What the Heck?

My friend warned me. She said that they would grow older and more cynical. She warned that their targets would be us. Mom and Dad. She was right. She said to be careful, they do not miss a comment, a statement, or an action. Oh she was so right. Of course she was talking about our children. Her children are a few years older than ours, but are the about the distance apart in age. As they left for college and would come home on vacations, she would tell me of the comedy that would take place in her house. I didn't believe her. I was certain that my children would never pick up on silly things that my husband I would say or do, much less use them as ammunition for amusement. Oh was I wrong.

Our children and boy and girl are now about the ages that my friend's children were when she started to warn me. In her house, the dinner table was stage for her children to start their parody. In our house, it doesn't matter, any place, time or setting works. It seems my husband, their father, and I are prime real estate for entertainment. The sad thing is, it is funny. Watching and listening to them repeat phrases or lines that we have said, completely out of context makes for lots of laughter in our house.

The current favorite is "What the Heck?" I am well known for my misadventures at attempting to cook. Seems as I was preparing Thanksgiving dinner, I had a bit of an accident at the stove, something spilled and caught flame. My response was "What the heck?", and now those three words have become a favorite catch phrase. Today, as our son was decorating the Christmas Tree, he must have muttered it 10 times. I don't know. Every time he did, I laughed. So I say, why do I laugh as he is clearly making fun of me??

Our son manages to catch me completely off guard. As I am crocheting, or he is watching TV, or just reading, he will pop out a "What the heck?" and all of us will laugh. It is funny. Then our daughter chimes in with some inane statement, and he retorts "What the heck?" and we all laugh.

Children. At any age, they bring love into a home, and really do fill the house. I can't imagine my life without my children. My whole adult life has been about children. At first it was other people's children, as I am a teacher. Then my own. I am still teaching, and those "other" children are a huge part of my life, but not nearly as much as my own children.

God gives us our children for just a short time. We must care for them, teach them to judge right from wrong, and how to make good decisions. We must educate them, keep them healthy, and we must worry about them. Then suddenly we celebrate that dreaded 21st birthday, and realize that they are adults. Adults. How did that happen? With a little luck, we did give them that sense of right judgment, the confidence to be independent and the curiosity to never stop learning. We loved them, taught them to love, and to share that love. In return, we signed the lease. We wrote the agreement, and sealed the envelope. You see, when there is love, there is laughter. When there is laughter, love grows. As love grows, so do the bonds that tie a family together.

Children, regardless of their age, are what life is about.

What the heck.