My “Traditional vs Single” Parenting Truths

I’ve wanted to write this post since I started, but I never did for two reasons:

1) I didn’t want to offend anyone

2) It’s hard to put it into words

So considering that it’s impossible to never offend anyone (I promise I will try to do my best), and mentally I haven’t made any progress on how I should write this, I figured I would just sit down and crank this mamma-jamma out. Pretty much Seth is going to take the classic Calvin and Hobbes approach to life with this post.

First off, let’s just clear up a few things. One, I’m not the best parent. I think I try, but I know people that can parent circles around me. Take for instance the following example: Last night for dinner, I put my kids in bathing suits brought my kids out on the trampoline and gave them a “kids choice” dinner. This consisted of a cold hot dog and a miniature cupcake. Following dinner, I hooked up the sprinkler under the trampoline (with no safety net) and let them fight with pool noodles while bouncing. All this was happening while I was bleaching and scrubbing our family tent that a stray male cat apparently used is its personal urinal for the past few weeks due to my forgetting to close the outside storage closet properly. After cleaning the tent, I unhooked the sprinkler and gave everyone a backyard hose bath before sending them inside. :D #realife Soap Box Alert: Let kids are freaking kids. Growing up, our generation just played outside, did crazy stuff, and had fun. Parents weren’t insanely overprotective. They just told us how to be safe and gave us rules, and then sent us out to create fun. Hand making rope-swings from trees or just going off in the woods (filled with snakes, wasps, bobcats, etc.) was just part of being a kid. While I’m a big believer in overall safety and parental responsibility, it feels our society has made this giant push for “free range” animals, while simultaneously caging up our kids with a billion overprotective rules and unnecessary devices that tie down and limit their imagination, creativity, and need for exploring. Told you I was gonna Calvin and Hobbes this thang. Whatever comes out I’m just going to freaking type.  End of soapbox.

Ok, now that I have established my “non-pro parent status”, hopefully everyone can just take this for what it is, my own experience on both traditional and single parenting; nothing more or less. I understand there are probably 12,342,864,342 possible scenarios of co-parenting and single parenting. (Married/Un-married, full/partial custody, healthy relationship with other parent/unhealthy relationship, single and active co-parenting/Disney world dad and Mall shopping moms). Again this is my opinions as it pertains to me. 

For this post, I think I’m just going to stick with the idea of two people together as a couple/parent team vs doing a majority of the parenting alone. Whew!! I finally feel I can get started ;)

To be honest I feel like single parenting is one of those things that people can’t grasp until have experienced it yourself (like the loss of a loved one, divorce, being homeless, etc.). I used to have so much pity for my single parent friends. In my head, I constantly just felt sorry for them. Little did I know, my knowledge of their struggles were extremely out of touch. It was just drawn on snippets of stories they told, what I saw on tv, and my overall guess of what it must be like. Based on my experience as being a partner in a wonderful co-parenting team and my experience as a sole responsibility single parent, I can somewhat related to both groups. I have noticed that people that always belonged in one category sometimes have misconceptions of the other. Again, this is in no way a judgmental or “I know it all” stance, it’s just kind of how I feel about the subject based on the criteria I listed earlier.

Here are my two honest truths about Traditional vs Single Parenting:

1) The biggest and most draining element of Single Parenting is Loneliness/Isolation.

 I always thought the hardest part of single parenting would be finances, not getting “me” time, being overwhelmed, etc. I was wrong. In my opinion, it’s the isolation that’s the worst. Granted I work with amazing people and have amazing family and friends. Mostly though, I was gifted with the most amazing kids ever placed on this earth. Seriously, my kids literally shock me with how loving, creative, self-sacrificing, and hilarious they are. However, all of that that doesn’t fix on that loneliness issue. Granted, the biggest void in our lives can only be filled by God. That hole is filled in my heart, thank you Jesus! But I truly believed humans are wired to parent as a team; however, the roles and duties might differ as each partner from couple to couple. Not having that solid team mate can be soul crushing. As any parent can tell you, the responsibility of raising children can be mind boggling heavy at times. Doing it alone creates this unexplainable feeling of isolation. That feeling always hits me the worst at night, when all the kids are tucked in and asleep.  I feel like I’m a pilot flying a plane solo at night. There are no co-captains, no flight attendant, no air marshals, or crew… it’s just you. I think that’s my point, before I became one, I viewed the main struggle with single parenting as all of the turbulence that the plane is going through, but in reality, I feel the hardest part is being in that dark, tiny cockpit all alone. I can get through the storm, but not having co-pilot to help navigate, talk to, or simply scratch an itch on my back while my hands are tied to the controls makes life extremely bleak at times.

