Turning 8

Yesterday was Jack's 8th birthday. Hard to believe it has been 8 years since Jack entered our lives. I am loving getting to know this older boy, his sense of humor, his caring nature, his love for his brothers.  I am honored to call him my son.

Reality Check

Kids, if nothing else, will at least always let you know exactly how you are doing. Also, how you look.    This week I was again told how the boys love my 'food baby' and don't want me to lose it. I won't be so soft and squishy without that nice layer of fat.  Except for Finn, he is waiting for the 'food baby' to be born. We may need some serious counseling later in life.

As I previously said, I love where we live.  But that does not mean that everything is blissful.  Moving is stressful, extremely stressful. Living with boxes, is not something I do well. I want everything unpacked and put away NOW.  

Yesterday, after picking the boys up from school, we stopped by the Goodwill. While, I did a terrible job of purging before moving, I am working very hard to get rid of those seldom used items I keep unpacking.  When I told the boys where we were going, Jack immediately asked if I was getting rid of his things. I tried to explain that it was mostly my stuff. But I mentioned books. To which Micah became upset that I was getting rid of his books. 

In, my most patient loving voice, I said, "No, they are my books. Like a  parenting book for moms that  I have had for 3 years but never read."

And then Jack said, "Maybe you should read it, it might be good"

For You - I heard in my head.

And yes, reading a parenting book right about now would be probably be good for me. As with most things, you know what you should do, you know what best practices tell you to do, but when your reserves are low it isn't always what you do. Basically all those words simply say one thing: more reactive parenting then proactive parenting is happening right now. And for me, that is not the parenting I like.

Did I remove the book from the goodwill bag? Um, no. I still believe it wasn't a very good book. But I did dig up all the half read parenting books I have and put them on a prominent shelf. To remind myself  to take a breath, to be the parent I want to be, to respond with patience. So far, I'm 50-50.

Oh, and to finish reading them.