See Mom? I Do Fun Things.

My mother is always asking me "What did you do with Carter today?" " Did you read him books? "Sing him songs?" "Take him here?" as if I wouldn't or don't do these things with him. As if I just sit him down in front of the TV day in and day out and let Super Why teach him. 

My mother makes me laugh. 

I know she means no harm with these questions. It's just that she was so incredible when it came to stimulating, engaging and cultivating both my brother and me that she sets the bar rather high. Not to mention that my brother and I were basically born a lifetime eight years apart so she was able to spend quite a chunk of quality time with each of us one-on-one without having to drag the other one along.

Although if you ask my brother, he would say he never got to do anything fun and I was always the more-loved child. Oh, brother.

Growing up, we were always taking field trips to museums, fairs and science centers. Our days at home were chock full of arts and crafts, make believe and imaginative play. Play-doh at the kitchen table, painting hour at the easel. Shrinky dinks, clay building, any craft involving glue, you name it and we probably did it. 

And that's before my mother became my Brownie Troupe leader. Once that happened? The field trips, the games, the crafts only amplified themselves. 

It goes without saying that I could never, would never ever, think to say that my childhood was boring. It was anything but. 

And I want my boys to grow up thinking the same. 

Now, whenever I take the boys somewhere fun or I'm engaging Carter in a super fun activity at home, I make sure to call my mama or text her a picture as proof that I "really do fun things with my kids." 

In reality, I'm letting her know that she did me well. I learned from the best. 

So when I set Carter up for a little cookie-baking session in the kitchen, I couldn't help but laugh and think to myself, "see mom? I do fun things!" And even though his attention span for participating in the activity was nothing short of four and a half minutes, it's four and a half minutes I'll always remember. 

His favorite part? Whisking, of course. See Mom? I do fun things.