Cats and children

Someone recently gave me some interesting advice. She said, “Make sure that you don’t have toys all over your house. Just let the kids play in one area only and the rest is adult rooms.” I found this funny from a woman who had cats.

Clearly, I did not follow the advice, for if you walk any and every room in my house there will be some form of child paraphernalia. Yes, even the bathroom has bath toys and even the kitchen has been known to host a figurine of some form in a bowl or drawer somewhere. To me, this isn’t a huge issue, simply because if you asked me, my children are the center of my home. They are the reason I now have a family versus just a couple living in a house being able to afford lavish vacations, remodeling and expensive vehicles and bizarre hobbies…sky diving anyone? Instead, I will pay way too much for diapers, freak out about paying for college and making sure that the boys have an appropriate balance of interesting things to do, as well as intelligent things to do.

Perhaps it’s just my version of being a mom, where some messes are allowed (as much as my poor husband stares at me thinking I’m nuts while he suffers through it) and clean up is expected. Hey, if you’re going to make a mess you can at least help me clean it up even if you are two. But, I think at the end of the day, when my children grow up, they won’t be telling stories of how objects and room where more important than they were. Plastic couch covers, anyone? I mean, yes, we don’t destroy things, and yes, we do try to keep order, but will there be the occasional jumping on the bed while supervised? Sure. And will there be the occasional running across the couch even though, you’re not supposed to and you could fall? Yep. And if that makes me a mom not to that person’s expectation, and if she comes to my house some day and gawks at the sheer child presence, then so be it. We can compare how well adjusted my children are to her cats in about 18 years.