One of these days
you’ll shout, “Why don’t you kids grow up and act your age?” And they will. Or, “You guys get outside and find something to do…and
don’t slam the door!” And they won’t. You’ll straighten up the boy’s bedroom neat and
tidy…bumper stickers discarded…spread tucked and smooth…toys displayed on the
shelves. Hangers in the closet…animals caged. And you’ll say out loud, “Now I want
it to stay that way.” And it will.
You’ll prepare a
perfect dinner with a salad that hasn’t been picked to death and a cake
with no finger traces in the icing and you’ll say, “Now,
there’s a meal for company.” And you’ll
eat it alone. You’ll say, “I want complete privacy on the
phone. No dancing around, no
pantomines, no demolition crews. Silence! Do you hear?” And
you’ll have it. No more plastic
tablecloths stained with spaghetti. No more bedspreads to
protect the sofa from the damp
bottoms. No more gates to stumble over at the top of the
basement steps. No more clothespins
under the sofa. No more anxious nights under a vaporizer
tent. No more sand on the sheets. No
more iron-on patches. No more knotted shoestrings, tight
boots or rubber bands for pony tails.
Imagine a lipstick with
a point on it. No baby sitter for New Year’s Eve. Washing only
once a week. No PTA meetings. No car pools. No one washing
her hair at 11 PM. Think about it!
No more Christmas presents out of toothpicks and library
paste. No more tooth fairy. No giggles
in the dark. No knees to heal, no responsibility.
Only a voice crying,
“Why don’t you grow up,” and the silence echoing, “I did!”
Author Unknown
