Why I Do The Things I Do

Monday through Friday I am up, dressed and drinking coffee by 6:30a.  Providing that I'm super quiet and have some luck on my side, I can usually get 20-30 minutes to myself before any of the kids wake up for the day.  This is the only "me" time I get until the kids are in bed for the night.
The job description listed under my "stay-at-home mom" label is more lengthy than most people realize.  I am in high demand from 7:00a straight through until 8:00p.  I am my kids personal assistant:  I'm their cook, teacher, entertainer, playmate and much, much more.  I do a lot, give a lot and care a lot because I want to.
I am their school because I do not believe in our education system.  I want them to learn the things that they want to learn.  It's very important to me that they're able to be children.  They should be running, playing and discovering the world hands on versus sitting in a building for 6-7 hours every day.
I am their daycare because I'm fortunate enough to be able to stay home with them and also because I have no desire to have someone else spending more time with them than myself.
In the past I've been accused of being too over protective, of being too involved.  To me that's like saying there's such a thing as having too much money.
I could be an "in a minute" parent, but I choose not to be.  Whether it's setting up Playdough or Paints, Puzzles or Games, Animal Farms or Train Sets - when the kids ask to do something I rarely answer with "in a minute".  In my opinion the television provides little more than babysitting services, which is why my kids are rarely allowed to watch it.  I much prefer to see them using their imaginations, reading and playing versus sitting in front of the t.v.
The way I see it is quite simple:  I asked for these children.  Their well being is my responsibility.  I want them to grow up being kind-hearted, generous, and selfless.  I want them to grow up to be honest, trustworthy and productive citizens.  I want them to look (and stand) outside of the box.  I want them to be leaders, not followers.  And, like most parents, I want them to make a difference.  When I want for something big I work hard for it and that is what I'm doing as a parent.  I'm working hard to achieve these goals.  Can it be demanding, exhausting and challenging?  Of course.  But it's also rewarding in ways that words cannot adequately express.  When I witness my 9 year old holding the door open for someone without needing to be prompted to do so, when my 4 year old sits at the kitchen table and asks if she can write a letter to a family member and when my 2 year old says "bless you!" when she hears someone sneeze I know that my hard work is paying off.
I used to worry about me and Jim's ways of parenting because it almost seems non-traditional compared to others but I've long since realized that what works for one family may not necessarily work for another.  Our ways of parenting simply work for us, as a family. 
Our children are not - by any means - perfect.  They bicker and fight with each other; while Kyle has tons of patience for Savannah he has absolutely ZERO for Bella to the point where lately I find myself having to remind him to be nice and to be polite to both of his sisters.  For the longest time he genuinely enjoyed playing with Bella.  They were always doing something together: playing with Lego's, painting, searching for bugs etc.  There was a time where the age difference between the two of them (5 years) seemed non-existent.  But then, quite suddenly, that age gap widened.  Kyle seemed to grow up - and grow older - almost overnight.  Now a days he prefers to play by himself (or with friends) in his room.  He still gets lost in 'imagination world' but on a different level than that of Bella's.  The problem with this is that Bella simply doesn't understand why he doesn't want to play with her anymore.  After all, she spent a good 3 years being his shadow!  That being said, interestingly enough, Savannah is working hard to become Bella's new "favorite" playmate.  In many ways the two girls are a lot alike; they are both head strong and independent by nature.  They share similar interests.  And just as Bella looks up to Kyle, Savannah looks up to Bella.  But they, too, fight.  The words "Sharing Is Caring!" are exchanged multiple times through-out our day.  When they get along - they get along great, but when they're fighting it's like dealing with a mini out-of-control circus, with Bella as the ring leader.  Sometimes she is nothing but trouble - and a huge instigator.  It's never a good thing when she disappears in the house - with Savannah in tow - and things fall quiet.  Quiet, in my house, means trouble.  It means a million tissues pulled out of the box and thrown in a big "pillow pile" on the living room floor.  It means the bathroom sink is full of toy animals, with water spilling out everywhere.  It means the beds have been stripped right down to the mattress for no reason other than "it's fun".  9 times out of 10 it means work for me.  The girls are definitely "partners in crime" but I guess I don't see that as being such a bad thing.  If nothing else they help to keep our home lively!
The challenges I face with my kids on a daily basis differ from most others and are of little significance at that.  We don't have issues with things like clothing (Kyle has no idea what "skinny jeans" are) or them asking for money to do stuff like going to the movies or out to eat.  They are incredibly low-maintenance when it comes to things like that.  Bullying, peer pressure and other school related things are (gratefully) non-existent for us.  Our issues fall more within the lines of things like - the girls wanting the same purple crayon, even though we have 100 more that are identical..or Kyle trying to negotiate how much school work he has to do on any given day (i.e. if I do ten extra spelling sentences can I skip math??).  I deal with questions like "Why can't I tie jump rope around Ruby and Savannah?", "Why do I have to put away my clothes right now?" and "Why can't I have pasta with butter for breakfast, lunch and dinner?"   All minor things, compared to others.
And at the end of the day, despite how tired and run down I feel (and look!), I know that I gave my kids my absolute all.   Would I love to spend an entire day laying in bed, eating pizza & watching chick flicks?  Absolutely.  Would I love to sit and read a good book without being constantly interrupted?  Sure, who wouldn't?  But for now there are Playdough Cupcakes to be made, Seashells to be painted, games of Battleship to be played.  Someone needs to be taught how to do fractions while another needs to learn how to read and still another needs to learn the meaning behind "Sharing Is Caring"!
Their health, their happiness, their entire lives mean everything to me and I hope that someday, when they're "all grown up", my kids will look back and say "My Mom was always there for me".  That's what I want and that's Why I Do The Things I Do.