Winter Break - Is This What People Call a "Break"?

When I finished my last class of the semester, that last final exam, that last piece of homework, all I could see looming ahead of me was one long relaxing month without classes or homework or exams.  I am proud to say I finished the semester with a 4.0 GPA, which I worked very hard to earn, so I deserve a little break. Because I work most days, it is not a complete break, but we still have a few Mondays off for Holidays since they fall on the weekend. And considering one week of the break I don’t even have to taxi the kids back and forth to school, I was envisioning a life of leisure. The life I SO DESPERATELY want to become accustomed to!  At this point you are either laughing at my ignorance or shaking your head and saying “What kind of fool is she? What kind of fantasy world does she live in?”  Exactly.

Does it ever seem like the more time we have available in the day the busier we become? I am suddenly running twice as many errands.  My daily list of demands from my children, husband, and mother has tripled in the past week or so. I have been doing Christmas shopping at 7 in the morning at Wal-Mart because I cannot stand the crowds and that time of the day is so peaceful, but also because the rest of my days are consumed with my duties as Personal Assistant to the United Nation of My Family.  I have become a bit cranky and disillusioned about the holiday season at this point. Yet this morning I realized in the midst of all of this chaos, there have been some really special moments.

Since my twin boys are now 18 years old, it becomes more difficult to shop for them. Cody wanted me to put him on my phone plan and give him 4-6 months of complimentary service for his gift.  No problem. He works, so there won’t be any issue with him paying me once his “mom-paid” service ends.  Mack wanted a tattoo. I am sure you have guessed by now that I am not the most conventional mother in the world, so I liked that idea for a gift. I have a few tattoos myself, so it is not something I am opposed to, as long as it is tasteful and there is some meaning behind it. He chose to get anchors on the inside of each of his forearms, to symbolize how sometimes his beliefs hold/weigh him down. He is not a conformist by any means, and this has often held him back from being accepted by some kids his age.  Yet this is such a good trait, to have such confidence and strength in what you believe that you don’t conform to what your peers expect. Not only did I pay for the tattoo, but I went along with him to get it, and that was the best gift he could give me. I know some of you probably think it is a little crazy or may question my parenting, but it was a shared experience, good for our mother/son relationship, as even though I told him I wouldn't care if any of his friends came along, he chose to only share it with me. As a parent of teenagers, you often take a back seat to friends and girlfriends, so it means a lot when your children want to spend time with you. Because you not only want them to spend time with you, but you want them to WANT to do it. So when they do want you with them, and when they do share a really cool moment with you, it means a lot.  You can’t wrap that up and put a bow on it, but I would take that over a store bought gift any day.