I am really proud of our son Matt. Last night our two daughters, Teresa and Gabby, had a violin recital at the Flint Institute of Music. So our choices were to drag four hot and tired little boys to an evening of classical music or leave them at home with our 14-year-old son to babysit. Most teenage boys would have said, “No way! You gotta take them with you. I’m not watching all these guys.” But we gave Matt the choice, and he opted to stay with them.
We are often in this predicament because we no longer all fit into one car. Our larger vehicle is a Chevy Venture minivan. When we bought it, we had only three kids, but there was room for seven, so we thought we were “safe,” even if we had two more kids. When we had our sixth, we were still OK because Lisa could take all the kids with her as long as I wasn’t with them. When we had our seventh, Lisa would have to leave somebody behind, and typically that was Matt because Lisa was taking Teresa and Gabby to their violin lessons. Matt’s little brothers adore him, so they always choose to stay with him. So by necessity Matt has learned how to take care of a bunch of little kids.
The little kids he takes care of are Mikey (7), Mark (5), Timmy (3), and Stephen (17 months). Even though they love Matt, that doesn’t keep them from being themselves. Mikey can be a whiner. Mark is jovial, but raucous. Timmy is stubborn and often won’t eat. Fearless Stephen climbs on furniture and tries to jump off. Many times they are almost too much for their mother and me to handle. But Matt selflessly (or foolishly) sent us on our merry way at 6:30.
When we got home a little after 9:00, poor Matt was worn out. However, all four boys had been showered, with the youngest in diapers. The dishes were in the dishwasher, the kitchen counter was cleaned up, and the floor was swept. The front room had been picked up. The little boys were ready for bed, waiting for us on the couch, watching some Star Wars cartoon. Even their teeth were brushed! Matt said he had “earned his snack.” (He likes to have some pretzels and pop while he watches TV.)
Parents can be proud of their children when they get an A on a test or score 18 points in a basketball game, and they should be proud. Matt is a good student and athlete, but I am even more proud of him when he can handle well some of the responsibilities of adult life. This is what we as parents are trying to raise our children to be able to do. In that, I think our kids have an advantage as a larger family because the older ones must learn to look out for the younger children. They will know what is expected required when they become parents someday.
P.S. Matt got his pretzels and pop.
We are often in this predicament because we no longer all fit into one car. Our larger vehicle is a Chevy Venture minivan. When we bought it, we had only three kids, but there was room for seven, so we thought we were “safe,” even if we had two more kids. When we had our sixth, we were still OK because Lisa could take all the kids with her as long as I wasn’t with them. When we had our seventh, Lisa would have to leave somebody behind, and typically that was Matt because Lisa was taking Teresa and Gabby to their violin lessons. Matt’s little brothers adore him, so they always choose to stay with him. So by necessity Matt has learned how to take care of a bunch of little kids.
The little kids he takes care of are Mikey (7), Mark (5), Timmy (3), and Stephen (17 months). Even though they love Matt, that doesn’t keep them from being themselves. Mikey can be a whiner. Mark is jovial, but raucous. Timmy is stubborn and often won’t eat. Fearless Stephen climbs on furniture and tries to jump off. Many times they are almost too much for their mother and me to handle. But Matt selflessly (or foolishly) sent us on our merry way at 6:30.
When we got home a little after 9:00, poor Matt was worn out. However, all four boys had been showered, with the youngest in diapers. The dishes were in the dishwasher, the kitchen counter was cleaned up, and the floor was swept. The front room had been picked up. The little boys were ready for bed, waiting for us on the couch, watching some Star Wars cartoon. Even their teeth were brushed! Matt said he had “earned his snack.” (He likes to have some pretzels and pop while he watches TV.)
Parents can be proud of their children when they get an A on a test or score 18 points in a basketball game, and they should be proud. Matt is a good student and athlete, but I am even more proud of him when he can handle well some of the responsibilities of adult life. This is what we as parents are trying to raise our children to be able to do. In that, I think our kids have an advantage as a larger family because the older ones must learn to look out for the younger children. They will know what is expected required when they become parents someday.
P.S. Matt got his pretzels and pop.
It feels like your life is really chaotic, but in a good way. I've read all your entires and that's the sense I get. I think you alluded to the idea that having kids doesn't automatically lead to happiness and some people just do it because they're "supposed to." Maybe I'm projecting my own feelings on you but I think it is cool to hear someone talk about parenthood so positively without glorifying it and making it only about themselves.
ReplyDeleteWow! All four kids were ready for bed and the dishwasher was loaded. I say keep keep your sib Matt, but don't overload him wiht watching his brothers all the time. I can tell how proud you are of Matt just by the way you write about him. It sounds like you and your wife are doing a good job raising your children.
ReplyDeleteWow. What a great kid! You should be proud. I thought you were going to come home to destruction!
ReplyDeleteErik-
ReplyDeleteI agree. I am the proudest of my son when I see him do something mature and responsible. He must be your oldest then?