Living with Children

I'm writing this at 6am Sunday morning because Hubby had to go in for what they call a "maintenance window" at his workplace which means changing network configurations when people are unlikely to be on the network (which means 5am Sunday) and the children are up (OK, the one MORNING PERSON child) at 6am -- mostly because we have worked long and hard on making the rule stick that she is not allowed to get out of bed before the clock says 6:00 and she's certainly not going to wait one second past that. We'd have tried 7am, but then she'd have started getting loud in bed, talking to her stuffed animals and such.

Anyway, I picked up my computer this morning and read some dissenting views on parenting. Free Range Kids and Poor Mom. You may be able to guess which one I subscribe to in that, the other day at Publix, Little Boy drops his cookie on the parking lot asphalt on the way out of the store while I'm carrying 5 bags of groceries in the hand not holding his and I only pause for a moment to give him time to pick it back up.

It may be that I should be more restrictive since it seems like he is constantly sick and gets every cold in existence (as do I), but I swear Little Girl did too when she was his age and she has not been sick for a few years now. I only wish I'd noticed when the change happened so I could better look forward to it with Little Boy. I think before VPK (Voluntary State-Sponsored Preschool to prepare children for learning, for those of you not in Florida) because I don't remember her ever having to miss school for a sick day.

Unfortunately, Little Boy's November Birthday means that even though he's already nearly as big as Little Girl, and it seems like he's been 3 forever already, he has two years before he can go. He has to already be 4 in August. I don't know if this really has anything to do with when he'll stop being sick, but I still hope.

Maybe if I went back to school I'd stop being sick too?

No, that's almost certainly wishful thinking.

If only it was true.

Student loans were cheaper than the hospital stay -- well, not for me, but looking at the big number the insurance company paid. If I could only promise no more $300,000 hospital stays as long as they paid $10,000/year for continuous classes, I think they might go for it. I would, if I was the insurance company. But I guess their business plan is based on betting I won't have another $300,000 hospital stay anyway, or at least until they've charged me that much again.

They're just lucky the rest of my family is healthy. You know, except for Little Boy, and he's not hospital visit sick. And hopefully after a few more asphalt cookies he'll stop being flu-ish sick too!

And maybe Little Girl will learn to sleep late too. I think I won't hold my breath for that.