Wow and What I Know For Sure

My kids can be a rowdy bunch.  They are boisterous and funny and a little bit nuts, but almost always having a good time.  They are not mean, they don't swear or steal.  I love my rowdy bunch, even when I take them places like the grocery store. Even when they bicker or do normal kid stuff.  Even when not everyone gets how wonderful they are.

"If you keep bugging your brother, I am going to pick you up and put you in this baby seat," I said channeling my best Claire Huxtable-I-mean-business-mister face. I said this to Peyton who is three inches taller than me.

"Ooooh, I'd like to see you do that," an older gentleman said as he walked by us in the fresh produce section.  

"I'm not afraid, I'll do it," I said.

"Oh, I know that's true," the man replied laughing.  "Boy, I remember those days."

We continued shopping and my kids continued to be a bit um, boisterous.  

"Stay here, I'll be right back," I told them as I walked over to pick out the cheapest chicken breasts.

"Wow," said a mother next to me nudging her teenage daughter and pointing.  "I mean, just wow."

She was pointing at my kids.  Her "wow" wasn't a nice "wow."  It was a "wow" filled with judgement and annoyance and superiority.  Her "wow" was mean.  It wasn't even a "wow" that meant she'd been there and remembers when her kids were little and got restless running errands.  Nope, it was a "wow" just meant to be rude and suck-y and teach her teenage daughter to be that way.

I looked at my kids and felt a new sense of pride.  "Wow," I thought.  My "wow" was filled with love and pride and happiness.  Those loud, rowdy kids were interesting and fun and so alive.  

I love being their mom and having the most non-boring trips to the grocery store ever.  I am grateful for opportunities to teach them to support people and laugh with people like the nice man in the fresh produce section. And when I "wow" someone, it is going to be to lift them up, not weigh them down with judgement or ridicule, I know this for sure.  

We are our own little parade in the grocery store parking lot!

Here's what else I know for sure this week, right now:

• Summer is my favorite time of year for so many reasons, like the fact that we can all take the dog for a walk together in the middle of the day.

• This movie, Boyhood, looks ahhhhhmazing. 

• My kids made up a great new game at the beach the other day.  They bury my feet in the sand and they tell me I have to sit down and not move. They think they are being mean making me sit. Ha!

• There's nothing better than fresh peaches and sweet tea in the summer.

• My Listen To Your Mother reading is up on YouTube!  Check me & the rest of the Metro Detroit cast out.

What do you know for sure this week, right now?  Share it here or on my Facebook page.