Sometimes, when the mood hits me right - I laugh... out of nowhere! Okay - if you ask Joel, I do that pretty regularly. And he therefore regularly asks me, "What are you laughing about now?" Hahahaha!
I realized that as fantastic as my parents were at parenting... they had a way with knowing when it was okay to divert from the norm, and inject a few unexpected 'methods' of dealing with us kids. As it turns out - ignoring kids can work to your advantage - when done under the proper circumstances.
Envision this: I'm age 11. Sister, about 9, and brother, probably 6. So - we're all in the newly acquired family RV, snuggling in for the night - while the parents have joined forces with the aunts & uncles (owners of the cabin next to which the RV is parked) - for laughter and shinaningins (aka: drinking and hilarity) whilst we try to sleep. There is a set of bunk-beds in the back - 2 beds, 3 kids... And so it goes, my sis and I share the top-bunk, sleeping feet-to-heads, while the bro sleeps below us. Windows are open on this balmy summer's eve - and as the noise and bellows ensue, we find ourselves lying there - - awake.
I happen to have a very odd 'habit' - that is certainly engraved deep within my genes, as there is no way to break this addiction. In order to effectively fall asleep (at least in a timely manner) - I must engage toes with sheets. There is something about that soft material between my tippies that makes me more relaxed than just about anything (well - maybe not as much as a good massage - but still very comforting in addition to the rendered inner-calm evoked.) My toes found their way to the edges of my sister's pillow - and once there - there was no turning back! Kim balked at my persistence - as she made known her discontentment with the situation. When I wouldn't listen (who listens to their little sister???) - She proceeded to yell out the window of the bunk, toward the open windows of the cabin o' chaos, "Denise is putting her feet on my pillow, and they stink!" Silence followed, as the parents surely were trying to determine whether they had, in fact, heard small voices coming from the children's sleeping quarters... And then, more laughter. Suddenly our brother blurts out a, "mommmmmy?!" - to which my uncle replied heartfelt (read: sarcastic) concern, "Does your pillow stink too?!?!" More laughter. Not another word was uttered from within the surrounds of the camper on wheels... and the parents all but forgot about the interaction - as nothing further was acknowledged that night. And wallah - an almost-situation turned into laughter on one end, sleep on the other. Note-to-self... ;) Now, whenever I think about it - (and I can still hear the adult's voices and outbursts of glee) - I can't help but laugh myself! Thus, you have one fine example for 'when it is okay to ignore your kids'!
TIP: Kids of a certain age know when you're too 'involved' to break up a menial cat-fight... Chances are they'll figure it out themselves, or give up (as in our case) - and the world will still spin on its axis the following morning. Hahahahahaha!
A QUOTE: “I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry.” ~Cat Stevens [For me - laughing until I'm crying!]
WHIDFML: Made time to blog again, amidst the weird, swirling pattern that we've been caught-up in - with regard to our inability to avoid being so busy again. It seems to be the tail-end of it all - so we see the light!
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