Boys, Daddy and I Apologize...

Dear Aiden and Eli,

Daddy and I need to apologize.  Being parents is hard.  In this case, we apologize for lying to you.  We felt with you boys being three and five, you don't quite need to learn about death yet.  Your fish, Junk, was very sick, which we told you about.  His belly was very, very bloated and his scales were all raised up.  In doing research, we discovered that we wouldn't be able to help Junk.  His bacterial infection had gone too far.  We decided to use the movie Nemo to help us in avoiding the discussion about death.  We took Junk out of his tank, into a small bowl with his water so you could say goodbye.  We told you that we were going to put him in the toliet so that he could be with his family, just like in Nemo.  That all things flow back to the ocean.  This is where we lied.  He didn't go back to the ocean.  We didn't want him to suffer any longer, and we didn't know how else to make it easier on you boys (and us). 

We are very sorry.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

(Linking up today at Pour Your Heart Out: http://thingsicantsay.com/2013/07/pour-your-heart-out-no-place-like-home.html) 

Rewards

I have often given the same response when people ask me if it is rewarding to be a parent.  My response is that when you get pregnant, you don't know what kind of child you will have.  I even go to the extremes of saying, "You don't know if you are going to have a serial killer or the next president."  My point is that as much as you think you can influence your child, etc., there are still things you can't control like autism, ADHD, other behavioral things, etc.  I do also say that while some children seem to brighten your day over and over with one thing or another, you can also have a child that can be hard.  Not just hard to put down but give you as a parent many obstacles.  Aiden is that child.

I love him.  I love him with all of my heart.  Aiden has to hug and kiss on his terms.  His bouts of affection are rare.  When I get them, I cherish them.  His development delays made some days very trying.  This morning, it was a 30 minute battle to get him to pick up his pile of legos.  Saturday, it took two hours.

My point is- as a parent, the rewards are often small moments that brighten your heart.  They might not be daily but I can tell you this- I hold onto them.

Here is something that I am very proud of and makes me smile and feel like I have been rewarded.

Aiden's recent drawing.

Happy Father's Day 2013

It has been forever since I posted!

I would like to post my annual video that I make for my wonderful husband and father to our children.  Please watch it!