I've Always Loved My Children (But I Only Just Recently Started to Like Them)

It would be untrue for me to say I fell in love with my children the moment I first saw them at birth.

From a practical perspective, honestly, they were not exactly initially visually appealing. I was tired and hungry or in the case of my son, unconscious, so I missed that first sighting. I fell in love with them the first time I held them. That part was easy.

It’s Liking them that has taken a while.

Most offended when I brought this up, the Piranhas, as I call my three (they power through groceries and annual stock of Girl Scout Cookies much like those voracious fish) began to pepper me with questions as to when I began to Like them and who was Liked first. Their shock and disbelief that they weren’t Liked all along as they understand it to mean, took a while to dispel.

Getting to Like them was more of a gradual realization than an exact date and time, I explained. And it isn’t an easy Facebook thing that they are familiar with.  In the past when they were younger, as with any parent, I was too busy attempting to keep them safe, fed and socially acceptable to get to really know them at that level. I looked forward to donating blood and going to the dentist just to have a relaxing (such as that is) moment to myself.  

Now that they are older, I like hanging out with them. I have Glee in common with my girls and I borrow their jeans and Sperrys….when they let me. My son and I, wired similarly, share our common bond of being easily distracted combined with outrageously high energy. He can out talk me though. I find the three of them to be very interesting, humorous people that, although flawed in that they cannot seem to clean their rooms or hang up a wet towel after using it, I like spending time with. I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure they laugh WITH me more than AT me.

They know I’m their biggest fan.

That’s probably the principal part of coming around to Liking them—they Like me.

Well, most of the time.