Mac is not handsome. He is not cute. He is not playful. He is lovish. Because he loves everyone he knows.  And everything.  So says Mac.

It’s interesting to see how the kids view themselves.  Baby is the oppressed one. Third world countries haven’t suffered as much injustice and persecution as she has. Slaves have more freedom and work less. Baba is oppressed by the “man”. She works too hard and is not given enough. X-Man is starved routinely. And told “no” way too often. Mac is lovish and comfortable in his own skin. He also mused once, after Baby said “the cutest person in the world” as the setup of her knock knock joke “hmmm, is it X-Man or me?” Gestated Cinco is. That’s as far as she’s gotten.

It’s eye opening and truly helpful to see how the children view themselves in the context of parental expectations. I take their objections seriously, certainly. And I also see their behaviors that I need to address and improve. It’s amusing to realize in striving to avoid all the mistakes your parents may have made while raising their herd, you create a whole bunch of new ones.

I think it is good to listen to the kiddos complaints, at least sometimes. I do take the opportunity to evaluate what I am asking to do and how much they do. It’s also a good time to try to determine what exactly their love language is. Baby is touch, and lots of it. I used to think that Mac’s was punching, but now I’m thinking it is word like words of affirmation. With some touch thrown in there. Baba has been perplexing me. I’m pretty sure she’s also a words of affirmation type of gal, with some touch thrown in. But man oh man do gifts speak her name as well. I myself speak the love language of margaritas.

And that’s all I got. I’m trying to meet my kiddos needs, over and above feeding and clothing them. Although that alone is a herculean effort. Plus I even change diapers. Multiple children’s diapers numerous times a day.  But if I could cover more than just the basics, it might reduce the amount in therapy that they will require. Or the number of blog posts they write about their childhood.