Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Back In My Day....

So.....hmmmmm, where do I start. I don't even know. I'll start with what I remember about being 8. I remember being baptized - that was cool, I remember absolutely having to have this one pair of parachute pants from Porter's in Rexburg, I remember my Mom being pregnant with my sister, I remember knowing my place in the world and that place was that I was a KID who did what was asked and was generally pretty darn obedient. I do remember being absolutely mean to my little brother most of the time but I think he has forgiven me of that by now. I remember having chores like having to clean the bathroom every Saturday which I totally hated and every fall there was that inevitable pile of chopped wood out by the driveway that needed to be hauled into the shed for the winter. This of course was me and my brothers job. I hate, hate, hated hauling that wood. Oh how I wish I had a giant pile of wood for my kids to haul! I was 8 years old for part of 1983 and most of 1984. Life was pretty good even though we only had 4 channels on the TV. I don't even think I knew what Cable was back then! We literally lived across the road (that's road, not street) from a farmers field of potatoes. We were pretty much surrounded by farmland. The Snake River was not far from our acre and a good chunk of my childhood was spent playing by, in, or floating on the river with my brother and cousins. We had a great time in the bottom lands and on my Grandparents farm which was was just down the road from us along with the our cousins. It was fun and I look back with fond memories.
My how times have changed since then. I look at the kind of life that my kids have and it makes me want to run away and live in the middle of nowhere sometimes! I guess the reason for that is because they sure are in a hurry to grow up. What's the rush? Kate has been saying lately that she isn't eight but that she is eighteen. Oh, OK...right. I know they are influenced by a lot of different things in their little lives that weren't even invented when I was their age. The Internet, cell phones, the Disney channel (it may have been around in my day-I don't know) and other things like that that are so prevalent today. I realize that I am the parent and I have control over what they are exposed to right now but it's amazing the things Kate comes home with. She tells me about the curse words written on the playground, the 5th grader who got taken away for drugs or something like that and other things that I try to forget. Sadly Kate wants what most adults have right now and tells me everyday when she has to do her homework how stupid it is and asks why she has to go to school. Lately she has been making me CRAZY because me and Ella can have a fabulous day together with no problems and then as soon as K A T E gets home the bickering, fighting, pouting, and yelling begins. I take into consideration that I am 9 months pregnant and am at the end of my rope. But why does she have to be so stubborn and obstinate and fight me about every little thing she has to do? SHE IS ONLY EIGHT! I expected this maybe when she was ten or eleven but EIGHT?
Let's face it: if she had her way she would stay downstairs watching the Disney channel all day and night with a bag of lays chips. Tyler says she is the skinniest couch potato that he knows. Her TV time is limited to one hour a day so we do have some rules around here but its rough going sometimes. I am just trying to enjoy the journey like the Prophet says because one day they will be gone. I will just try my best to be PATIENT which is something that I am not very good at. Better than I used to be but I still have a long way to go.
Being a Mom is for sure the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Harder than being really sick and wanting to die and harder then anything I have ever attempted thus far in my life. Nothing I have ever done or probably will do in my life will be as rewarding. Rewarding in ways that some people will never understand.
I just reminded myself on why I am having another one!
Thank heavens cause I think I am going crazy.

6 comments:

Mrs. Olsen said...

Mrs. Olsen hi! Mrs. Olsen here. So nice to have you visit the blog. I never knew you worked at Snowbird BTW, and that makes me really happy.

It really is weird how much society and influences change in a generation...and like you I often want to move out to the middle of nowhere.

So you're having a kid. Your other ones will get nicer when they see the beginning of a life and how much a mother matters...and keep up with the TV limits and chores. Keeps a girl honest.

Happy laboring!

Becky Nelson said...

ARe you sure about Rick forgiving you?? I love to hear his side of the stories, about how his siter was mean to him. I think it is an older sibling thing. My older brother Jared and Scott used to beat me up and pick on me all the time. I am glad becuase it made me a strong little girl, I always had a great left hook!!
Taylor is starting to get into the Hannah Montana and other older shows on Disney. She still thinks she is 7, but I am sure that will change to 18 soon.
take care!!

Becky Nelson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jeff said...

I'm so glad that u commented! Please please please let us know when the new one shows up!!! we love and miss u 2

Pughs

The Clark said...

Thanks for the stroll back through my childhood! 3,6,8,10. Those were our channels.

The only thing I remember about being 8 is that I was baptized the same day as Chris Jones. That's it.

Rochelle said...

lol! Chris Jones! I was just talking about him earlier this week with Kurt. We were discussing people (ya know, back in the day) who thought it was cool to wear the kind of glasses that tinted dark when they went outside... like totally sweet, built in sunglasses! Rachelle Huskinson had them too. I love that contact lenses were invented or I might have been in the tinted glasses club
he he