Play With Your Kids

I've abandoned my goal of getting my house in order. The two oldest adult children living in my house are now gone and they've taken their puppy with them. Hallelujah! No more shredded paper from one end of the house to the other when I get home. :)

Summer is here. I now get one day off a week...Fridays. Sunday doesn't count as a day off because I'm a pastor's wife. Sometimes that's more work than working. Yesterday was Chrissie's first Friday out of school so we had our first of a summer of just me and her Fridays. We decided to celebrate by going to the beach. This is a huge deal...I haven't gone to the beach since I grew out of my bathing suit over five years ago. Now, 50 pounds lighter, I am not mortified by the thought of wearing a bathing suit in public. Yee haw! We had a blast.

Chrissie and I got in the water and were playing volley ball with a beach ball. Which ever one of us missed when they shouldn't have would get splashed by the other. I know it doesn't sound fun, but a couple of kids asked if they could join us because we were having so much fun. They thought that I was Chrissie's sister. When I asked why they thought that, they said, because you guys were playing together. So I looked around and sure enough...I was the oldest person at the beach, but not a single younger mom was actually playing with their kids. The mothers of younger kids were just watching their kids. The mothers of kids Chrissie's age were wondering up and down the beach shops and checking on their kids every now and again. Kids that were driving age didn't even have a parent with them. I thought, "what a shame." Then I thought of how much time and fun I missed with Chrissie myself by letting her older brother and sister be her only playmates. It's only now that they're not around for the "family fun" that I am taking advantage of playing with Chrissie while she still wants me to.

When Chrissie and I got in the car, I commented on how funny it was that they thought that I was her sister. Chrissie is over thirty years younger than me. She said, "You always look younger when you're having fun." I thought, wow...she's right...we all do. The wisdom of thirteen year olds. :)

Parents...play with your kids while you still can. It is such a blessing.