You know what the baby books never told us: A note on COMPROMISE

by | May 15, 2013 | Parenting/Family | 6 comments

You know what the baby books never told us?

I never, never, never, no not EVER once read a chapter that stated,

There will be a point when you pick up a {the heavens only knows how old} Goldfish cracker off your van floor… and without thought nor care… YOU WILL PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH AND EAT IT. Why???? Because it’s easier to eat an old Goldfish cracker than locate a trash can. IN THAT MOMENT using your own stomach as a trash can is far more palatable than having to think about what to actually do with the cracker.

Why did you even bother to pick up that one lonely old Goldfish cracker???

NO ONE KNOWS. Scientists believe they are close to finding an answer, but at the writing of this book, the research has been inconclusive. Most parents don’t even LIKE cheesy crackers, so the phenomenon is puzzling.

Have you ever done that?

Maybe it’s just me.

MAYBE I really HAVE lost my ever-loving mind.

I remember that day I picked up that cracker and popped it in my mouth. As soon as it hit my tongue I JOLTED back to reality.

“I didn’t know I was speeding, Officer!”

One thing I have learned and continue to learn is …. raising kids = compromise.

Half the time you don’t even know it. You just do it.

For world/home/life peace.

Intentional or not intentional, one compromise leads to another and another and another and next thing you know you are eating old crackers from the floor of your minivan.

Oh.

Did you catch that?

MINIVAN.

Compromise of ALL compromises, yes?

In their boxy defense, minivans are hard to beat. Sliding doors, trunk space, and sometimes a DVD player.

An aside, have you seen Mom My Ride?

Compromise smells really sweet when noisy, fighting, whiny kids are silenced by the hypnotizing light of the minivan DVD screen.

Other compromises I have seen in my own life as raiser of children is:

• Socks. My sock drawer used to be so orderly and *together*. BAWAHAHAHA. As hard as I’ve tried
   to get our family of 5 sock situation sorted… we just seem to all pull from “The Great Basket of
   Socks”.
• Potty privacy. You still want it, but… COMPROMISE.
• Furniture and walls without sharpie drawings. This isn’t even a compromise. This is just
   FACT.
• Pride-in-general.  See here, here, and oh how about here.

One last thought… is it compromise if you don’t have a choice? See also: potty privacy.

How about you? Do you have examples of your own? Or… Uh oh. Don’t tell me this has only happened to me…

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