The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

Before I had kids of my own, I knew that they would always behave in public. They would never throw a temper tantrum. They would never hit one another. They would never have a melt-down. They would never throw toys or food at people. They would never run away. They would always say Please and Thank you. They would always play nicely with other children. They would always play quietly while I was busy with something else. And most importantly, they would always listen to me. Oh boy, was I wrong. Well behaved kids don’t exist. At least it makes me feel better knowing that they don’t.


These are my confessions concerning my kids:

Some kids can sit through Sacrament without a fuss. Mine definitely can’t. The only thing that seems to work for us is to bring snacks. Of course I feel guilty feeding my kids snacks for an hour and a half. But now it has become a habit, and they expect snacks in church.

I feed them snacks while grocery shopping, too. It keeps them from wanting to have everything they see in the store. Sometimes I even let them play with some toys from the store. Then I leave them with the cashier.

I need peace and quiet when I feed Kendall, so when Logan and Taylor are misbehaving, I turn the TV on. It entertains them for a good 15-20 minutes, just long enough for me to give close to 100% of my attention to Kendall.

I stay in bed until Logan and Taylor wake up. Then I hop in the shower, get dressed, and put my makeup on. The whole process takes about 20-30 minutes. But they love singing and talking to each other until I come to get them. They don’t seem to mind.

If Kendall wakes up early, I bring her to bed with me and nurse her until she goes back to sleep. She loves sleeping in our bed. It’s not like she’s in there all night, just an hour or two, and only a few mornings a week.

It’s so secret that residents don’t make much money. They are hospital slaves who get paid by the government. So finances are tight… Occasionally, Kendall wears big shirts as dresses and small dresses as shirts. It works for us.

Logan and Taylor usually nap from 1 to 4 p.m. But sometimes they refuse to sleep and get really cranky a few hours later. So I leave them in their bedroom for at least an hour and sometimes longer. It gives me time to get a few things done, and it gives them time to relax. It’s a win-win situation.

I don’t even attempt going to church when Billy’s working. There are a few other situations I avoid altogether when I know I am setting myself up for failure and migraines.

Motherhood is not easy. My ideas and expectations have definitely changed since I’ve become a parent. I always thought I’d be a strict mom, and although Billy would still say that I’m pretty strict, I think I am a lot more easy-going than I thought I would be or expected to be. Certain things just aren’t a big deal, and I have to let them go. I can’t worry about every little thing. I’d be a mess if I did.

Motherhood is also the most rewarding and best thing that ever happened to me. I love my children so much. They have their moments, like every child, but they are so easy to forget. The moments I remember the most are those sweet, tender, loving, cuddly, kissy moments. Hmmm, I love those moments…