It is funny seeing the world through the eyes of kids again. It's been many years since I've spent so much time with children that I find myself in a constant sense of amazement. Making it more challenging is that there are three of them! And they're all girls! Add their Mom to it and I'm surrounded!
Nevertheless, I am learning or ... re-learning many things.
Like Maddie's diet consists entirely of chicken fingers and cheese sandwhiches from Subway. And a lot of crap! To try to be a good parental influence, I've made a goal to take her to places where none of that stuff is offered. Last night Sarah and I surprised the girls by saying we were going to McDonalds so they would get in the car but took them to Cabash, a Morrocoan restaurant.
"Do they have chicken fingers," Maddie asked.
I laughed.
We ordered lamb, beef and chicken. Laurel devored all of the chicken. Cassidy ate evereything in site. Maddie eventually ate a morsel of chicken.
When the belly dancer came, they were all mesmerized. Laurel and Cassidy made their way to the dance floor and gave it a try.
I joined them, raising my shirt to show off my belly button which embarrassed the girls and sent them fleeing to their mother.
We got home and I was exhausted from staring at the belly dancer and promply fell asleep.
The girls are pretty good about retreating to their rooms and going to bed. Each finds twenty-seven reasons to get up and come ask for something before falling asleep. Therefore I have re-learned how to grunt a non-verbal response that is meaningless. Of course they take it to mean whatever they want so the next morning I repeatedly say, "I never said that!"
Most of the time Sarah takes my side because she feels sorry for me.
When we actually go to bed, Laurel crawls in with us at some point during the night. At first I thought Sarah had turned into a four armed and four legged monster with a blankey. I have re-learned how to sleep on a six-foot by two-inch sliver of bed without falling off.
In the morning I am stunned watching them have breakfast. Each girl has an affinity for ketchep and liberally pour it on ... EVERYTHING. Who knew that toasted stawberry strudel is better with ketchep? Or that hot dogs are breakfast food?
When I take them to school they turn the radio to the shitty station that plays the same 97.3 song over and over again. I actually know who Ava Lavigne is! So we invented this game where I change the station and they change it back. We see how many times the station can be changed in a two mile ride to school and have broken the two-hundred mark consistently.
Then it's to work. I'm normally exhausted from sensory overload this point and need a drink.
It's all been good for me. I'm a better and more understanding person because of the girls.
And, I have re-learned the secret of dealing with daughters ... Vodka.
