I can do like…anything.

Last night was my third night of solo bedtimes this week. The lack of a second adult while wrangling 2 small humans to bed is surprisingly debilitating. One of the 3 nights, there was a 2 hour ordeal with a certain 2 year old, who insists on pushing my every button these days. I’ve use all my day’s energy, and then some, carrying people to time out. I find I’m too tired to do the dinner dishes and too overwhelmed to start cleaning once there is finally quiet upstairs. 


And at that point, if you’re my neighbor, please refrain from using table saws, shutting your car doors, or breathing, for that matter. Thankyouverymuch. 


All I can see after a stretch of days like these, is the disaster. Nothing is clean. Not even me. 


Last night, I decided I had had enough with the current state of the boys wild manes and figured I’d put my new clippers to good use. They were happy with the fact that they are better than my old ones, therefore faster, and I was happy with the fact I got them to agree to a quick cut after dinner, but before dessert. 


When I was about halfway through Cooper’s hair, (which he said he wanted to look like “the guy from Maroon 5”) he said, “thanks, Mom. It’s cool that you can cut my hair.” I stopped cutting to thank him and let my heart puddle a bit. He wasn’t done, though. 

“Mom, you can do like…anything.”


His voice seemed a little surprised, like he just had the revelation. 


It was right then, that I had a revelation of my own. He doesn’t see the 5 loads of laundry that are partially folded in the living room. He doesn’t see the mountain of dirty dishes, or the ring around the toilet bowl. 


He sees a mom that does so many “mom” things, that it seems as if I can do anything. There are a host of things that I can’t do, but he doesn’t know that. To him, I could fly to the moon and back. And I’d totally do it for him, if I could. 


It’s so easy to get caught up in the state of my house during the long days I spend in it, to forget about the short years that are flying by so very quickly. My house and all it’s mess will still be living here in 20 years. My babies probably won’t be.