Too Damn Old

I wait all year for the 2 weeks that will bring all our kids together again.

I day dream about the great time we'll have sitting around the dinner table, talking about life, careers, the grandchildren.....day trips to the canyons, movies in the afternoon....long nights, watching movies or playing board games.....lots of great food....sleeping in and staying up late, good humor, good times....

What I don't realize is that it's a package deal.....their dogs(how could they possibly leave them home or with strangers) their snakes,(I promise the lid locks, mom) splitting the time with the other parents(who get them first and do anything and everything there is to do in Utah, so that when they get to our house there's nothing left to do, and we're the boring grandparents) and the frustration of trying to coordinate with four different families; that's eight adults and eight children of varying ages and needs(and I don't just mean the children)not to mention our daughter-in-laws parents who just happen to be visiting the same week, and of course, those of us who live here and actually still have work obligations...

What quickly occurs to me?(it doesn't take a rocket scientist)....this isn't going to be easy! Besides work, we now have to cook and clean for 16 additional people, shovel the extra dog poop, dig up the newly planted plants and replace them, babysit, dog sit, taxi drive, entertain, did I mention the extra laundry? and oh yeah, referee, counsel, preach, worry, play banker, and the list goes on....

And let's be honest, when a kid comes home, it doesn't matter how old they are, how successful, how many committees they're on, how well they juggle work, school, children, church....they ALL become children again and want to be taken care of.

We know, because that's exactly what we wanted...And like our parents before us, we want to take care of them...what we didn't know then that we know now...they were just too damn old to do it...and so are we!