Rainy Days

I remember when I was a kid and we'd have rainy days at school. We always looked forward to them, because those were the days we could drag out the puzzles, games, and indoor toys that were usually "off-limits". I also remember days at home when mom and dad would be curled up on the couch with their newspapers while we roller skated in the basement or played Barbies.

Today is a rainy day. My kids are going NUTS and so am I. They are not roller skating in the basement. They are not playing Barbies. What they ARE doing is driving me slowly insane. They are chasing each other through the house, they are watching annoying cartoons, they are jumping off the furniture, and they are squealing and laughing with delight...but I'm not delighting in it.

This is when I think about all those well-meaning older ladies who have been where I am and say, "Oh, one day you'll miss these days." And I'm wondering...will I really? Of course I will. Because one day, in the not-so-distant future, I will look at my empty house and sit with all my free time and reminisce about the times when I had these little guys around me. Making me crazy, but loving being with me. Not in some daycare center, not at someone else's home, but here with me.

So after all is said and done, I will take the good with the bad. The rainy days, the sunny days, the hot and cold, the loud and quiet times, and most of all...I will delight in the time I have with my precious kiddos.

The ones that just dumped an entire bottle of juice on the living room carpet as I typed this last line. Lovely.