Quit Bringing Extra Kids To My House

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By now, you’ve probably deduced that kids aren’t really my favorite. I mean, they are ok from a distance, like riding by on a bus, but up close, not so much. I like mine a good amount but I really have very little use for other people’s children.

So, when the requests for sleepovers started, I was quite wary. What does this entail exactly? Am I expected to watch them, feed them, entertain them? Would they destroy my house? I have very clear rules about where to drink red juice and where to wear your shoes. How will this work exactly?

When I shared this trepidation with other mothers, they of course thought I was kidding (I was not) and they all told me I was missing the boat/blessing here. “Nikki” they’d say, “Girl, you want other kids at your house! They keep your kid occupied so they don’t keep trying to play with you!” Hmmmm, that did seem intriguing. Except there was one thing. My daughter had figured out how to operate very well in her “My Mom doesn’t really want to be bothered” household. She was an avid reader, Barbie Head hair stylist, and Disney channel watcher. She played on her own quite expertly. I really didn’t see what an additional kid could add to this mix.

However, I’m not unreasonable. This sleepover thing seemed to be a request that wasn’t ceasing so, I acquiesced and before I knew it, there were screeching girls in my house, running around, eating pizza, doing each other’s hair and staying up ‘til all hours of the night. I had to laugh, yet still managed not to feel any shame, when my daughter told me that she gave the following speech to her friends, “Listen, my mom doesn’t really like kids so don’t like talk to her or ask her for stuff, okay? Let me handle it.” I must admit, that makes me chuckle to this day and also reminds me that I’d accomplished something that many mothers dream of. Evidently my daughter had been listening to me and I had actually reared her to take my feelings into consideration. You may see it differently, but hey, that’s what I got out of it. LOL!

 

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