Figuring it all out...

Have you ever put your groceries in the back of your car, got home, took them out and emptied all the bags only to realize a week later that there was celery that had fallen out underneath the stroller in the trunk? You knew this because it stunk up the car so badly you thought one of the kids threw up without you realizing it.

I think we all at one time in our lives put something on top of our cars, forgot about it and then drove away. A cup, a bag, your child's breakfast..... sigh....

Have you ever been sitting at your desk, minding your own business, working your little tail off when a co-worker comes into your office and says "I thought you were supposed to be at our other office this morning?" That panic-stricken feeling is unmistakable. YIKES!!!

Have you ever been eating meatball pizza for breakfast in the car on the way to work and watched a meatball roll right off onto the floor and then you cannot find it anywhere!?

We've all had funny things happen to us as human beings or as parents; sometimes, I believe the two are very distinctly different. Anyway, as a Mom, I feel so absent-minded sometimes.

All of the items above have actually happened to me. Now, my preschoolers on the other hand are usually on top of their game. Why I even bother arguing a point with them sometimes is beyond me. They remember details of events and movies like nobody's business. Their sense of smell is even keener than mine. When I was painting one day and I kept thinking to myself how bad the paint smelled, my son walked in and simply asked "Why does it smell like Champlins in here?" (a seafood restaurant we frequent in Rhode Island) His observation was perfect and extremely accurate. Or when he walked into the kitchen and stated as he breezed through; "It smells like pisquetti in here." He was exactly right, I was boiling spaghetti on the stove.

I often wonder what goes through those little tiny minds to make them so precise. (in many cases, not all) It begs the question, why am I constantly on the look out for toys or other objects that they have lost along their journeys in our house. They simply cannot recall where they put that one toy that means the world to them, but somehow lost it in a simple instant.

In any case, I believe their little brains are bigger than mine sometimes. They keep ME in line with getting me dressed in the morning; "Mommy, you forgot your coat....silly Mommy." Getting dinner ready; "Mommy, you forgot to give me a fork....silly Mommy."

Good parenting skills; "Mommy, you told me to be a good boy, so I did."

Or common courtesy; when a story is being told to me and I look away for a second and there is suddenly a pause in the story and I hear "Mommy...why are you not listening to my story?"

The funniest of their wisdom is when they quote movies to other people and relate them to real life situations. There was a day when one of my boys screamed out some crazy gobbly gook word and his big brother looked at him and simply said very calmly; "You are a sad, strange little man, you have my pity. Farewell." (Toy Story)

I guess we could all learn from that lesson and quote movies to other people in our lives. It would take the guess work out of what to say and it sounds smart and well thought out. Maybe I wouldn't feel so absent-minded all the time. Of course, I do not know how well it would have gone over for me in my work situation above to tell my co-worker "Oh, you're right, I WAS supposed to be somewhere else this morning, but... Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Oh well, it was just a thought.