Welcome to My Hood: Parenthood- I Give My Life in Tribute

Dear Readers-
On the daily- I feel like my life is The Hunger Games.

Early mornings.

Late nights.

Sirens of screams, squeals, cries, and whines.

Bickering. pushing. teasing. talk.

Questions- Lots of Questions.

Answers and Arguments- because your word is never good enough.

Random sickness- then, it spreads.

Taking turns calling in sick from work.

Taking turns waking up in the middle of the night.

A tight schedule of picks ups and drop offs.

Lots of money on childcare.  

Lots of family and friends to help care for them.

Constant needs of clothes, food, and shoes *cah- ching $$$$$

Little Gym. *cah- ching $$$$

Toys, puzzles, games, and books- the space to have them.

The will to make them clean it up.

Planned "Family Time"

A museum, a pumpkin patch, the park

Bike rides, walks, and movies.

Meals around the table, little cooks in the kitchen

Lots of MESS.

Church.

Holidays, birthdays, and fun.

This. has. been. my. life. for. years. now. and I. gladly...

Give. My. Life. In. Tribute.

Through the constant CHAOS- yes, it truly is chaos-

my heart still is so smitten with parenting my kids.

I. teach. in. the. public. schools. so. I. know...

If I don't parent my kids, I'm scared who will!

Kids aren't shielded from the mess of the world anymore even if they developmentally aren't ready to understand it.  Kids see it all over media and in the real world around them.  Violence, disrespectful talk, disrespectful actions, selfishness, and disregard for others in general.  

This is the age of self-expression whether that be talk, dress, action, or creed and any attention (even negative attention) is better than no attention at all.

Well, from growing each of them in my womb, I know they crave attention from me first.

In these younger years, I. want. them. to. securely. know.

You. have. my. attention.

Now, I learned somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd kid that it doesn't mean I just give ALL my time to my little humans.  That is totally unrealistic for my marriage and self-care.  However, it does mean that I stop and pause, even in the most inconvenient times, to hear them out, talk to them, and care for them when they need it most.

They don't just want to be clothed, fed, and "bought" lots of things.  They want me to tell them I love them.  They want me to hear them out so they feel validated that they are smart, beautiful, funny, talented, etc---- fill in the blank with any new endeavor or skill they are learning.  They want to know that they are worthy of their growth.  They want to know if I truly want to spend time with them.  They don't want to feel like they are another thing on my schedule or an "accessory" I just like to talk about and take pictures of/with.

They want to know if I really love them and if they really matter.

Each day they wake up insecure about it.

Each day, Ben and I get to squash that insecurity.

By the time my kids grow to be teens, I pray that my kids feel this secure in our love and attention to do great things in this world.

I pray that they help squash insecurities in others as they love others the way Ben and I have loved them.

This thanksgiving, I am thankful for (1)  the daily sacrifices of my role as a parent and (2) the daily sacrifices that our parents endured to grow us to be the adults we are today.

Specifically, I post pictures of my dad, Venus Dina Tanyag.

I took home my newborn baby Jude from the hospital last year the day before Thanksgiving.

We had Thanksgiving set at our house and my dad wasn't able to come.

He was stuck in bed for about 7 months due to back pain last year and couldn't walk much.

He had surgery last Spring and  He is up and moving.

I PRAISE THE LORD IN THANKSGIVING!

My parents live in their own home again.

He has some normalization of his life back.

And, the sweetest thing is how much my kids. simply. adore. him. and anything he has or does- his house, his cooking, his presence.

They call him, Lolo, and he truly is a favorite in my household.

So, I am most thankful for you dad this Thanksgiving 2019-  you are a pillar of strength in our family.  Well, both mom and you, are. die. hard. solid. parents.

Thanks for parenting me when I was young.  I know it's hard, but I'm loving it.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

With Love. Always,

Crystal