Every once in a while, during an American Idol commercial break, I'll flip to the Supernanny. Usually the kids are older, the Dad works a lot and the mom has discipline issues with the children. Jo Frost sets them straight within a few days, they see the light and she flies back to the UK with her umbrella and plum colored suit. Last week, I truned it on and it really got to me( disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I'm PMSing, so that would explain the emotional investment and the tears). There was a two year old girl, same age as Madeline, and the mother 'put her to bed' I use quotes because the bedtime routine consisted of;
-putting the girl on the parents bed, lights on
-giving her a sleeve of crackers and a can ( yes a can!) of cheese
-turning on the TV to a program about gang violence
Jojo had a fit of course, and promised to give the 'pair of them(the parents)' the business the next day. Where was the bathtime? Where was her own bed? Why was she watching a show about gang violence? Why wasn't she reading her a book ?
By the time she left a few days later, said toddler was in a bed, mom was reading her a book and snuggling... but I wonder if it lasted when the cameras packed up and went home.
Now, granted I don't have 6 kids like this family did. I've got one, so its pretty manageable to give her a bath, brush teeth and sit in a rocking chair and read her Curious George and the Bunny. But it really made me sad- like really sad for all the kids in the world that don't have a mother who snuggles and reads them a book, or a daddy that checks in on them when he gets home from work. Or parents that don't think everything their kids do is wonderful- like Greg and I both did and like we do about Madeline. I hate to use this word because it doesn't seem fitting - but we were lucky, Madeline is lucky, all my nieces and nephews are LUCKY to have such great , loving parents. It shouldn't be luck, it should be a given, but its not. So Happy Belated Mothers day to you Mom, Maryann, Debbie and Christina. Thank you all for being so wonderful to my family. We're all very lucky.
Speaking of Mother's Day, we spent it at the Planting Felids Arboretum. I wanted to get a few shots of Madeline ,but man, is she active. There was a little of this :
And a whole lotta this...
But I did manage to capture some Essence of Maddie pictures
And one of me and my girl, Mother's Day 2008
1 comment:
Maybe it's the pregnancy thing on my end, but I have tears rolling down my face..Thanks Jess! I love the pictures of Maddie and I want to bring my kids there soon! That's where Eric and I used to go! He proposed to me there and that's where we used to go each May too. And we even brought Olivia there on my first Mother's Day. We have a picture of her in front of that little house (she was asleep in her car seat). Love it!
When I am feeling better and not pucking (or faking, like your lovely brother thinks), we'll come visit and go there!
Love you!
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