Family Man Librarian

Well, I am thankful to report some good news. Michele has had three good days in a row now, days in which she feels almost normal again. Let’s hope this is a trend. Still no word from the doctor about when she will have the EEG test.

The kids continue to challenge us. Sometimes I struggle with a sense of frustration as a parent of four children. I often wonder:

• When will Tristan ever learn to not pee all over the toilet seat and the wall next to the toilet?
• When will Brinley stop going into the bathroom on her own to “wash her hands” and instead, make a big mess of the bathroom?
• When will all of our children ever begin to actually listen and obey, to do what we tell them?
• When will we change our last poopy diaper?
• When will any valuable object that we own be safe from little, inquisitive fingers that drop them and break them? That figure out how to get at them even when they’ve been put on the highest shelf?
• When will Michele and I ever have our bedroom (and our bed) just to ourselves again?
• When will the house ever stop looking like it qualifies for federal disaster relief?
• When will the refrigerator stop looking like a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and other strange life forms?
• When will the milk consumption in our household go below 2-3 gallons (or more) each week?
• When will we ever be able to have a meal together without something getting spilled all over the place, or a meal without two or more of the kids fighting over who gets to sit by Daddy?
• When will we ever be able to walk throughout the house without constantly stumbling over gates around every corner, which are supposed to keep little kids out of certain rooms or areas (like the stairs) but never do?
• When will we be able to have a phone conversation without the kids’ noise level magically jumping a bazillion decibels just because we are on the phone?
• When will we stop finding pieces of candy wrappers squirreled away in various hiding places or pieces of gum stuck in weird places by an absent-minded teenager?
• Will there ever be a time when we can watch a movie or a show on TV without being constantly interrupted by boisterous kid chatter?

I guess you get the picture. My mother and Michele’s parents remind us that time is short, that all too quickly we will miss these growing up years. They will soon be gone forever. How true. Several months ago, Michele and I were sorting through mountains of children’s clothing, trying to figure out what articles of clothing were too small or didn’t fit anymore that we could donate to the Salvation Army or some other charity. In the process, we both became quite teary-eyed, especially as we folded and sorted little newborn baby socks and clothes. Saps, that’s what we are! In reality, we are incredibly blessed to be parents of four wonderful children. They are a great treasure. May God give us guidance and direction to hold them safe, to love them completely for who they are, for the little time they are given to us.