Breakin the Rules

Have you ever felt as a mother you sure have a lot of rules? Some days I feel like I am constantly reminding my children of our household rules: clear your dish when you're finished eating, take care of your clothes after you shower, hang up your backpacks when you come home from school, no fighting, no rough-housing, no playing ball in the house; the list goes on and on. I remember growing up with similar rules and I couldn't help but think my mom needed to chill out a little.

Well, the other day I decided I needed to chill a little myself. I had had an especially rough week and was feeling quite unsuccessful as a mother, wife, author, neighbor, etc. My two older children had been given the ultimate punishment of having to spend the afternoon with each other, rather than their friends, because they had been quarreling a lot. I was in the kitchen trying to prepare dinner and listening to the two of them argue over how long they were going to spend on each activity, and I found myself cringing over a few of their ideas, namely, playing crab soccer in the living room and then tackle football. Pondering about how to change their minds without sounding like a nagging mother, a wonderful idea occurred to me, and all of a sudden I found myself leaving kitchen duty to play football with my kids--right in my living room. Then we lined up against the fireplace and played "Run, fishy, run" and worked up a sweat chasing each other across the room. My children were in shock (as was my husband), but it felt so good to just let go and be a kid again.

In short, we broke most of my "no rough housing" rules, but we had the best time ever! And I decided that sometimes, rules are made to be broken. It was the highlight of my kids' day--and mine. So, the next time you're having a less-than-perfect day, may I suggest throwing aside a few of your rules, letting go a little, and showing your kids you're not too old to have a little fun!