The shift. A real and visceral, although completely unseen, happening.
You have a baby. A baby who crawls towards you with peals of laughter, shrieks in delight when you walk through the door, and cries non stop until you return.
Or a toddler. One who tries as hard as she can to walk just.like.you, who sleeps in your lap, hand entwined in your hair, rubbing your tummy for comfort. Looks to you for approval, smiles a beat after you do, and cries when you cry.
A preschool child. Who sits at a table, desperate for your approval. "Look at this picture! I drew you! Can you color with me?"
All too soon, it becomes I'm sleeping over and I'll see you in two days, Stop talking to me!, I don't want to hear anything YOU have to say!, I need soap and deodorant and graph paper - fingers poked in ears with an intense LA-LA-LA I'm not listening look.
What age is that shift? How can you stop it? Because, surely, if you know it is coming - you'd stop it, right?
But you have to get through the valley before you can reach the hills, the time when you return to I'll bet my mom can help me out! and I'll just ask Dad what he thinks as well as I just want my parents to take care of it alllllll.
Thanks, Mom and Dad.You've both been a blessing and a tremendous area of support for me recently as I deal with angst and look at my life with 20/20 hindsight.
Tonight, I'm going out with good friends as a farewell to a great couple. I'm going dancing. I promise to dance as if I'm a spineless octopus, wild, with abandon and quite probably all the vodka that $5.25 can buy me. (That's what I have in my pocket right now.)
Sometimes, it is good to be an adult. And sometimes it isn't. Right now, I'm going to dance like a fool and try to recover from this week.
Hugs sounds like it's Friday!! enjoy your evening.
Posted by: kyooty | February 25, 2011 at 07:03 PM
Dance your week away Carmen! Enjoy!!
Posted by: addy | February 25, 2011 at 08:04 PM
Love you, Carmen. I hope your weekend is wonderful.
Posted by: Jenny | February 25, 2011 at 08:19 PM
Sounds like fun! It was a crazy week here as well. Enjoy the weekend.
Posted by: maggie | February 25, 2011 at 08:47 PM
That sounds like a blast! Dance away and enjoy yourself.
Posted by: Nicki | February 25, 2011 at 10:15 PM
Dancing always helps make a crappy week better! And just think of the calories you're burning too!
Posted by: Kelly H | February 25, 2011 at 11:40 PM
I don't know when the shift occurs, but this reminds me to take advantage of the love while it's still readily available.
Posted by: FireMom | February 26, 2011 at 05:19 PM
If the dancing didn't help, I am sure the vodka did! :)
Posted by: Carly | February 27, 2011 at 06:26 PM
I think I shifted over to the teenager stage at about 12 (poor, poor mother) and I don't think I truly got over it until I had kids of my own (granted, I got pregnant at 21, so maybe I was due to shift back anyways) but my mother and I still don't get along to this day, so that might have something to do with the ages those changes happen. All I know is, I am NOT looking forward to it!
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