Special Treats: Bringing Up Girls

My husband did a pretty amazing thing on last weekend.  He turned to me and said, “Why don’t you call your sister and tell her that we are coming to get the girls to spend next weekend with us?”  He knows that she has been overwhelmed lately and thought it would be a good idea to give her a break.  I excitedly responded, “Yeah, ok!”  By “the girls,” he is referring to not two or three, but four beautiful girls – a 9 year old, 7 year old, and the last two ranging between the ages of six and twenty one months.  I was very excited, but as the hours began to roll by, I started to think about the magnitude of our decision.

You see the oldest daughter is exactly how my sister used to be at her age.  She is very pretty, and thinks that is a pass to get away with being sneaky.  We have to keep close watch on her.  The seven year old is very quiet and much more reserved.  If I don’t pay attention, I may forget that she is in the room.  She enjoys my daughter’s company.  They will entertain each other, so she will be the easiest to manage. 

I’m quickly learning that the toddler is very assertive.  She knows exactly what she wants and goes after it.  We attended a funeral together a few weeks ago.  After the service, I was so excited because the toddler constantly pulled on my leg and wanted to be held by me.  (My daughter was enjoying all of the special attention that she was receiving, so she didn’t mind.)  I was feeling warm inside because I thought that the toddler and I were officially bonding.  It was not until I put it down to take a picture of my aunts that I discovered her true motivation.  She was not bonding with me; she was after my cake!  I turned around from enjoying the snapshots and there she stood with my empty plate, her greasy fingers, and the evidence around her mouth.  She owes me; she owes me big time!

Then there was the scare of having an infant in our home again.  I wondered, “Does she sleep through the night?”  I thought to myself, “I’ll take duty until midnight, and then stick her in the bed with the nine year old.”  Ok. Ok.  I’ll pass her off to the hubby.  (Smile)  Now that’s better.  Remember, this was his idea in the first place.

It is the Fourth of July weekend and the Robinson household is going from one to five girls.  Of course my little lady is going to love spending this quality time with her cousins, and I am going to love watching them all.  If I survive, I’ll meet you back here on Sunday afternoon.  Don’t forget to pick up the book, “She did what she could” for Tuesdays chat. 

What are you doing over this long weekend?