They are all home!!! I am so happy. They run around, nip and bite at each other like little puppies...and they are all ages 14 and up. The noise, the mess, the chaos...it is so good. That I feel this way surprises me somewhat ( I do love neatness and order), but not a lot.
I have never been one of those moms who couldn't wait for her kids to get into school all day and couldn't wait for her kids to go off to college. I am also not insane. I relish the quiet of some days and look very forward to silence and getting things straightened up...for a brief moment until they get home. But I always have thought that I will miss the cacophony of boy-ness when they are all on their adult ways.
The"Social Order" has emerged again. The older two are off at school out of state, so the younger two have their rituals. For example, if the youngest is in the front seat and we pick up his older brother, it is a given that he will move. Why? Well, because he'll get his bum yanked out of the front seat eventually, so why not do it before it's done for him? Control is key, and the youngest pretty much has none. (I delude myself into thinking that I actually have some, but that's a whole other column).
So now the older two are home, putting the third and former kingpin in his place. And of course the older two also need to establish "order." The eldest drives the car he wants, the second eldest gets the "other" one...which just so happens to be MINE but is not as cool as the stick shift. Before anyone thinks there's an eight car garage filled with cars to pick from, prior to the untimely death of our ancient Volvo, there was not a car in our arsenal with less than 135,000 miles on it. We are talking cars that NEVER came with big red bows on them.
Then there is the Man Cave. The futon in the Man Cave is coveted. Even IF the second oldest had arrived home first, there would have minimally been a wrestling match for it. The oldest is strong. He also arrived home first. Why is the futon so coveted? It's view of the TV, of course, and it is pretty comfortable. The list goes on.
The dynamics have been fun to watch. I have not had to mediate (or bring in the cold hose) yet. These are the good old days.
Happy holidays!!
