“Now everything will be my fault,” she said, realizing she won’t have her brothers at home to share the blame with. Not that they were ever anything less than perfect (#sarcasm).
The ones most affected by this gradual transition have been the dogs. No one misses the boys more than Braxton and Waffles, except maybe my husband, who is now the minority in the house.
Outnumbered now by his wife and teenage daughter, one hears a lot of bewildered comments from my husband like, “What happened to her?” and “Why is she like this?”
Oh, did I mention the cats? Yes, the cats (plural) are also female. Apparently keeping the home full of love — and messes — means replacing children with animals when they flee the nest. Crazy Cat Lady is an actual lifestyle transition.
So, my poor husband is at home with myself, two dogs, two cats and a feral teenager. He golfs often now, cold weather be damned.
The needs of our kid have also changed. It’s no longer a request for a certain toy, food, a ride to a friend’s house, help with homework or a puke bucket. It’s money. They are broke college students and it pains them to have to spend their “hard-earned” money on necessities like fuel and utilities. To be honest, I do find joy listening to our oldest complain about his electric bill.
After some time though, my husband and I established a new routine. When said college boys return home to visit, we are accused of being “boring.” But who doesn’t want to be parked on the couch, wearing pajamas while binging “Suits” on Netflix with a glass of wine by 8 p.m.? Especially when the boys are home to help transport the teenager to her mandatory social outings.
Do I miss the days of diapers and temper tantrums? No. Do I miss stepping on Legos? Also, no. Do I miss the sweet, cuddly kids they once were? Yes. But it does get better as they age. It is in fact possible to raise your future best friends. While watching them struggle through some of life’s obstacles is not easy but knowing they are making informed decisions and have life goals is rewarding.
But with two down and one to go, we aren’t out of the woods just yet.
Motherhood, Part II will be a recurring column in the News-Sun.
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