The I've Been Corrected Blues

Driving with the whole family in the car, listening to Jazztrack, a favourite program of ours on ABC FM radio. A bluesy number came on and I decided to take the opportunity to educate the kids as to the sound and form of The Blues. Chuckles, the two year old, interrupted me.

"No Mum" he said, removing his dummy from his mouth and adopting a posture of authority. "Dis NOT boooos. Dis JAZZ."

And with more coolness than Miles Davis himself, Chuckles popped his dummy back in his mouth and continued staring out the window as if he hadn't spoken at all.

I wish I had even a little of that confidence.

EDITED TO ADD: This morning Darling Husband remarked upon some clever little thing Chuckles had done. "You're a cool dude!" he said. Chuckles hit back with "No, I'm AWESOME!".

Hmph.

Confidence.

He is pretty awesome though : )

Pain logic

Princess, we know, has a high tolerance to physical pain. The poking and prodding she has sometimes had to endure would bring tears to the eyes of the most stoic individual (and often has to mine). Princess, however, seems to be made of very tough stuff and though I know she does feel pain, sometimes it's hard to know to what degree. She really doesn't seem to like giving much away.

Last Friday afternoon she had an inexplicably swollen ankle, but was tight-lipped as to how or when the cause of it happened, or even if it was hurting her. Finally, after a discussion about going to the doctor for an x-ray she blurted out that it DID hurt but she didn't want to go to the hospital (which we unfortunately ended up doing because no other x-ray places were open).

She then told us it had happened the night before (I remember the likely incident - had no idea she had actually HURT herself!). In hindsight, she had been teary that morning, but I couldn't pin-point why. All day at school she had quietly endured the pain, and after school she remained tight-lipped - all because she didn't want to go to the doctor. And who can blame her?

Sigh. A child's logic can be so heartbreakingly logical.

End result: No broken bones. Probably stretched ligaments. Definitely a much wiser mother. And Princess is all smiles again.

(PS. I know I'm not the only parent of a child who thinks things through...)

Happy Mothers' Day

At the risk of sounding like I'm having a bit of a whinge, I didn't know it was possible to be as busy as I feel I've been over the last several weeks. Maybe it's just me, maybe it's the universe - I'm convinced that time is speeding up and 24hrs ain't as long as it used to be!

Naturally, most of what has been taking up my time is kid-related. The school-day routine, the taxi-ing around. Dealing daily with what goes on inside a child's mind (it's never predictable). Appointments with schools, doctors, therapists, squeezing in the odd playdate, a brief moment of respite at the park with Chuckles. Every couple of days there's the '8-hr break' I call paid work. (That's a joke, actually. Not much of a break at all, though coming home to bathed children and a cooked dinner is a huge plus!). And then of course dealing with things coming out of nowhere that have to be dealt with asap! And they seem to happen more and more frequently.

Phew. I admit I had no idea this was what it would be to be A Mother.

But I'm not alone - I'm supported by my Darling Husband, who knows I know he does more than his fair share. He keeps me afloat. Save him for Father's Day.

I'm also lucky enough to have the support of my own Mum. My Mum, who has been there for me, always. Who, in addition to all the normal expectations of a grandparent (ie, loving, fun and caring towards grandchildren), has once again added routine child-care, taxi-ing, important appointment accompanying and provision not only of meals and baths (see comment above), but also provision of occasional family holidays and child-free weekends, to her formidable repertoire of skills. And there's so much more I haven't mentioned. What a woman. Mum, thankyou.

And while I'm at it, I must also add the support from my sister, Aunty T. She too is always there for us - a fun and reliable child carer, and quite often a saving grace. Definitely gets an honourable mention for Mothers' Day!

I've already been quite spoilt by the kids - Little Man and Princess have been busy beavering away at their gifts for me - not to mention Mothers' morning teas put on by Princess' Prep class and Little Man's Scouts troop. More homemade chocolates and coconut balls than you could poke a stick at!

I feel very blessed indeed.

And so to all the mums out there reading this, especially mine, I wish you a very happy Mothers' Day.