I think the whole system of having kids is pretty clever.
Most of us start a relationship under a bubble of happiness. The hormones keep us charged and lively. I remember when washing John's clothes as a novice wife felt like an honor. He trusted me enough to let me do this? How
romantic.
After awhile the routine starts to settle in. Monotony takes the place of ambiance.
Then for many couples, a baby or two arrives on the scene. The workload expands dramatically, and some days are less about lighthearted glee than about surviving. There were times when I slogged through dressing the baby and toddler in fresh outfits, only to have someone puke and poop simultaneously and I had to do it again. Once I had a basket of
clean clothes, waiting to be sorted, and people assumed it was dirty and started tossing gross dishcloths and soggy towels in, so I had to start over.
But babies graduate into kids, and for them each day is uncharted territory. The blinking on a little boy's shoes is reason enough to run. The tiny fairies on a girl's dress are companions for dancing.
I know there were times when I was locked into my banal
routine, oblivious of the spring in my daughter's step as we walked to the park. I was going just to get out of the claustrophobic walls, but she knew this was an escapade.
Perhaps it is a plot. God is pretty playful too, otherwise how could one rationalize things like Northern Lights and wallabies? Surely God has outdone Dr. Seuss with his invention of bug eating plants and vibrant toucans whose bills outweigh their bodies. He had a feeling that
we needed a pick me up about four years into the marriage, so He timed it for us to have our own personal Excitement Coach, packaged as a three year old.
One time I was with my kids at an outdoor concert. Most of the people present were children, so when the musician said to snap our fingers, or make a sizzling sound no one missed a beat. Somehow I think that if there were no kidlets in the room, we grown ups would have been a tad more reticent to comply. But having our
E.C.s there to model spontaneity for us loosened our limbs.
I have more to say about this but the girls have invited me to chat, and if I say no they may not bother to ask me again.
