Monday, April 9, 2007

It's not all about me

I'm starting to realize that there are numerous things I enjoyed much more as a child than I do as a mom. These are the things I feel I should let my kids experience because I enjoyed them so much, but don't really want to do because the selfish side of me wants to do something more fun.

There are many things I do enjoy as a mom: playing dolls, Barbies, make-believe, all holidays and traditions that go with them (for the most part), singing, dancing, being silly, watching cartoons, going for walks, playing outside, outings to the zoo, the children's museum, going to the playground, to name a few.

Then there are the aforementioned things that either turn my brain to goo (singing the same song over and over or reading the same book we've already read twice) or terrify me (swimming pools, high places, amusement park rides). All things that amused me as a child, but not as a mom.

The latest in this long line of requisite childhood goings on that I do not enjoy nearly as much as I did in my developmental years: dying Easter eggs. We got about halfway into this project and I realized that I was not enjoying myself and wasn't really sure why were even doing it. Between my constant wiping off of the counter (man, that stuff can stain) and Brenna screeching, "Why are you doing it all?! Why can't I do anything?!?!?!", it was not pure entertainment. It just wasn't.

They are cute.









And Brenna ended up having fun. She thought the pink ones were pretty and liked drawing on them with a white crayon and then seeing how it looked after they were dyed. Overall, pretty much a success. Just not nearly as fun as I remembered.

When we were done, I was stumped. What do you do with all of these eggs? Huh. Really stumped. I actually called my sister-in-law, "What am I going to with all of these *$%#! eggs in my fridge?". She just laughed at me. "Well...egg salad is always a good choice", she said.




A delicious option. I must say, it was pretty darned good salad for my first try. It certainly made dying eggs a much more profitable pursuit.

There are just things, I guess, that I won't enjoy as much as my kids. As much of an adult kid as I always consider myself, I suppose there are just some things that won't have the same sparkle as they once did. I will do them, not for myself, but for the kids. Novel idea.

So be it. At least my kids will have those same fond memories and will hopefully want their own kids to have such fun some day.

After all, that's what it's all about.

8 comments:

N. said...

I can not do dyed easter eggs. My mom made them when I was 5 because we begged her. Then to use up the eggs she made egg salad sandwiches for lunch - with the blue eggs. They looked horrible. Electric blue goop between slices of Wonder Bread. I refused to eat it. It reappeared at dinner. At breakfast the next morning. And lunch again. I'm still scarred. I've never eaten egg salad. I've never dyed an egg again. So my kids will never have this experience. I'm selfish that way.
This concludes today's therapy session. Thanks for reading.

Melanie D. said...

Ah ha ha ha!!! I had to scrape off a good chunk of the whites to get the color off!!! I didn't want funky colored egg salad. I read one recipe that said cut out some egg yolks to make it healthier. Had I done that, there would have been very little egg salad! Blue egg salad. A very good reason never to touch the stuff! (But it is really surprisingly tasty stuff!)

Jacqniel said...

Two things I enjoyed as a child, but hated as an adult: Dying Easter Eggs and making and decorating sugar cookies. As a child I didn't realize how much work and mess was involved. As an adult - we KNOW! However, I think part of what made it so special was the fact that my very busy working Mom would create the magic of this tradition with us. So pat yourself on the back for doing this for your kids.
The good news is, that as Brenna and Mason get older you can hand the reigns over to them and just go read the book. Then it probably won't be long and they will discover what a mess (they have to clean up) and a lot of work it is and decide plastic easter eggs are just fine and frozen cut out cookies are easier to bake and decorate. (Hint for next year - put newspaper down and top with wax paper or butcher paper - less mess!)

Mimi said...

Great post: I like the before and after egg pictures :-)

I loved loved loved dyeing eggs as a kid. I'll let you know how I like it as an adult once Miss Baby gets bigger.

For the most part, I'm enjoying being the adult more than the kid. I get to stay up later, and I make all the decisions ...

nikkis30by30 said...

Amen, Mel. Amen. I honest to Goodness was thinking the exact same things you posted here the entire time I was dying eggs with my kids. I, however, got lucky. All through the night, Mom and I had been cleaning and cooking to prep for the next day and all of the people that would be here. In the mix, there was, of course, BEER. So... I dyed eggs with my kids while Mom cooked. And drank. And, by the end of the night, we had forgotten the "fun" I had had with the kids earlier in the evening on the kitchen table. There they sat. All night. Needless to say, they "diappeared" before the kids noticed they were gone. No way was I going to risk one of them popping one in their mouth. I am so glad to hear I am not the only mom that doesn't remember things quite the same now that I am "grown up".

Jenifer said...

Strange, I cannot recall doing it as a child. I have dyed eggs with the girls every year and have enjoyed it about as much as you. I mean it is fun in a stressful way.

Personally I hate egg salad so we just let the eggs rot essentially. They decorate the mantle in little baskets and egg cups and look adorable. Then we compost them. End of eggs.

Another funny part of all this, explaining (or trying to anyway) how we were not dying the eggs.

Parenthood defined: Doing for our kids what our parents didn't want to do with us!

Michelle said...

It still sounds as though in the end everyone had fun! and the egg salad is the best afterwards isn't it? I still need to make some up before Joe eats all the eggs! LOL

kristi said...

Yum, egg salad, I always make it too!