When I was logging into email the other day I noticed the news feed in the sidebar said, "Where have all the Mom's gone?" My first thought was Oh shit they found an escape and I'm still here! My second thought was, Wait! Maybe they've been abducted by aliens I don't need that. Intrigued as to where all the moms could possibly be going I read on.
Face book. Seriously? That's what this is about, moms on Face book. How much more press can that crazy app get? The article said that Mom's are disappearing from Face book profile pic's and being replaced by pictures of their children. And?
I know that I've only shared a few details of my life, in this blog, about my life, but let me recap. I am the middle child of five born to what is now called the Silent Generation. Since we name all generations now, suffice it to say they were toddling around during the baby boom and there is a good reason to call them silent.
My parent were definitely hands on but not by today's definition. They were always ready to put their hands on you just not to help you mostly to jack slap you back into line. We had an open door policy in the house also, the door was always open if you didn't like it, get out. The lines of communication in our house were better than anyone else in town! Because my father was a Real Estate agent prior to cell phones and needed to get those calls for work we had two phone lines in our house, his and ours.
There was their world, and our world. A distinct separation between them and us. They went out on Saturday night and we watched Love Boat and Fantasy Island with the babysitter. Raising children meant making sure they had food, water, shelter, and Catholic school. (Well, at least in this part of the Midwest anyway.) And they did all of that along with sports, dance lessons, prom dresses, cars, and college. After working enough years they were able to retire allowing them to winter in Florida as "snow birds" several months a year and spend their time garage saleing, sun bathing, and bragging about the grankids.
I love my parents make no mistake and I think there is a lot to learn from them. But there is something sad and silent about their generation. There was not a lot of hugs and kisses, I love you's, and I don't remember an I'm proud of you.
Unlike some of their peers my parents have seen what could have been. They tell me all the time now how very proud they are to be my parents, they tell me I am a better parent then they were, and there is no shortage of hugs, kisses, or I love you's. And according to my six-year-old son their favorite thing in the world is to "spoil me rotten." That's what good grandparents do!
As part of a generation that lives more out loud then ever I struggle to find the balance. My kids are my life. If you don't like that, tough. I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. They are the very best part of me hands down. If I was on Face book of course I would show off my kids, why wait for grankids to find the joy?
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