Counting Your Blessings - Part 4

Do you know, I've had a crappy day! The apple of my eye, favourite man in my life has been a little sod and I'm stuck in the house on my own on a day that should be for rest and he's driven me crazy! So, for our final count your blessing, I thought it would be important (and good for my sanity!) to do an offspring based post.

There may be those that disagree, but I do think that being a mother has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world. I don't think it matters whether you go out to work or stay at home with them, I've done both and both sides are equally as difficult. It's a 24/7 payless, no holidays (OK, you can physically go on holiday, but your job goes with you for 18 years running!) career and the clients are whiny, temperamental and a lot of the time, unappreciative.

So why on earth do people keep doing it? Why has the population not ground to a halt? I know everyone else goes through it as I have other mothers out there who talk me down when the kids are driving me up the wall (like the other mother of a 3 year old who has listened to me text whinge all day! You know who you are! ;))

Well, this week I've had one of the perks of the job. OK, it ain't free gym membership, private health cover (LOL, like any company would ever give me that anyway), a Christmas bonus etc, but there's not much that can beat motherly pride! Whilst my youngest has spent the week polishing his horns and forked tail with pride, my eldest has been busy putting a smile on mummy and daddy's faces.

Last Saturday, Emily finally got enrolled at Brownies - she was ecstatic. I'm not sure what it's like at other brownie packs, but Emily's Brown Owl makes you work for your enrolment. So Em has done her homework every week and been practising the Brownie promise until she's saying it in her sleep. The only down side was they did it on a Brownie trip so we couldn't go and see her, but she got enrolled on a steam train which is much cooler than a church hall! However, I did have an hour or 2 afterwards of mummy pride sewing all her badges on her sash:

Then this week, we got Emily's school report home. Every year it's the same, we sit back with a huge sigh of relief that we seem to have done it right. Her marks are very good, but the main thing is the comments about her hard work and enthusiasm. I could deal with poorer marks as long as she was trying her damndest but we're so lucky that the marks are there too.

Then yesterday we had one of those 'first letting go' moments with her. It was so weird, Rob and I were discussing the school holidays and I was saying I was considering letting her start and call for her friend Shiwone who lives round the corner. Emily's now 8 1/2 and we need to start with just a bit of freedom. Low and behold, yesterday teatime there's a knock at the door and there's stood Shiwone "Can Emily play out?". Doo doo doo do! So, we said Shiwone could come and play in the back garden but she had to phone her mum to say she was staying for a while. But the phone was engaged so the girls asked if they could walk round and let her mum know...ON THEIR OWN!!! Luckily I'd just made a cocktail so, big gulp and I said yes before I could think about it! Longest 5 minutes of my life!!! But, back they came and I just knew they'd been sensible (crossed the roads in the safe places, not stopped to chat etc etc), mummy pride yet again!

So, today I'm thankful for those proud moments where you think "Ah, so that's why I had them"!

The boy? Well, anyone who has had a 3 year old boy will know they're a breed unto themselves so he's a work in progress until we manage to find the instruction manual on eBay! But, he has his moments and hopefully he'll be giving the girl a run for her money soon!