20 things I learned at the 1st annual Granddaughter sleep over

1    They are not quit old enough to be left unsupervised.

2    No matter what room you clean or toys you put away, that's the toys and the room they want to play in next 

3    One book is never enough   

4    Just because they go to bed late doesn’t mean their sleeping in

5    Gravity doesn’t exist while jumping on the couch, and you can't see them jump on the couch if they don't see you.

6    They will tattled on each other until someone spills the paint.  Then they go by the snitches get stitches rule.

7    Evelyn can get so much in a small purse she’d make any bag lady proud

8    Girls will run naked around the house if given the opportunity.

9    Pop can't control girls gone wild, but Lolly can.

10    Joanie asks the same question until she gets the answer she wants. 

11    It does no good to tell benji not to spray you.  If he has the opportunity... he’s taking it.

12    Evelyn is a planner, Joanie just wants to know what’s next

13    If there is a ball anywhere josh will throw it and if there is more then one, he will try to hold them all at the same time.

14    If it's small enough to fit down the key hole in the sewer Main....Danny will get-r-done!

15    Either no one has to go potty, or they all have to go at the same time.

16    Wakely can't shut a door without putting her fingers in it first.

17    No one is hungry until the food is put away.

18    They can be in the house by themselves, in a room under the bed playing with something they shouldn't have, but once it's bedtime, they are afraid of monsters!

19    If there is a dog around, it is better than any toy.

20    No matter what you make for breakfast, they want donuts.

Religion

Religious people sorry but you brought this on yourself. If you're going to be religious you're going to need to lead by example. The hypocrisy of religious people is what turns away so many people from religion. 

Is this your desire? To turn people away from religion? 

If so, you're doing a bang up job of it! You have a big responsibility.  You have the responsible of always being nice, of always doing the right thing.  Of always being the one people look up to, I've always been the one that people go to for guidance, you are the one that needs to be nice sweet forgiving not be the one that's condemning or causing drama. This makes you look bad not only in our eyes but in the eyes of God. Going to confession will not be taking care of all the souls you lost today. So if you're going to walk around and be religious ... then act religious. Your actions are louder than any words  or any prayers you could say.

Empty Nester

My thought process is pretty simple. 

I think it’s OK to have been that involved mother that made dinner for the team and stressed over Cheerleading tryouts. The mom that ran missing homework up to them at school and Freezed your ass off at football games 4  nights a week.  Having the occasional slumber party for all the new cheerleaders or putting on some prom before dinner event We went to the chili cook off‘s,  to the mini dance recitals and school plays.  The talent shows and basketball games and baseball games. 

I think it’s OK to have been that heavily involved with your children. 

I think it’s only natural that when they move out you do have a sense of loss because your identity has been formed around their needs for so long that it is stressful to try to find your way back. 

But at that point you either decide you are your own person or you don’t. You find your own interests... you find your own hobbies.... your own friends, and you find your own life. A new life... but your life.

If you were a controlling parent you probably have a hard time letting that go when they moved on. Instead of seeing it as a job well done you see it as a competition between what I want them to do and what they are doing.

Let it go moms.  Let it go.

A misbehaving kid is a discouraged kid, or a disempowered kid, or a kid missing the skills to deal with a challenge they were given. There’s always a reason for a behavior. And building strong relationships will help me find the reason more often than not. 

This happens all the time!

Dennis:  I ate too much!

Me: What did you eat?

Dennis: I ate an entire pizza...

Me: The whole thing?

Dennis: Yeah and 10 cookies.

*** 20 minutes later... Dennis is in the cookie jar again where he eats more cookies.***

Me: Didn't you just say you ate too much?

Dennis: Yeah.

Me: Then why did you just eat more cookies?

Dennis: Cause I have a problem.... okay!?