Growing up

There are many benefits to having boy/girl twins, but one that I put at the top of the list is that it makes it extremely easy for me to NOT raise a girly girl. I, myself, am not a girly girl, despite being acceptably feminine. I like pink, but I also like blue, green and red. I like dresses, but not exclusively. Shorts and pants suit me just fine.  I like painting my toe nails, but I would rather be doing something else active if given the choice and opportunity.

My daughter has shown signs of being a lot like me in this way. She likes her pink clothing (most of which we inherited, not bought) but is quite happy when her t-shirt is blue. She likes her dolls, but she also loves trucks and cars. She can “vroom” with the best of them. You go girl!

Whenever we are out in the car, the hunt is on, for both kids. They search for cars, trucks, busses, you name it… they are constantly on the lookout and damn they’re good. I used to question when they claimed to see a truck that I didn’t see. Now, if I don’t see it, I assume I missed it and it was actually there. The best part is HOW they say it. They don’t state it, question it… they SQUEAL it. Pure joy. It’s like they have no idea that ANYTHING in the world could be cooler than finding that particular truck. Oh right, until the next one. Every time… “More busses”, “more trucks”, “more cars”. Since I rarely drive on quiet roads, and our neighborhood is just off an industrial road, I provide my kids with a veritable array of such moving vehicles every time we go out. Yeah, I’m cool like that!

When we saw school busses in the past, I would tell the kids that one day they were going to go on a school bus, and mommy was going to cry. (If you haven’t already figured this out, I’m a total sap. I WILL be that mom who can’t wear makeup the day I put my kids on the bus for the first time. They don’t make waterproof to that level without going stage makeup. J) I stopped saying that when one day I spotted a bus and my daughter’s instant reply was “mommy cry”. Oh crap. Can’t have her saying that…

What’s my point? I don’t want my kids to grow up.

Despite their inane toddler habits that drive me up the wall, I love them like this. I love the earnest looks that cross their faces when they concentrate really hard. I love the way they laugh at nothing, just because laughing is fun. I love that their Pooh bears are considered a life essential. And I will cry when that passes, because I will miss it terribly, despite the joys of the next stage of development.

I have been working part time for quite a while now, bringing in a part time nanny to watch the kids when I am at work. She was wonderful, a fantastic match for me and my family. But she lacks one specific detail that cannot be ignored. She’s not a preschool and she cannot provide us the social interaction that a pre-school can. And that’s not her fault.

This coming fall, my children will be in part time preschool. I was already excited about it, but I am even more so now. Why? Because their teachers came to our house for a home visit recently and they are wonderful. Fun, organized, relaxed, easygoing… clearly these women are made to teach young toddlers. A dear friend of mine, who has twins the same age, will have her kids in the same class as mine. I love this.

But I can’t get around one little detail. My kids are going to school. I know… it’s not school. It’s preschool. Pre… as in before. Preparatory. Preparation. But it still gets me. They’ll have a backpack. A backpack. Really? Ok, so the backpacks have Dora and Elmo, but that’s not the point. The point is that they are moving on to the next stage. And one day, they will get on that school bus, wave good bye and not look back. And that’s great, but it’s also sad. When they say the best favor you can do for your kids is grow them strong wings, they don’t account for hard it is to watch the flying process.

Parenthood is not for the weak.