and your kids are full of joy and life, and I can't see anything wrong with that.

    What I know for sure - I need resilience and adaptability (and plenty of bribes) to get through the next week, solo parenting!

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  3. What I know for sure is that I am so glad your blog came across my newsfeed on Facebook. Also, I adore the grocery pictures.

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  4. You hit the nail on the head when you said that woman is teaching her teenager to be judgy and rude. It makes me sad when I think of parents who hope for nothing but the best for their kids when they are babies (like we all do) manage to teach them hatred and meanness as they grow.

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