Throughout life, there’s a seemingly endless list of plot twists that leave you scratching your head. “How did that happen? That’s not what I signed on for!”
It happens over and over again in every area of your life. As a kid, you think, “Joining the volleyball team would be cool.” Then you make a mental list of all the things that are awesome about being on the team: You like the sport, you’ll be proud, you’ll get to leave school early some days to go to games, you’ll get to hang with your friends more, yada, yada, yada.
Then on the first day of practice, you find yourself running 50 laps around the gym and spend an hour just serving the ball at a wall… over and over and over. “Hey… that’s not what I signed on for!”
The theme carries on for the rest of your life. Going to college. Finding the “perfect” job. Getting married. And then… becoming a parent.
I had my mental list of all the awesome moments, handmade treasures and walls covered in framed memories. I’d be the best mommy ever to drive a minivan, and my kids would be darn-near Stepford-esque… but with contagious smiles and baseball trophies.
I look back now and laugh at the Utopian image I’d painted in my mind. My reality is a little more “real” than that. My mental list was pretty accurate, only not what I had pictured. The awesome moments are more interesting, like my son using a tissue instead of my sleeve. My handmade treasures have thus far translated to peanut butter scribbles on my fridge door (Note: There was no paper involved). My walls are indeed covered in framed memories, such as my infant son screaming bloody murder, because Grandpa’s booming laugh scared him awake from a dead sleep.
I’ve given up the dream of best-mommy-ever fame and embraced that I’m human and not in a competition with other breeders. My kids aren’t meticulously manicured from head to toe. I’m totally OK with the fact that I have about two hours between meals and snacks where all three have clean faces. I was, however, spot on about the contagious smiles.
As for the baseball trophies, time will tell, and honestly, I’m a winner either way. I’ve often thought, “Hey, that’s not what I signed on for,” but it’s always followed with a goofy grin. The truth is, it’s exactly what I signed on for… and I love every chaotic minute of it.
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