Parenthood is not a popularity contest....

So here I sit, on the first morning that my husband is back to work for a regular day.  Actully, his block leave period is supposed to start today, and he could officially be off from work and home every day for the next two weeks.  But, he just can't seem to stay away from the office.  I am trying not to take that personally!!!

Anyhow, the kids are in school, my preschooler will be home in an hour, and the baby is sleeping.  I've just rotated a load of laundry and put clothes away.  I should be on the treadmill or elliptical trainer.  But here I sit.  Avoiding exercise while contemplating life...

In the last two weeks, I have made the oldest girls responsible for their own laundry.  I should have done this a long time ago, since they are and have been fully capable of doing so for awhile now.  Alas, being capable of doing something, and actually doing it on a regular basis are two different things.  (See the exercise reference above)  I know my mom will read this and be amused, since their room, the floor strewn with cast-off clothing, looks a whole lot like mine did when I was a teenager.  I could go in there and probably get their stuff done in three loads, before they come home from school.  After all, I don't even have to lug laundry up and down the stairs like my mom still does.  I often struggle between being the "nice mom" who does as much as she can to make her kids' lives easier and more enjoyable, and the "mean mom" who teaches her kids responsibility by teaching them to do for themselves.  One of the reasons I have turned this over to them is that  it makes me crazy to find clothes that are still folded, or new clothes, with tags on, in with the dirty laundry.  I hate the thought of my daughters going to a tennis match, or to ROTC drill with dirty uniforms on.  But, apparently, that bothers me more than it does them!  They are still adjusting to this new responsibility.  And, I expect, waiting to see if I'll pick up the slack.  But, I must stand firm! 

My 15 year old got a new bike for her birthday.  I drove her to school at 6:30 almost every morning last year for ROTC.  Her previous bike had been run over because she left it in the driveway, after repeatedly being told not to do so.  School is a bit too far to walk to so early in the morning, but we resisted replacing her bike because she didn't take care of the other one.  Which meant I was driving her.  So, when she got her bike this year, I told her that she needed to start riding it to ROTC when the time came.  She started ROTC last week, and rode her bike once.  My husband drove her the other days, some because it was raining.  Today, (sunny, 60* this morning), she asked me to drive her, and I told her that we had an agreement and that she needed to honor it by riding her bike (I'd drive her in the rain, I'm not totally heartless!)  She got mad, and told me that she'd rather get in trouble for missing drill, and take the bus, than ride her bike.  She stalled for a few minutes (to see if I would change my mind), then took off on her bike.  My new mantra is :  "They may not like me now, but they'll thank me later". 

We'll see............