I’m not a Mother myself. I don't even play one on TV, but I have a great respect for Mothers especially after this past weekend. My Mom is amazing, and like Mother like daughter, my younger sister is definitely following suit. She has 3 children: Jacob (7), Grace (4) and Harrison (2). This past weekend, Auntie Mel (aka yours truly) headed North to hang out with the kids for a couple of days while both of their parents were away in Ohio. The weather was disappointing, and so we didn’t get outside much at all, but the 5 of us (that includes Thorn, the family black lab) had fun indoors anyway...
Coloring: several hours worth. Grace is a cheerleader with the gift of encouragement, and she has taught her brother well. Harrison stopped coloring every few minutes to exclaim that my picture was “Bootiful.” I loved that. I felt very encouraged and glad that a 2-year-old appreciated my artistic talents!
Candy Land: excessive amounts of time. I played no fewer than 12 games of Candy Land with Grace. It is her favorite game by far, and she is pretty awesome at it. She enjoys games a lot like her Grandma (my Mom) does and with a similar sweet spirit. I kept teasing her because she won most of our games, and she would respond with, “It doesn’t matter who wins the game, Aunt Mel. We are just playing for fun.” Very sweet!
Battleship: about an hour. Yes, I won, but Jacob is getting better and more strategic at his ship placements. It’s only a matter of time before he whips the socks off of me. Is it wrong not to let him win? Does this make me a bad aunt?
Memory: about an hour. Even Harrison joined in a couple of games of the old classic Memory. Kids are so amazing at that game. I must be getting old.
Movies: a couple of hours. We didn’t watch much TV, but we had movie night on Friday complete with 4 bags of popcorn. YIKES! I didn’t realize that those little mouths could put away so much popcorn.
Computer Games: about an hour. I was finally introduced to the Plants vs. Zombies game my sister has told me about. WOW! It’s...well, it’s interesting.
Time on my Own: zilch. My sister often jokes about how she would kill for just a few minutes of privacy each day. Being a mother of 3 plus the lovable family dog, she rarely gets a moment to herself. By comparison, a single girl without pets has quite a bit of time on her own, but I certainly didn’t experience that this weekend. I couldn’t step away for a minute without someone coming to find me. The kids were always near me whether I was in the kitchen putting away dishes, in the bathroom trying to catch a 3-minute shower, etc. No room was sacred! Even Thorn followed me around. I think he felt that since we were the only 2 “adults,” we should stick together. HA! He was always at my heels. He slept next to me, too, which was a new experience for me, but I have to say I found it rather comforting.
The kids were very well-behaved. Sure, they are little sin-filled creatures just like their old Aunt Mel, but we managed quite well together. My sister likes to encourage her children creatively, inspiring them to try new things and develop new skills, while also providing them with character-building opportunities. She is a motivator, an encourager and an all-around well-balanced Mom. I’m proud of her. And after this weekend, I appreciate her parenting skills all the more. You are doing a great job, Sis. Keep it up!
P.S. I guess, Jonathan gets a little bit of credit for the kids, too. Hee hee!
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