If you have a son or daughter under the age of 12 with an active, awesome imagination, you probably find legos in every single room, surface, coat pocket, drawer, nook and cranny of your home. Today, no joke, I found legos in the car, in the MAILBOX, on the trampoline and in the wood pile in the backyard. My first reaction was to complain, FIERCELY. I mean, seriously, I spend 90% of my life cleaning up toys, changing sheets, doing laundry, calendaring the family events (read husband's ministry schedule) , cooking, doing dishes, and trying to get the kids to read as much as possible. I do a lot. A damn lot. So much that it's easy to feel self-righteous. And, it's easy to dream about the career I all but sacrificed to stay home and raise my kids.
Until I imagine the day the legos are gone.
The day the legos are gone is the day my baby has grown up and left, moved on to those Responsible Things beyond childhood that wait for all our kids. Suddenly, I understand that the temporary sacrifice of career, prestige, and easy accolades is nothing compared to the benefits I reap from interaction with my kids on a daily basis.
Hopefully, my kids can still play with Legos when their grown.
Actually, I think I need to. Tonight......
As I sit here alone in my very clean--(and lego-free)home, I am remembering those days, Jodie. Vacuuming up Barbie shoes and Light-brite pieces and putting Ninja turtles' heads back on after battle and playing round after round of Dr. Mario...and counting the shoes and balls and Ghostbusters that were left in the living room and family room...
ReplyDeleteThose were the days!! And tonight, I have tears in my eyes remembering the dozens of times I stepped on a lego and yelled.
Yep. It's very clean and quiet here.
Step on one for me, would ya?
Oh yes, stuff everywhere ! You clean and 5 minutes later, no one notices and or cares really. Its all good. I'll take the mess of a happy, active, raising the kids home any day ! And yes, its all worth it ! I have a 22 year old that has already told me so! So I can relax more with the other two! Yippee !
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Really puts things in perspective!
ReplyDeleteM
okay. challenged.
ReplyDelete;)
Jodie, great post. Lego sums it up! Your words make me want to go up to the attic and drag out the Playmobil again, just to remember fondly when, not so long ago, my boys were little and I was forever picking it up.
ReplyDeleteI remember legos!!!! Hold on to them Jodie! A couple of years ago I took my son's legos case full of the things to him in California and he and his wife promptly sat down at their table and started playing. :) And you are so blessed that you get to be home with your kids. Enjoy these days, you're an amazing wife, mom and leader!
ReplyDeleteI fully intend to build some sort awesome Lego workstation/storage thing for Tucker. Okay, and me.
ReplyDeleteAhh the Lego world I have shared many naughty words with the stepping on the legos in between my toes! You are right however one day we will look back and miss it all. So when we find the legos in the coat pocket we can smile :) (you on Sunday!)
ReplyDeleteI just made Alison put her BIG lego box back under the bed so I wouldn't step in it, now I think we'll just have to drag it back out...
ReplyDeletedon't dismiss the one you found in your coat pocket during church.
ReplyDelete:)