Long Overdue

As a mom, I realize more and more each day how much gratitude I should have had all of my life for my own parents. I mean, I have always appreciated them and loved them. But I don't think I truly grasped what they have done for me. And the "thank you" hastily written in Mother's Day and Father's Day cards is not nearly enough. There is actually NOT enough in the world I could do or say to show my gratitude. But of course, I will try. Here are some thank you's long overdue...

• Thank you to my parents (mom especially) for allowing me to fill our house with friends, especially when I had giggly girls over for sleepovers. We just had our first "real" sleepover this past weekend for one of our girls. I was exhausted. (Getting the new puppy the day before was probably not the wisest move though she kept the girls entertained. :) I cooked and cleaned and cooked some more and cleaned some more. Then there is just the job of supervising, making sure everyone is safe and happy, etc. I wish I could be cool like my mom.
• Thank you for getting us a puppy, a busy one at that, when I was in junior high. Now that I am a puppy mom, I understand how much work they are. Oh, my kids help, and I probably did too. But getting up in the middle of the night, diligently taking the dog out, etc. is NO easy task, especially while still being the "mom", wife, and housekeeper.
  
• Thank you to my parents (dad especially) for the trips as a child. I remember trips to Disney World and to the World's Fair. I never knew how much work went into trips from reservations to mapping the trip (and back then without the aid of the Internet) to packing to the actual travel. And to my dad, I especially apologize for the giggling fits my sister and I would have in the hotel room when we were on the road. Now as a mom, I understand how tired you were not to mention how important it is to not disturb the people next to us.
  
• Thank you for making it look easy. Or maybe I shouldn't thank you for that. :) You made parenthood look easy. I don't remember you ever looking overly stressed or reading parenting books. You just knew what to do. Unfortunately, that gene wasn't passed on to me...
• Thank you to my mom for knowing how to get any stain out. I still call frequently for laundry and cooking questions.
• Thank you for chauffeuring me to my various activities as a child. Spending time behind the wheel, driving all over the place, when you would MUCH rather be at home is a sacrifice. I didn't know that until now.
• Thank you for answering my many questions and "What if's". I now realize exactly how much energy and brain power that took!
• Thank you for not screaming every time you tripped over a pair of my shoes, swept the floor after I ate, found socks within a few feet of the laundry basket. I now understand how much willpower that must have taken.
  
• Thank you for the family traditions you passed on. I completely understand passing them on and make every effort to do that in my own family but again, it is a lot of work.
• Thank you for loving me in my most selfish days, on the days I was most unlovable, and when I thought I knew more than you.
• Thank you for loving me for who I was rather than who you wanted to be. That doesn't come naturally (or at least to me) but I am thankful for the role model you provided so I (hopefully) do the same.

I know there is SO much more I could give thanks for, but I need to head to bed. This was a good start though...

More soon,
Reba