Act your age!

(Me, age 3.)

A couple weeks ago, Guy and I went to the movie. Sitting in front of us were 4, um, adults. (That's pushing it, calling them adults.) They had a little girl with them, about 2 years of age. During the movie, most of their attention was on trying to get the little girl to sit down and quietly watch the movie. She's two! What she really wanted to do was play on the stairs on the aisle. When they let her do that, she was fine. But, they kept trying to make her sit, then she would cry, they would shush her, then someone would tell her mom, loudly, "Take her out!" I felt so bad for that cute little girl. She just wanted to sit on the stairs, I mean, come on, they were lit up. Kids are like racoons, if it's shiny they just have to touch it. Of course, their next step it to put it in thier mouths.

Well, I have to admit that I am also guilty of expecting my children to act older than they are. (I try not to do it in public, tho'.) I want my teenagers to act like adults, I want my younger ones to act like teenagers, wait scratch that. I don't want any of them to act like teenagers!!!!

Here's what made me realize this. Yesterday, I was on the computer. This is a priveledge since my kids are usually on. Somehow they had discovered that there are things to do during the summer other than playing games on the computer. Anyway, I was on, probably blogger-stalking. As I was enjoying myself, Noah was seated on a chair next to me. I was paying just enough attention to him to make sure he didn't fall down. Suddenly, he reached over and pushed the power button. This ended my session and shut down the computer. I looked at him, quite angry, and said something like, "What are you doing? You can't turn the computer off like that, you have to shut it down. Do you want to break our only computer?" His response to this was to look at me with a blank stare. Translated: "What do you expect? I'm 17 months old. It's a shiny, blue light. I would've put it in my mouth if I could reach it."

I have the same problem with the other little boys. One of their favorite things to do is run from the TV room up to the living room, jump on the couch from one end to the other, then run back down to the TV room and do the same to the couch there. "What are you thinking? How many times have I told you not to jump on the couch?" They don't talk back, not being teenagers, yet. But, I'm sure they're thinking that the couch is very bouncy and it's fun to jump on it and yes, you told us not to do it, but that was yesterday and we forgot.

There's another thing, I get so mad when they forget stuff, but I forget all the time. AND, I don't act my age, at least I hope not. I don't feel 'almost 42'. I'm not sure how someone my age should act, but it seems too old for me. I like 'hanging out' with the younger women in my neighborhood and my sister, (who was born when I was 15). If someone told me to act my age, I'd probably get offended. So, I guess if I want a break, I should give my kids one, too.