Yesterday was a fun filled day consisting of a trip to the zoo with my daughter. This was her first trip into the city and she was so excited! She is a rule follower (at school), so she made sure to review all the rules with me before the departure.
The school did a fabulous job raising money and we were very lucky to have the pleasure of riding in a commercial bus (and yes, the kids were fascinated with the toilet). We were off and traveling to the zoo at 8:30AM. The ride is approximately 1.5 hours so the kids had plenty of time to giggle and chat together! I, of course; sat with another parent as my daughter soon found it was more fun to sit with her friends. This is where the discomfort began…
As we are riding on the bus, my daughter decides to share in conversation with her friends. She says “guess what my daddy did”. Now at this point, I was still thinking she was going to say something like “he drove a limo” or “he got the ball stuck in the tree”. Then it came out so loud that it could be heard across the bus…. “My daddy went and got himself a new girlfriend and we saw her picture on FB”. All the mothers look over at me and I just shrink down into the seat. Yup, complete moment of…I WISH I WAS NOT ON THIS BUS RIGHT NOW….. I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I just quietly looked away and was grateful that the conversation ended with the statement.
Once we got to the zoo, we had a fabulous time. My daughter hung out with two of her good friends and enjoyed seeing all the animals. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect! We laughed, we talked, and we walked our butts off! She was even lucky enough to become the owner of a new stuffed panda! We soon found it was time to go and we were off and riding on the bus to get back home. It then happened again….
She was playing “Panda” with two of her friends. The other mother and I were listening and laughing as they played. Her one friend would say “Hi honey..kissy kissy kissy”. Then my daughter chimes in “You are not nice. I don’t want to be married to you. Get out of my house”. Again..I WISH I WAS NOT ON THIS BUS RIGHT NOW!!! I look at the other mother and say “again, I am sorry. It has been rough year for her”. The other mother looks at me and says “that is ok. I am sure my daughter could share in some of our disagreements”. I know she was being nice, but really it just wasn’t the same.
So my point today… In Keeping it REAL, I have taught my children that open communication is good. I have always kept the door open for them to talk freely. Although, this may not have been the proper forum for her to vent her thoughts, I am glad she did. I realize that she understands the situations around her. I realize that I have not painted a pretty picture of love and marriage. I feel bad for all that she has seen and heard and I now know that I need to work on expressing my feelings about relationships differently. I also need to work on my communication with her. I want her to live in a life full of love and I want her to know that love has many positive possibilities when shared with the right person. I don’t want her to go through life thinking…relationships are like what she experienced with her mom and dad. I want her to role play the best scenarios and not play out the drama that she has endured. So to all my followers, just remember they are listening… They are impacted by your decisions but they shouldn’t have to carry the burden of your life lesson. Work hard every day to keep them innocent and open to all that life has to offer…and if we are lucky they too will make mistakes and learn from them. They too will appreciate “love” when they find it. They too will work hard to be the best that they can be! Happy HUMP DAY!
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