Mom Talk...

Today was Picnic in the Park Day. We went out to a park in West Jordan with my sister, two of my cousins, and between us nine children. I thought it was a typical afternoon spent eating, chatting and playing.

On the way home my sister (who isn't a mother yet) sagged back into her chair and said, "Well. That was.... interesting." I asked her what she meant and she said it was interesting to listen to us moms talk about our children, parenting, schooling, ect., ect. And then she said, "I actually counted and for a while there it was every thirty seconds that one of you was saying something like 'No' or  'I said one cookie' or 'Go play!' while simultaneously having a conversation with the rest of the grown-ups. It was kind of exhausting."

I just laughed. Because it is so true, and sometimes you get so used to your "culture" it takes an outsider to point out how funny and weird it can be. Plus I know that someday she'll be right there with me, pausing every other sentence to be a mother to her children. And mine will (hopefully) be out of that stage. But I'll just wait patiently knowing that it isn't her fault that she can't finish a sentence, it's because of the children. Who are worth it.

Even when they run screaming through the picnic lunch because they are being chased by a big sister, or when they dump their glass of ice cold water on your lap, or turn down an offer of crackers because "they prefer the store brand."  Or my personal favorite, after two hours of unrestricted playtime and being told repeatedly to go play, when you say it's time to go home they flop on the ground and whine that "...they barely had any time to play with anyone!"

Seriously, is it any wonder that most mothers seem a little crazy? We've been operating in a world without logic for so long we hardly recognize it anymore! Because again, I thought it was a fairly typical afternoon and since not one of the nine children threw a tantrum, threw up, or had a bathroom related accident, I'd call it a rousing success!