One of THOSE parents

Okay, I admit it.  I have become one of THOSE kinds of parents.  You know, the ones who can't ever seem to find anything to talk about other than their children.

Yep, I'm so there.  And I don't even really know how it happened.

But I do have some ideas.

First of all, as any parent can tell you, parenting is an all-consuming sort of job.  I seriously don't even remember what it was like to be able to spend even a moment thinking only about myself or something I was interested in without constant interruption Moooom, can you get me some water?  He's looking at me!  Can I have a snack?  Moooooom, look at this!.  (As a side note, I am planning to spend one day counting how many times I hear "Mom"~I'm just curious.  I'll report back on that one.)  Or without stopping to think through someone else's schedule.  Or without worrying for a moment that I've forgotten to do, send, pack, sign, schedule, attend something crucial.  As my husband can tell you, even when we get an evening together, I can't seem to step back from my job as mom.  I do try.  I promise.  But as it turns out, a mind in motion stays in motion and whatever skill it take to stop it, well, I just don't possess it.  At least not yet.

Okay, so there's that.

And then there's the fact that I have spent my life working with kids and I truly like them.  This goes for anyone's kids.  I find all children to be interesting and fun so of course I find my own to be exceptionally so.  They are funny and entertaining.  They have interesting ideas.  They tell great stories.  I am fully aware that not everyone will share my views on this one and that's okay.  But I'll probably still slip in a few anecdotes starring my kids while we're talking. 

But I think the biggest reason, and the one that worries me the most, is that I don't have much else to talk about right now.  Our kids are still relatively small, so caring for them takes almost all of my energy and time, meaning I don't do much of anything that doesn't involve them.  I am hoping that this will improve somewhat with time.  As they grow, presumably they will want to spend more time away from us, more time with friends.  (Those of you with older children, if you find that this isn't true, please don't tell me.  I just don't need to know right now.)  As they begin to spend more time away from home, I will find things to do with my time and those things, with any luck at all, will make for more interesting conversation than what my three-year-old did at 5 am. 

Of course, if you are interested in what he did at 5 am, I would be happy to tell you all about it!