On Your Kids Being Upset When it's About You and Not Them

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I love days that are all about me, and I'm not afraid to admit it.  My birthday used to be a really big deal.  I declared a long time ago that I do not have a birthDAY, I have a birthMONTH.  Like any wonderful set of parents, mine went along with this for some unknown reason for years.  I guess they like me.  My husband, however, has reigned me in quite a bit.  The man would forget his own birthday every year if I wasn't here to remind him and to try to make it a big deal.  The idea of a birthday going on for a whole month was a bit too much for him to deal with.

Anyway, back to Mother's Day and mad children.  I woke up at 7 a.m. to a quiet house.  No kids were up yet!  Unheard of.  The day was off to a great start.  I quietly tried to sneak out to the kitchen and get myself a cup of coffee, but was stopped in my tracks.  I was wrong.  Camden was up and was going to come surprise me, so I had to get back in bed before I ruined everything.  Back to bed I went, still desperately needing my coffee.  There is a rule in this house:  coffee before Camden.  I guess rules are meant to be broken on special days.

In walks this adorable little girl.  She had her head down and shy smile on her face.  She walked up to the side of the bed and whispered, "Happy Mother's Day" and then turned to walk out again.  I made her come hug me (yes, I had to MAKE her), and started getting out of bed.  She stopped me with a look of death (she's good at those) and in a stern voice said, "Mommy!  No!  Ms Michele and Ms Paloma (her preschool teachers) said that you have to stay in bed all day and let us bring you stuff".  There was no doubt in her mind that this is what was going to happen.  My brain couldn't handle calmly addressing this child with that look on her face without coffee.  WHERE WAS MY COFFEE?  The hero of this story, Heath, chose that moment to walk in with a huge mug of deliciousness.  Camden got her wish (sort of) because I stayed in bed until the coffee was gone.  I got my wish...coffee.  Crisis averted.

The next Lynch kid to grace us with their presence was the cutest baby boy I've ever laid eyes on (I might be completely biased on this one).  He gave me a huge grin and ran to me for a hug.  My heart may have melted.

Enter the last of the Lynch kids to wake up.  Sulky Hannah.  She refused to come near me.  Heath tried to convince her to give me a hug.  She shook her head no and beelined it for another room where she sat with a frown on her face for the better part of an hour.  This particular Lynch kid has a really hard time dealing with days that are about someone else.  The idea of her as a teenager terrifies me.  Luckily, she eventually got over it and her incredibly sweet side came out.  I finally got my huge hug and some I love you's.

I had a special breakfast made by my man and my Camden.

I forced the kids to smile and take a picture with me.  I'm trying to create memories here, kids, work with me, please!!!  After a few takes, we finally got one...

I didn't have to bathe a single child yesterday.  I didn't clean a single dish, pick up a single toy, or worry about a single mess.  I had some Mommy drinks and went to bed with a fuzzy head, smiling face, and full heart.