Tales of a Tireless Mom: Youth is Wasted on the Young

While pleading with Quinn this weekend to please, PLEASE lay down for his afternoon nap, it occurred to me that I would have traded places with him in a heartbeat so that he may stay up and clean the kitchen instead.   

Just think about it: kids wake up, play for a few hours, eat lunch and then GET TO SLEEP.  As an adult, I would sell my soul to the devil himself to take a nap after just four hours of work each day.  These children have no idea how good they have it…but why stop at naps? Let’s take a look some other perks of being a child and just how much they are taken for granted, shall we?

1. The In-Home Restaurant – you may be more familiar with its more popular moniker, “The Kitchen.”  Mom and Dad perform every duty from Executive Chef to Waiter, Hostess to Busboy.  Whether we’re whipping up an elegant dish like Chicken Piccata or just a simple box of Shells and Cheese, our dear cherubs are being served their meals while they sit and wait.  How many times have you slid something across the table only to witness the upper lip curl in disgust?  If that were me, I would be so happy I was being waited on that even if it were a huge bowl of cheese fondue and I were lactose intolerant, I would eat every last drop in gratitude and then promptly thank the chef.
2. Complimentary Laundry Service – chime in if this sounds familiar:  Child wears sparkly shirt from Justice.  Child throws shirt next to (not into) hamper at end of day.  Child demands answers two days later when aforementioned bedazzled frock does not appear folded in drawer, ready for “Twin Day” at school.  Child irate at Laundress for not realizing the importance of wearing same clothes as popular classmate.  Parent ruins child’s life.  BACK ME UP HERE…I would never treat my Laundress with such disdain.  I would shower her with gifts, give her a handsome Christmas bonus and always, ALWAYS make sure that underwear was not tangled up in my pants as she went to throw them in the machine.
3. Jeeves, the Driver with a Heart – Jeeves thinks of everything.  He makes sure that there is gas in the car at all times, that it’s warmed up before any passenger enters and that the radio dial is set to whatever brand of “I’d-rather-chew-cut-glass” Top 40 music his next fare is in the mood for.  But LORD HELP JEEVES if he needs to go to the bathroom quickly before his band of travelers embarks upon their journey; it’s only then that they realize what a tight schedule they are on and that every second counts.  I know that even when I’m in the city and flagging down a cab, the moment I’m climbing into that less-than-pristine vehicle, I’m thanking the driver profusely and telling him to take his time, as he is so kindly going to bring me where I need to go.

And so, the next time one of the kids gives you the eye roll or pushes back on something that you are doing FOR them, just remind them that in a few years they’ll remember this day and yearn for a time when they had it all.  This will either make them stop and say thank you…

Or roll their eyes again.  It may take 20 years, but someday, they’ll get it.