“Waiting Is Not Easy”

I wanted to take a second to remember this story because it was soooo funny to me and I don’t want to forget it.

Last night, I brought Conor and Caden to the dollar store to have them pick out some presents for their brothers. I gave them each a $5 dollar bill and I told him to look throughout the store for things that they would like for their brothers - NOT themselves.

As we were leaving the store, I told the boys we needed to wait for Christmas to open these presents. We were not going to play with them when we got home. I told them that waiting was not fun and that waiting is not easy.

Saying these words out loud reminded me of a book called “waiting is not easy”. I told them that we actually owned that book and that later that night I would read that book to them. Hours went by and I started dinner. And then I started bedtime. After they all had a bath, we talked about reading a bedtime story. Typically the boys now read me a short story and then I read one to all of them.

I asked all three boys what book they wanted to read. Caden immediately said “Harold and the purple crayon”. This is one of my kids favorite books. My sister got this for them when they were babies because it is her favorite book. Then all of a sudden the twins started asking me where the “be patient” book was and I was completely baffled. I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

Then Conor started explaining the book a little bit more and he said “you know mom, the be patient book”. And then Caden said, “yeah mom, you know”. While I wanted to know, I stared at them dumbfounded. They laughed a little - trying to understand why I had no clue what they were talking about. We all laughed a little. Conor adorably tried to explain it more. And I asked him if it was something they had asked Grammy about. Or if it was something that Grammy had told them about. I WAS SO CONFUSED.

They eventually said at the same time “no mom, it’s something we talked about after we left the store”. I asked them to describe the book more. They couldn’t. And I couldn’t figure out what they were trying to describe. After a solid 10 minutes Caden said something like “you know, that “be patient book - something about it not being fun”. And then it hit me!!!! FINALLY!!!! I said “ahhhhh, the waiting is not easy” book. I DIED LAUGHING because how could I forget??? I literally just talked about it a few hours before.

But let me tell you, my days are insane. I think/worry about the boys, their schedules, their health, their progress, what day it is, are they doing well, are they staying safe, and are they having fun. I worry about me and Jim just the same - and our schedules, and work. I worry about what’s for dinner - did we get enough presents - when are we seeing my parents for Christmas - etc. YOU GET IT. My mind is constantly racing and I am tired. All the time.

None of that matters. Kids listen. They soak everything up and they KNOW what you are saying (even if you don’t know what you’re saying haha). They hear you and they remember stuff. In short, I am so proud of them for listening, understanding, remembering, and being patient with me last night. It was so funny. We all had a good laugh.