Expectations - A Practicum

Is this what Thanksgiving is going to look like at your house?

Expectations: 

• Cozy car ride talking to each other and playing the alphabet game and singing Raffi songs.  

• Delicious home cooked nutritious meals where children try new foods and eat yellow and green and orange things.

• Getting to that pilates class & long walks after meals.  

• Playing board games and doing puzzles. 

• Combed hair, none of it in eyes, all of it in a hairband and no squabbles over styles or washing.

• Wearing the fancy & nice clothes Nana bought, all of it ironed, most of it unstained.  

• Loving and understanding relatives who honor, cherish and cheer for each other.  

• Sleeping in, oh I'm not crazy, I read that other post, Expectations 101, just a couple of mornings of uninterrupted sleep will do.             

Uh oh . . . . is this what we are really doing?

Reality:  

• Traffic, she is on his side, they don't like that song, every 35 minute bathroom breaks.   

• Carbs, sugar, booze, caffeine, carbs, more carbs. More booze, caffeine, carbs, lethargy, complaining, fat pants.

• Begging and pleading and even crying to get them off screens and standing up. 

• Lice.  

• Wrinkled shirt, I took that darn PEP class and let them pack, they forgot their khakis and now there is no choice but sweats for Thanksgiving dinner.  

• Snarky and gossipy relatives who judge the kids, the parenting, the lice, the sweat pants.  

• Four year old who wakes up at 4:30 am, urgent care, strep throat.

Expectations 101: Read it, learn it, try it, live it.