Mess, Chaos and Hugs
March 2, 2007

taco.nightI read a letter to the advice columnist in our local paper this morning — the mother of a young boy was upset because his friends frequently play at her house and they make a mess.I sent a reply to the column but I doubt that my response will ever see the light of day, so I decided to post it here, where it is equally unlikely that anyone will read it. But it makes me feel better.

As the mom of two teenage girls, I sent my oldest off to college this past fall, so now I have only one child at home. Her friends are over here all the time. We often have large groups for dinner and, yes, they are loud and they make a mess.

But messes can be cleaned up and kids are only “ours” for such a short time. What does it really matter if your house is a wreck? Mine is most of the time, but my daughter knows that her friends are always welcome and there will always be plenty of junk food! What better place for your child and their friends than in your own home?

My advice is to enjoy the confusion, chaos and mess while you can. I am. I know how quickly my oldest daughter’s high school years went by. Only three short years and I will have an empty nest. Then maybe I will finally have a neat, orderly house.

In three short years, I know that I will no longer need to make cheese dip in the big crockpot or buy those liter bottles of soft drinks. I probably won’t often have to melt marshmallows over the stove and stir in the Rice Krispies, and I won’t buy nearly as much brownie mix. But I will miss the noise, the yelling, screaming, drink-spilling chaos that generally rules my house at least one night most weekends. And I will really miss the hugs that I get when they leave. And most of all, I will miss the daily “Mom-ness” of my life as I’ve known it for the past 18 years.

1 Comment

  1. Lauren Lowrey Watson

    Beth! I found your site through Sam’s!!! This is a great way to keep up with you all the way from Alabama!!! I miss your family so very much! We hope all is well with you, Jim, and the girls!!

    We love you,
    Lauren

    Reply

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