BIRTHDAYS...a time to look back AND look forward.
Four of my children all have their bday within a 2 month period. For us, that means that late summer and early fall is not only filled with tons of cake, icecream, gifts, and the HAPPY BIRTHDAY song, but also reflections on the past. I usually get a bit teary eyed when I think of how big my little ones are getting. But today, as I was getting a bit maudlin over the fact that my babies wouldn't be babies for too much longer, I decided to turn my thoughts to the future.
My kids, as kids are apt to do, frequently talk about what THEY will do when they are parents and spouses. One vows that she will NEVER cook cheese grits. Another has often said that their children will be able to eat as much candy as they like. I thought it would be fun...and more than a bit insightful....to ask those who have just celebrated a birthday, or are about to celebrate, what THEY want their future to look like.
****************************************
As my blue-eyed T just turned 3 yesterday, I thought I'd start with him. Here are the results of that interview:
Are you going to be a daddy when you grow up? Probably not.
Are you going to have any kids? A lot of kids so I can spend money and get all the M&M's.
Who are you going to marry? M [his baby sister] and my M&M's.
Where are you going to live? Mississippi and have a volcano...a blue volcano and a yellow volcano.
What kind of house are you going to live in? Playhouse.
(We gave him and his 2 youngest sisters one for their bdays)
What job are you going to do when you grow up? Clean off the table.
Well what kind of job will you do where you have to leave and go work like Daddy does? Cook.
What kind of car will you drive? Blue and red race car with a playground in it.
What kind of pets will you have? All the puppy dogs, all the cats, all the kittens, and all the puppies.
************************************************
Then I asked the same questions of his older sister LG who will turn 5 in a week. Here is the transcript of that interaction:
Are you going to get married and who are you going to marry? Yes. Mr. Chris [Chris Blackburn...a 40 year old friend who used to go to church with us at Calvary Chapel]
How many kids are you going to have? 10
Where are you going to live? Rankin Hills [a neighborhood about 2 miles from here]
What kind of house are you going to have? Amber's old house [a double-wide trailer]
What are you going to do when you grow up? Have a job or stay at home? Stay at home with my kids.
What kind of car will you drive? Blue SUV like Daddy drove for work and a red car like Daddy drives [an aged maroon LeSabre]
What kind of food will you cook for your kids? Cheese grits, pizza, cookies, pancakes, angel hair pasta, cornbread
What kind of food will you NOT cook for your kids? Chili and Chili Mac
What kinds of things will you make your kids do? 6 hour nap every day and 10 hours and then the next day 11 hours at night.
How many pets will you have? 10 kittens, 10 cats, 2 puppies, 6 dogs.
***************************************************
Our second daughter turned 11 in August. B answered the questions this way:
Who will you marry? The man of my dreams.
How old will you be? 20, 21, 22...something like that.
Will you go to college and have a job? Go to college but no job. Maybe a writer or artist at home.
How many kids? At least 3.
Where will you live? We're going to be rich. [We'll] live in an English cottage, have a house in London, NYC, Hollywood, the Caribbean, Mississippi, and Alaska.
What kind of car will you have? Nice van with doors that open on both sides, 2 DVD/TV sets, CD players, and massaging seats.
What kind of food will you cook? My maid will cook some food but I'll cook as much as I can and it will all be from scratch.
What kind of rules do you want to have for your kids? My kids are going to see LORD OF THE RINGS when they are 9 unless they are big worrywarts and will freak out. I want my family to have a family night one night a week where we read a book out loud or play games outside or spend the night in the kids' rooms. I don't want my husband gone all the time.
What kind of education will your children have? I'm going to homeschool.
How about pets? A dog, some cats.
***************************************************
And last but not least, I interviewed M (who just turned 1 last week). She was completely speechless at the thought of predicting the future and decided to instead just live in the moment and enjoy the satisfaction of chewing on her bib.
****************************************************
Maybe there's a lesson in that for me. Memories and thinking ahead are both good but don't let myself get too wrapped up in either. Instead, live life to the fullest and seek to enjoy where God's got me right now. And right now? I'm off to go do some Mommy stuff and then FULLY enjoy an afternoon nap!
****************************************************
1 comment:
LOL! I wonder what their WIVES (since they can't marry YOU) will think about living with you forever!?
BTW, I read your profile but couldn't figure out if you're someone I know through Five in a Row. Do I know you that way or did you just happen across my blog because we share similar interests?
I also visited your blog and enjoyed it.:)
Post a Comment