Ten Things I Find To Be True

About kids.

There are so many truths out there about kids. But don't worry. I narrowed mine down to ten. Is my list based on personal experience? Maybe. ;) Hopefully this will give you a chuckle for the weekend!

Kids---

1. Really do seem to have a label on them for every conceivable issue they have. Most of the time this is a good thing...you know, when a child actually does need help. But, sometimes, the problem is just that a kid is a spoiled brat. Learn to tell the difference.
2. DO learn from our example. Better make sure you're setting a good one. The whole do-as-I-say-NOT-as-I-do thing is BS. When the lovelies used to tell me I was setting a bad example, I told them to get a new mentor. That didn't work. Some of my bad habits have come back to bite me.
3. Are going to tell at least one lie to someone- a parent, teacher, friend... expect it. It. Will. Happen. And then people will look at you. Critically. 
4. Will rebel under certain circumstances. Trying to force a kid to do it your way will not work. Will. NOT.Work. At all. It's like giving them a reason to rebel. And to laugh at your stupidity. 
5. Will not listen to you or believe you if you are not consistent. Inconsistency in discipline will lead to you losing your credibility with a kid. Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no'. If you aren't going to stick with it, don't let the words out of your mouth to begin with. 
6. Can run faster than you. It would be best if you figured this out BEFORE they take off in a crowd. 
7. Find humor in a vast array of situations and words and in the way people look. And they will laugh right then and there. Loudly. And hysterically. And people will look at you. Critically.  
8. Will speak the truth about what they see. Right in front of the person they've observed. Loudly. 
9. Have no concept of time. Until it's related to something they want to do. 
10. Will ask all kinds of questions. But they'll only ask the embarrassing kind in public. Loudly. And they won't let up until you give them a satisfactory answer. 

Now, let's hear your list!

Full Nest Syndrome...For Real?

Did y'all know that there's actually something called Full Nest Syndrome? I didn't. Apparently, it's when not only your kids move back home but your aging parents do too. Wow. That would be quite an interesting experience. Especially in our cozy little house.

I don't have a Full Nest but I do have one that's been back with me this summer and will be here for a bit longer. I always assumed that having one of the lovelies come back home for a while would be a good thing. For me. You know, so I could do all those 'mom' things for her again. I really like doing 'mom' things for my girls no matter how old they get.

Having Birdie home has taught me that having one back in the nest is even better than I thought.

10 Benefits for the Mom:

1. You get to know your kid as an adult. And, I have to say, she turned out to be a wonderful young adult. (I'll have more on this later).
2. You don't have to entertain her. BUT she can entertain you!
3. You get to walk down memory lane with her. Which is great because then you hear all about the things you thought you could have done better were just fine with them and that the lessons were, indeed, learned.
4. You get caught up on all the current young adult phraseology. So that you don't have to keep saying things like 'peeps' or even further back from my own childhood with 'groovy' or 'Can you dig it?' or 'far out...dude'.
5. If you want to go out to breakfast you have someone to go with you without having to call a friend. Sorry Leslie (my BFF)--we'll go this week!
6. If you're missing an ingredient, she's here to run to the store for you.
7. It puts one more adult besides you in the house who actually cleans up after themselves.
8. When you finish up her laundry for her, she says, "Aw, thanks Mom!"
9. When you're frustrated about your weight and fitness, she's here to say, "You're doing great, Mom! We're all so proud of all you're doing!"
10. There's someone to criticize movies and television commercials with you. Birdie and I love to catch the grammatical errors in commercials. And both of us LOVE old movies but neither one of us likes 'Casablanca'.

It has also taught me that there are benefits for her as well.
 
10 Benefits for the Kid:

1. FREE rent.
2. FREE food.
3. FREE electricity.
4. FREE water.
5. FREE laundry service.
6. FREE morning coffee.
7. FREE maid service.
8. FREE dog care.
9. FREE lawn maintenance. 
10. FREE exposure to comedy---Birdie is shaking her head in the negative. She's hilarious too.

Yep. The benefits just keep on coming.

Have you ever had one move back in?