Friday 11 December 2009

Growing Pains

I have an advent calendar that I fill every year with daily family Christmas activities. I started the tradition for fun, but found that it was more than fun - it brought us together to enjoy the season. Or at least it used to.
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On Saturday the advent activity was to make and decorate sugar cookies. Steven opted out and went to a friend's house to play video games; Jaclyn wasn't in the mood to do something messy.
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I didn't mind - the big kids are generally really good about doing family things and little kid things - they could skip the cookies. The little girls and I went ahead with the baking and I thought we were having a good time until Chloe expressed that it is more fun with everyone. Darn.
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A few days later at breakfast time it was Steven's day to open the calendar but he wasn't downstairs yet and Chloe was impatiently waiting to see what fun we would do that day. Wanting to open the calendar herself, she told me that she didn't think Jaclyn and Steven should get turns to open the calendar anymore if they weren't going to do the activities.
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She had an alterior motive as well as a good point, but I argued that they have participated in some of the activities.
Her response: Still! (a favorite expression these days)
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Yesterday the activity was to go sledding. Jaclyn wasn't home from high school yet when we left for the hill, and Steven had his shoveling job to do, so once again it was just Carmen and Chloe (plus a friend).
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And this time no one missed the big kids at all.
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6 comments:

annalisa said...

You always do the cutest things with your kids. Alexis would be jealous :). I've been wanting to get an advent calender for her, but it didn't happen this year. She made a chain in Activity Days so she's been doing the activities on that.

Jill said...

I'm not keen on parental growing pains at all and have definitely been experiencing them more often now that Landon is 11 and in 6th grade. He seems to think he's much older than that and is pushing his boundaries. It hurts.

Marie said...

Oh no! That is too bad. I'm totally on Chloe's side; it is way more fun when everyone is together.

We had snow-play as our Christmas activity today.

Humphreys Family said...

i hate to tell you, but it just gets worse....one day, not too long from now, you'll find Christmas just doesn't feel the same when someone is missing from your house during ALL the preparations. (although it does give us more to look forward to)

April said...

My heart did a painful little squeeze at this one.

michelle said...

Oh, ouch. It's hard when the kids are going in different directions!