Thank You

I take my older kids to classes at our local Early Childhood Family Education. The girls love their classes and I thrive on a little schedule to our day and a little interaction with fellow adults. During the class time, parents and kids separate. During parent time, the instructor tends to have a little lesson plan mapped out, which is a change from past classes. Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of parent time these days, but today's class made me laugh out loud.

We have journals for class and we usually write in them every week. The instructor supplies us with a topic or we can write on something of our choosing.

Today's topic:

Thank your child for making you a better parent through his/her challenging behaviors.

So, here goes:

Thank you, 2-month old, for waking up at 2 a.m. when you and I both know you're fully capable of sleeping through the night.

Thank you, 3-year old, for waking up at 5 a.m. and crawling into bed with me and sticking the icicles you call feet into the small of my back. And thank you, thank you for falling back asleep...and then snoring like a bulldozer for the next 2 hours.

Thank you, 2-year old, for waking up at 7 a.m. You're my favorite.

Thank you, 2-month old, for eating like a champ...and then crapping through your 4th outfit of the day.

Thank you, 3-year old, for talking like a baby ALL DAY LONG. It's so pleasant, so lovely, to hear you talk baby talk when you've been speaking in complete paragraphs since you were 18 months old.

Thank you, 2-year old for taking AN ENTIRE HOUR to get your pants on. Thank you for coming downstairs every 3 minutes in your diaper. Thank you for your stubbornness and persistence. Thank you for finally getting the damn things on.

Thank you, 2-month old, for taking a killer nap this afternoon, so I could eat lunch in peace. You're my favorite.

Thank you, 3-year old, for helping me straighten up the living room and not complaining. You're my favorite.

Thank you, 2-year old, for making me laugh while you "danced" in dance class tonight. You're my favorite.

And finally, last but not least,

Thank you, Cub Foods, for having a sale on Chardonnay this week. You're my favorite.