Sorting

This mother's day we spent with family in Utah celebrating 1) a baptism, 2) a birth 3) my mom's birthday and 4) Mother's Day. Busy weekend with family. Lovely.

Some of my children gave me their prepared gifts before we left town, some brought theirs along. CW didn't realize the confluence of the weekend until we got to Utah and then he was rather upset to not have his gift ready. ("upset to not have his gift" of course meaning that he blamed me for leaving his school backpack at home, obviously on purpose). When we returned, he immediately fished out his gift to give to me. It was a book filled with pictures and statements about me, the sort where there is obvious teacher prodding as to subject matter but the actual blank filling is up to the child.

CW likes it best when I take him to Golden Spoon, he said. I've only ever done so once. It was part of my grand attempt at spending quality time with my children over spring break. They each got to pick something to do with just me. CW likes Golden Spoon because the spoons are gold and you get to put whichever topping you want on top. That time with him was golden for me, with each of my children because we were alone and I could actually listen to one person at a time. Sometimes, I feel like the meaningful things I try to do with and for my children are lost in the clamor for and denial of toys and big ticket items (trips to Hawaii, gaming systems I will never buy, phones and other electronic devices that are not age appropriate, no matter what their friends' parents say). Sometimes the simple things that my children need and want are lost in the capital I important things that I am trying to teach them. Sometimes it helps to have a little folded pink booklet with pictures to help me sort out the difference and to give me hope that they are also sorting effectively and that, somehow, when and where it really matters, we are arriving at the same place.



(This is M at Panera for her outing, where we shared an M&M cookie and where she told me when I was allowed to take bites. Then we went to the park)