A couple of weeks ago, I asked if you had any questions for me.
Partially because I know I always have questions (in general) and also because I sometimes struggle with what to blog about. If something else pops up that you want to ask, leave me a comment.
If you were responsible for picking each of your children’s careers, which jobs would you choose for them?
In all honesty, I really don’t care what my kids do for a living…as long as they do it to the glory of God. If it’s a lawyer, a hairdresser, a doctor, or a mechanic. I just want them to work hard, use their talents, and serve our great God in every detail of their lives.
That being said, if I had to guess just based on personalities so far, I would say that Henry is either gonna be an engineer or a mechanic. He loves science and math and figuring out how things work and how they fit together mechanically. So if it turns out that he likes the academic “paper” side of that kind of thinking, I can totally see him being an engineer of some kind (like his Daddy)…but if he’s more of a hands on, not so great at the school part of stuff, I can see him being a really rockin’ mechanic. Neither is better than the other…so long as he does each with a happy heart and with the right motivations.
Lucy is SUCH a mama. She’s a firecracker of a kid with a HUGE personality and a hearty laugh to match…but she has, by far, the most tender, compassionate, loving side of her than any of my kids. It’s an interesting dichotomy. I’m not entirely sure what that will mean for her when it comes to a job in the future. But I have a feeling it will have something to do with caring for others (whether it’s in the form of a SAHM or some kind of ministry or being in the medical/therapy field, I’m not sure….she’s is only TWO after all!).
The jury’s still out on Jilly. She has changed SO SO SO much in the last three months. With her new medications, we are seeing this completely different personality coming out of her. What was once a quiet, mellow child is now a little one filled with spunk, sass, and all kinds of silly. And did I mention girlfriend is LOUD?! Loud. She has found her voice and it’s apparently a big one! She is literally a different kid and every week we feel like we’re getting to know a whole new little person. So, I’ll let you know in a few years…for now, I’m just trying to keep up with her!
How’s preschool going for Henry?
Henry started out with a few little difficulties in the beginning, but now that it’s been a few months, I think he’s found his groove. He’s a quirky kid though. He is a TOTAL homebody. I am not kidding you when I say that if I didn’t leave the house even one time for three months…he would be a happy child. He’s not anti-social or awkward at all. He’s not shy. He’s not anxious. He has lots of friends and I’m always shocked at the flurry of “HENRY’S HERE!!!” he gets when we walk into the classroom (from both boys and girls). He really likes his teachers. He doesn’t complain about it. So it’s not any of that kind of a thing. Truly.
He just prefers to be home. PERIOD.
It is not unusual to be at Toys R Us and have him say “Mommy, are we almost done now? Can we go home?”
He has even begged to go home while we were at Disneyland. DISNEYLAND. Not because he wasn’t having fun or because it was hot or even because we had to stand in line too long. He just wanted. to. be. home.
So, to answer your question in the form of a conversation with him:
“Do you like school, Henry?”
“Yeah. But I like staying home better.”
“But don’t you like playing with all of your friends and play games and stuff?”
“Yeah. It’s fun. But I like staying home with you and the sisters better.”
“So, if Mommy told you you didn’t have to go back, you would be happy?”
The kid LIT up like a lightbulb: “I don’t have to go back?! I can just stay home?!”
“No. You have to keep going. I was just asking.”
“Oh. Alright. I guess that’s okay. Maybe next year I can stay home.”
And let me be clear: we don’t do fun stuff at home. I am not the mama who crafts all day and builds legos with her kids for hours. No. Not at all. In fact, I would say we are downright boring. But the kid apparently likes boring. At this point I’m making him go because I think he needs the nudge out of his comfort zone…
What is your favorite quality about your husband? Do you think your relationship with him should come first before the kids?
My husband believes in me. It doesn’t matter what crazy, hair brained idea I have, or what bizarre project I have up my sleeve, he never questions whether or not I can accomplish it. The time I worked 40+ hours a week and had a baby Henry and out of the blue said “Hey, I think I want to go to Law School.” He didn’t even bat an eye. His response: “Okay, where would you do this and do you have a plan for how to pay for it?” That’s it. He didn’t laugh. He didn’t ask why. He didn’t think I was crazy. In fact, he knew I could do it. He just wanted to know how the details would work out. That’s it. I could seriously blurt out that I want to get my pilot’s license tomorrow and he’d say “Cool! But it’s expensive, so you’ll have to figure out how to pay for lessons.” His question would never be “are you sure you can do that?” or “do you think you’re technical enough for that?” or even “why would you want to do that?”…he’d just want to know what my PLAN was to carry it out. Sometimes this can be frustrating because when I say I can’t do something or don’t have time or it’s too hard…he doesn’t buy it. He’s kind of a “if you want it bad enough, you can do it” kind of guy. Empowering sometimes, annoying others. Kinda depends on my motivations.
A close second is that he’s always trying to be better. A better dad, a better husband, a better friend. He’s always evaluating, discussing and reviewing how he does things and how to make it better. Although in retrospect, it does go hand in hand with my first paragraph…
As for the relationship part of the question: Yes, I do believe our relationship should come first. That being said…that doesn’t always play out in real life. We’re in the trenches of parenthood right now with dirty diapers and sticky fingers and snotty noses. In the form of “date nights” or that kind of thing, we don’t get out as often as we’d like, and while our relationship is at a really great spot right now, we could use some more intentional one on one time. It’s a season of life for us right now. Being pregnant on top of it all makes me extra tired and my bedtime has been ridiculous early so even the evening times we used to hang out are non-existent. That being said, we’re at a good place right now…but if we weren’t, we would for sure be buckling down and trying to figure it out…because yes, I think that if mama and daddy are happy…everyone is happy. Kids pick up on stress and frustration (even if you don’t argue in front of them)…so it’s important to address your relationship first.
What are YOUR answers to these questions?
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so sweet. My oldest boy is like your Henry – just loves being home. my younger boy (Henry) could stay out forever. adventurous. Isn’t it fun to see their different personalities – same home, same parents, completely different. And I love what you said about your husband.
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I can’t wait to see what personality my little baby girl will have. Loved reading your responses!
What I admire about my husband is that he has never once put me down in front of another person (not friends, not his family, anyone). I can always count on him to be my biggest fan. He doesn’t poke fun of me in front of others (unless it is something we both KNOW is ok, like my tendency to be OCD about organization, ha) nor does he laugh at me or make me feel stupid in front of others. I also appreciate the way he always reaches out to those he doesn’t know or someone new (for example – new couples that join our Sunday school class). He hates seeing people sit alone or leave a room without speaking to anyone, and so is always the first to reach out and introduce himself.
Brittnie (A Joy Renewed)´s last blog post ..Love Yourself Challenge. . . week 6
Oh man…I thought my kid was the only one who liked being home so much!!! and he doesn’t even have siblings! He seriously just wants to be home all the time.
Really sweet about your husband. Reading that made me feel like I need to be that way more with my hubs. He has grandiose ideas and dreams and I don’t support him like I probably should. I’m a practical thinker and I like to keep things simple. He is very elaborate and detailed and thinks BIG. Humble pie for me :)
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