My Perfect Little Bubble

I've been a stay-at-home mom for 8 1/2 years now.  In that time, I've been lucky to not have to deal with the public and rush hour traffic.  Unfortunately, I always forget about traffic when I need to be somewhere in the evening.  I know I'm lucky.  I know I'm spoiled.  This early morning I got a call from my stepson asking me to help him by bringing his backup battery for his radio while on a job.  He gave me directions and I was on my way.

It was a foggy and rainy morning and as I approached downtown I was in awe of how the city looked.  Columbus isn't the prettiest city but from a distance, it's nice.  Perhaps I was more in awe of all the clouds.

Anyway!  As I approached the not-so-nice part of town I was reminded how lucky I (we) really am.  Condemned houses with rotting porches, siding falling off the sides of the houses, bars on the windows and icky weeds growing everywhere, I was a bit nervous driving through the streets.  Some of the houses even had for sale signs in the front yards.  Really?  I noticed one or two houses here and there were much better looking and wondered what kind of people lived in those houses, the ones where it looks like someone cares about their home amongst all the nastiness. 

That is something we've done with our older kids.  My husband and I would drive our teenagers through the nastiest parts of town and show them what life would be like for them if they don't go to college, get a good job and/or date a loser.  Ok, I hate that word but there's no better word to describe a man who has no values and goals.  And yes, we meant that for our sons, too so they didn't become one of "those" losers.  A breaking reality all of us need at one point or another in our lives to see how bad choices can really affect us.

As heartbreaking as it is to see how people can live like that, it's a blessed reminder of how lucky I am to have made good choices as a young adult.  I went to college and got a degree, got a good job and met an honest, loving and hard working husband who cares enough to work as hard as he does to keep us safe and loves us so much.

My stepson was very grateful for me dropping my morning routine to bring him his battery but I was even more grateful for the opportunity to see my blessings in action.  I have grown a huge and deep appreciation for this perfect little bubble that I've created for myself and my family and I don't ever want to leave.

Then as I send my youngest daughter to the time-out corner while I'm writing this post, and contemplating the idea of going back to work (not really), here's a cute story I heard on the radio while I was driving through nastiville, Ohio.

Moms were calling in the radio station about their bedtime routine struggles with their kids.  With all the questions and excuses kids come up with to get out of bed and not go to sleep, one mom warned her young daughter:


Mom:  "If you get out of bed one more time, I'm going to come up there and spank you."
Child:  "When you come up to spank me, will you bring me a cup of water?"

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