There is no such thing as privacy anymore around my house.
I accepted that reality way back when my boys started walking, but the reality of it continues to hit home on a daily basis. Nonetheless, there are times when I am surprised by the fact alone time at my house seems impossible to come. The latest example came at 5 the other morning.
My kids are early risers. They always have been, but they also go to bed early. It’s an equal trade-off I think. They are in bed by 8 just about every night, but they are also up in the morning by 6 most days.
Therefore, the kids getting up early in the morning is expected, but this week I think Beckett set a new record.
I was in the shower, hoping to get an early start on some work at home before the kids woke up. Those hopes were dashed in short order.
In his typical early-morning energetic way, Beckett flew into the bathroom and used the facilities. We talked for a minute before he left the room as quickly as he arrived. Since it was still dark out, I was hoping he was headed back to bed. I figured he was not, but the hope was there.
Within a minute or two, he barged back in and flung the shower door open. He was standing there with the iPad in his hands about to walk into the shower asking me why a certain App kept crashing on him.
When I asked him to give me a few minutes to take care of business in the shower, he refused to oblige. Instead, he got naked and joined me in the shower (fortunately without the iPad), firing off a series of questions and requests, including one involving shaving his legs to remove the blonde hair that has magically appeared over the summer.
By the time we got out of the shower and went downstairs, the clock read 5:22 a.m. That was a unique start to the day.
Another thing that doesn’t exist anymore at the house is unlocked doors.
Exterior doors are what I’m talking about here. All exits have to be locked at our house because we have two “jail breakers,” as I like to call them.
Nothing gives my kids more pleasure than running out a door against their parents’ wishes. The boys aren’t really looking to go anywhere. They just like to get outside and wait for our reaction it seems.
We tried all the safety locks and kid devices you can attach to door knobs, but none of them did the trick. That’s why one day I came home and found Pam installing deadbolts at the top of all our doors.
I thought it was extreme at that time, but like most things, moms are usually right when it comes to matters related to the kids.
The good news is it worked because now the boys think every door leading outside, no matter where they are, has a lock at the top and they don’t even try to get out.
A pre-back to school water park day has become a tradition for us, and by the looks of Jolly Roger last Friday it appears we are not alone.
The kids love going to water parks about as much as anything else we do. For them, I think it edges out a beach day. For us, the beach wins out because taking two kids, ages 5 and 3, to a water park can be an arduous task. However, it’s also a lot of fun for Pam and me.
This was a big summer for Beckett because it was the first time he was tall enough to ride on just about all the slides at Jolly Roger. Last summer he just barely missed out and was bummed about it.
Earlier this summer, just Beckett and I went for a birthday party to Jolly Roger and we had a blast. I had just as much fun as him and loved seeing his face as he went down the huge slides for the first time. The kid is an absolute water bug and loved it all. I was excited for him and me as well.
Last Friday we made it a family day and that meant Pam and I would be taking turns going with Beckett on the slides while one stayed with Carson in the little kid areas. That was fine because Beckett can be exhausting and difficult to keep up with on several fronts.
While certainly the day was more fun for Beckett, the baby of the house had a ball as well. It was just a different kind of fun for him.
Rather than going down the big slides, he was entertained with the so-called “kiddie” areas and all the stuff they offered. Actually at one point, when I pointed to Carson to see if he wanted to go on a big slide just to see his response, he shook his head in a furious no fashion, making it clear he was not interested at all in going on them. He actually fell down in the pool from shaking his head so vigorously.
The best part about a busy and full day at the water park is how exhausted the kids are and not to mention their parents. Carson was asleep before we left the parking lot, and Beckett didn’t say a word the entire ride home.
I think the lights went completely dark at the house that night by 10. Yes, Friday nights are quite different now than they used to be.