There's A New Rule In This House .....

"THERE'S A NEW RULE IN THIS HOUSE," I found myself saying (okay, yelling) last night. " YOUR FATHER AND I WILL MAKE ONE DINNER AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T EAT IT. I'M NOT MAKING THREE DIFFERENT MEALS EVERY NIGHT!!!"

I know I'm not alone when I say it frustrates me to no end when my kids won't eat what I make for dinner. Parents for years have dealt with this dilemma. It's how we react to this annoyance that sets us apart. I could yell and get angry and put them in their rooms OR I could calmly tell them that sometimes we don't get choices in life and we have to live with our decisions. i.e. Not eating now = being hungry at bedtime.

This latest outburst came about after my daughter said she didn't want soup for dinner. Who doesn't like tomato soup? Okay, my 8-year old daughter and six-year old son don't like tomato soup. But I also offered to make chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. It was then, after I pleaded with my daughter to make a decision that I felt foolish. "What was I doing," I said to myself. "This is crazy," I told her. "Soup is what's for dinner. Take it or leave it."

She left it.

As a child, I remember my mother making ONE meal every night. There were never any options. Even when she opened a can of salmon (It's like tuna in a can), mixed it with mayo and slopped a spoonful on my plate I ate it. It wasn't my favorite, although it always came with baked frozen french fries (yum) and peas (gross).

Don't get me wrong, like anyone else, I always had my favorites and looked forward to spaghetti and taco nights. But I don't remember complaining. I just remember eating. My mother might remember differently but for the sake of this story I was a perfect child who always ate what I was supposed to. :)

I realize this little tirade is laced with a bit of anger. But every night, it's a different child .. so I'm laying down the law. In the future, I won't react in an angry manner. I'll just look at whichever beautiful child is scrunching up their face and pushing away their plate and say sweetly, "Sorry. I can't help you. Remember, there's a new rule in this house ... "

A First For Everything ...

I experienced something for the first time last night. My first car accident. I was taking my six-year old son, Logan, to basketball and driving along Willow Knolls in Peoria. As I crossed the intersection at Allen Road someone in a BIG SUV turned into my little Honda Civic. It was a young kid, maybe he was 16 or 17. The SUV smashed into the side of the car, shattering the driver's side window. Fortunately, we were not injured. My six-year old son was in the back playing with a video game and didn't see it coming. I did, though, and that was one of the scariest moments.

I consider myself to be a defensive driver, always checking intersections to make sure cars are stopped at the red lights. I saw the guy sitting there waiting to turn. Then , as I made my way through the intersection, he just turned and I knew he was going to hit me and I knew I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't stop it from happening and that was frightening. The first thing that went through my mind was "Oh my God, I don't know what's going to happen here. Oh my God, Logan could get hurt. Oh my God, I could be really hurt" The kid wasn't going very fast because he was turning but "what if?" Of course, all the "what ifs" started going through my head later on when I returned home safely. I saw Logan's little blue blanket on my bed and I started to tear up, thinking about how the night could've gone had this guy been going faster. I know you can't live like that but I couldn't help it. Anyway, it was a frightening experience.

I could go on about how this made me realize I need to appreciate every moment I have with the people I love, but I already do that. Have a safe day!