When They Grow Up

My girls are at the age where they are beginning to talk about what they want to be when they grow up.  I encourage them in whatever it is they say they want to do.  I tell them they can be whatever they want with hard work and an education in the occupation they are interested in.  I want them to know that right now they can be anything.  That being said, I'm also realistic.


While I encourage my girls to be what they want and follow their dreams, I also know some dreams require talent.  I never understand the parents of some of those poor awful kids on the first round of American Idol.  You know, the kids that come in and belt out a tune with such heart, but sound like a dying cat, while the judges look on with horror.  Then when the judges deny them a ticket to Hollywood they are completely flabbergasted.  "They know they can sing and their mama has told them they can sing and just wait because one day, Jennifer Lopez, you will be sorry!"  And their mom is right there nodding in agreement.  I'm actually not watching it this season, but I did for many years, so I know the drill.  No, if my girls want to do something that they have no talent in at all, I would not encourage them to make fools of themselves on national television.  But hey!  We all have our different parenting styles.


Right now though, I don't know where their talents lie.  I do know that Sonya LOVES everything art and draws better at 6 than I do at 36.  She also seems to have a knack for baseball.  Lana has picked up gymnastics quicker than her sister did.  Georgia has a propensity for learning words to a song after hearing it just a couple times.  She is always walking around the house singing something.  Whether she's good at it though, who knows yet?  They are all still too young to determine.  Not to mention some talents might show up later on in life.  However, there are some things in life that they are not going to be when they grow up, no matter how much they want it.


We were in the car yesterday driving home from a visit to Daddy's new work.  I had "Georgia's CD" playing for a while.  It's a CD my in-laws gave her for her birthday last year.  All the songs are personalized with Georgia's name.  Now usually, I don't do the kids CDs.  I just don't want to deal with listening to Barney's, "I love you, you love me" or "Old McDonald" 500 times.  I'd rather listen to Glee's rendition of "Bad Romance" 500 times. Because if you know kids you know, if they like it you will listen to it over and over again.   So for the most part I play whatever music Andy and I like to listen to in the car.  It's kid friendly though, of course.  This particular kid CD, however, is not terrible.  The songs are catchy and it's cute to hear Georgia's name in all of them, even if they do get stuck in your head.  "Do you want to go to the ZOO, Georgia? Do you, do you, do you?"


Anyway-there is one song on there that sings about what  you want to be when you grow up.  From time to time when this song comes on, the girls will talk about what they want to do.  Usually it's one of the suggestions in the song.  Yesterday, during the song, Lana said,


"Mommy, I want to be a doctor when I grow up."


"That's great Lana!" I told her.  "You can definitely do that if you want to."  Then you can pay off mommy and daddy's house when you start making a fortune too!


Then Sonya said, "I want to be an artist!"


This was different from what she's wanted to be for the past year, which was a veterinarian.


"You can do that too Sonya!" Although that could mean her still living us when she's 30.  Well, we have opposite ends of the spectrum at least.  Then little Georgia says,


"I gonna be a stawfiss (starfish)!!"


Hmmmm...Well...Good luck with that one Georgia.  


Okay, so maybe they can't be ANYTHING they want, but she was damn adorable saying it.

Time Keeps on Slippin' Into the Future

So far in the past week and a half my girls decided to speed up their growing and milestones.  Sonya has lost her second tooth, Lana is about thisclose to completely giving up her naps (somebody save me!) and little Georgia is potty trained.  She picked it up pretty quickly actually.  Her being potty trained is probably the best and the worst of all of this.  


On the one hand I don't have to buy or wash another diaper EVER AGAIN!  It's so exciting.  However, it means she really isn't a baby anymore.  At least when they're still in diapers you can kinda pretend they're still in the baby phase.  Nope.  All done.  All these things together have made feel nostalgic for having a baby.  I do miss those first couple years of their development.  As  difficult as it is, it is also fun and rewarding.  But we don't want another baby.  I mean we can't really afford it for the most part.  I suppose if we were rich I'd have another one, because then I'd have a much bigger house, a full time maid and a part time nanny.  Things being as they are though, it's just not a good idea.  The good news is one of my very best friends, Melissa, is due with her first baby any day now.  This will be perfect for me.  I get to hold a tiny baby again and get that new baby smell, without all the sleepless nights and sore boobs!  It'll be good for Melissa too, because she gets someone who wants to help with the baby who also has an awesome baby resume.  


 Even though I'm sad to be out of the baby era, it does bring on a new freedom having kids who are more self sufficient, which is fun.  No more diapers, only one nap to really worry about, and sippy cups starting to make an exit.  Although, if they keep spilling at the dinner table the way they do, I may enforce sippy cups until high school.  At this rate we may actually be able to take a real vacation sometime in the next couple of years!  So, from now on whenever I get that "I'm sad I don't have a baby anymore" feeling, I'll just head to Melissa's, where I can get a dose of screaming infant reality and remember why it's good to be past that stage.