the last tooth

one of your goals as a parent is to raise your child to be independent and self sustaining. you want to teach your child to be responsible and to be able to take care of himself. these are all well and good until they become reality for any mom. then it’s a bittersweet cup of tea that must be swallowed.

as a 6th grader, my son is one of the most independent children i know. because my job requires some travel, he’s been asked to step up and be more responsible then most 11 yr old. and he handles it as if it’s just another day in our home. what i allow my child to do, most parents wouldn’t…but they do not know the responsibility of my child either. does that make me a bad parent?? no, in fact, i think it makes me a better one.

with all this said, it was still hard to handle when my son comes into the living room (he’s watching the American Music Awards in his room because well, because I wasn’t watching them and he was dying to watch) and hands me a bloody tooth…this is the dialog that followed:
Jayden: here mom, here’s my tooth finally (he had one baby tooth left)
Mom: yay, you finally got it out…
as Jayden is walking away, Dad: aww look he’s not your baby any more
Mom: stop or i’m going to cry. ugh…this is one bloody tooth…
as I walk away to wash my hands and put the tooth away, Dad: aren’t you glad you’re the Mom??

as tears well up in my eyes, i say to myself…yes, i most certainly am….

a travel related revelation

so my job requires travel. i used to travel at least once a month, but the past year, it’s been only a few months that have required me to travel around. in April, i went to New Orleans, LA and this week i’ve been in San Francisco, CA. when we travel to the office it’s in Greenbelt, MD (which is right between Baltimore, MD and DC). i love to travel. i love the excitement of being completely out of control of what is happening. i like to pack. i like to see what kind of cool toiletries i will find next. traveling for me is a positive experience. but through out traveling to Baltimore, DC, NOLA & SF i’ve truly come to realize that i could never live in a place where there was no sky. the sky, the sun, the very day light of the sun is so very important to me. i have to be able to see the sky, the land, when i need it. as i sit in the down town fancy hotel in down town San Francisco, i am realizing that i need the wide open spaces, the big blue sky to be happy. i wonder if i can talk my boys into moving to Montana or Wyoming…in my dream house, of course!!!