Traveling Home

by Michelle Bermas | More from this Blogger

23 Jul 2006 03:24 PM

I confess, most of the time I think I have to go somewhere to have fun. I'm a gypsy and I love to travel. My husband Harry agrees. Not that we don't have wonderful times at home, but home is connected to work, responsibility, phone calls, bills, cleaning....It's also my sanctuary but that's a different article. It's easier to imagine endless exploration, hotels and adventures outside our black front door.

On Saturday we had a big, successful yard sale. Today, Sunday, we planned to do outside chores like mowing the grass and weeding my garden. However, Tegan, 1, wants to practice walking and Riley, 3 ½ complained it was too hot to go in his kiddie pool. He wanted to go inside and watch Stanley, a Disney cartoon. We've been battling over how much tv he wants to watch and it's a major power struggle on a daily basis.

Luckily I turned on the sprinkler for my flower garden. "Come jump in the sprinkler with me. Are you brave enough?" I said.

Riley's face lit up. I grabbed the video camera and we began to dip a toe into the sprinkler. Then an arm. Soon I was spitting out mouthfuls of water reaching for my son's slippery ankle, roaring like a tiger. We held hands and ran, giggling and screaming. I lost my inhibition, the usual "What will people think?" I forgot all about the weeds, the lawn, the hundreds of other things I have to do and fit into the weekend. I didn't stop to put on a bathing suit. Harry, yelled like a girl when he and Riley danced in the water. We only said, "No" when Riley brought the hose INSIDE the house!

I didn't stop to organize any of it. I swear I'm not a type A mother but sometimes it's hard to give up control of my title, Cruise Director of the Mother Ship. You know the drill, "Welcome aboard, I'm in charge. "Now it's time for a bath...ten minutes until we leave for the library...we're meeting your friends on the playground soon."

Instead we rolled around in the grass, ants and other critters be damned, and had fun. It seemed too simple. Want to connect to your family on a summer day? Just add water. We screamed, leapt, dove, cannon balled and squirmed into the spray of the water. It was exhilarating.

Two hours later I stood dripping in my bathroom, grass and dirt clinging to my legs before showering. I felt content. I want to remember that it doesn't take much to make our kids happy right now. I read that fact in magazines, I know that and yet, I forget.

Also, it doesn't always have to be a trip to make me happy or to provide escape either. The breeze, the gentle sun, my kids laughing, that's what I needed. We saw three butterflies today and tonight I have to look up why walruses have flippers, and what seals eat besides fish...it's a good life.

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