Day 3 of the "Good vs. Bad" Update

When you are a single parent, as I was for three long years while Donny worked nights, you tend to let the little things slide. You struggle just to get the necessities taken care of every day, things that have to be done, like homework, baths, and sleep. I had to feed them, too. Imagine that. When I was a kid and lived at home with my parents, we always had family meals together. Everyone sat at the dinner table to eat, and everyone ate the same thing, whether you liked it or not, and believe me, there were times when we did not like it - Great Northern Beans - YUCK! I hated those days!

If I were a good mom, all those nights at home with just me and kids, I would have prepared dinners, had all of us sit around the table together, and eat. But that was not the case. Meal time with three young kids and only one parent involves that one parent constantly having to get up after requests of "I need more milk" or "Can I have more macaroni" or "I wanted honey mustard, not ketchup", someone always spills a drink, and you can bet at least one kid will have to go to the bathroom during the meal, thus needed my assistance to then clean their delectable little bottom. Plus, they don't eat much, so they get done pretty quick, so I often ended up alone at the table after they all scampered away. I found myself becoming a waitress during mealtimes alone with my kids, so it didn't take me long to decide that I would not eat until they were all done. That way I could actually sit down and enjoy my food, after I had dismissed them from the table and sent them on their way.

Now I know what you are thinking and where this is going. Now that Donny is home in the evenings, we have the perfect little family meals around the table, where we all enjoy our food and each other's company. If that is what you are thinking I'm about to tell you, then you don't know my family very well. We are not that kind of family. It just doesn't work that way for us. Last night, for instance, dinner involved everyone shoving pizza in their mouth as we hurried out the door to Colin's ball game. But tonight, well tonight was a rare moment in our house. We're not perfect, by any means, but we should be rewarded for our effort to have a meal together as a family.


A- for effort.