2) Traditional Parenting isn’t necessarily any less stressful –

Some people might not agree with this one, but I honestly (at select times) feel less stress now as a single parent than I did with my previous marriage was rock solid and the partnership was amazing. Here’s why I think that… A true partnership goes all in. They help, build up, support, encourage, and trust each other completely. So yes, when I was married I didn’t have to do crazy things like bringing a giant quilt into Toy-R-us while Christmas shopping to cover the cart and ensure that presents stay a surprise since the kids are with me all of the time. It’s great having a helpmate! Having someone be able to clean or read with the children while I cook dinner is an amazing feeling! My argument on this issue is that while having another parent brings so much support to the table, they also bring their own issues, problems, responsibilities, etc. But these issues are also yours. Remember, we were one. That means good and bad. So not only are you managing children, but trying maintaining a healthy marriage. There is a profound amount investment of time and energy that has to be poured into it. Sometimes with kids, that investment gets overlooked and becomes a challenge. Even the best marriages take constant upkeep, nourishment, time, and sacrifice. So juggling the responsibilities of being a spouse vs parent can be freaking tough.

Also, I feel that we are wired to have stress in our lives. One, it’s impossible to escape it. Two, healthy levels of stress keep our minds critically thinking, our bodies physically working, and also teaches us how to express feelings and emotions in a positive manner. Basically, I think we are wired to take on as much stress as we can handle. This is similar to the idea “The more money you have, the more you spend and the less money you have, the less you spend”. When I was married, we had more resources (finances, free time, and a larger support network).  So naturally as I think we did what we are wired to do. We maximized our resources doing various things, bought unneeded items, took on extra responsibilities, volunteering, etc. I believe I also had different standards on the importance of certain things in my life. So I was running about an 80% stress level based on what I could handle.  Once I got divorced and became a single parent, I lost a lot of those resources. So naturally I made adjustments.  I began to limit and remove unnecessary stressors. I also re-evaluated my standards. By accepting realistic expectations for myself and cutting out extra responsibilities I did not have the time/mental capacity to handle, life began to balance out again. Even though I have more on my plate as an individual, I can still operate on an 80% stress level due to being freed up in other areas.

So in conclusion, by far, I preferred parenting with a partner. If all of the kids are screaming in the van, instead of being solo and getting frustrated, I could look over and see some equally wide eyed  and about to crack. Those always made me laugh and lightened my mood. But in reality, God is good. There are things I have been able to experience and bonds with my children I could have never established in a two parent situation. So be encouraged. Don’t always assume that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. Sometimes the poop left behind by the other animal fertilizes the ground, which can grow some greener, better quality grass than before. Although… just remember that at first you’ll still have to deal with the smell of that crap they've left behind until it’s decayed. 

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Seth

"Tricker Buddies" The Megow Art of Pranking

In our house, being a part of the “Tricker Buddies” is a big deal. It’s the most prestigious organization to be a part of in our house. There are a few others, but this one is the one everyone strives to be a member of. Stevie sort of runs the club and is in charge of admitting new members. Currently, it’s just her, me and Titus. Neela still has “pledge” status. Gaining membership to the Buddies is similar to the “Finer Things Club”. If you don’t know this reference, you are missing out on my favorite shows of all time.

Neela's Animal Rescue Club is my safety.

Speaking of the “The Office”, let’s get down to what the Tricker Buddies is all about… PRANKS! Ever since I was little, I loved playing pranks on people. One of my earliest memories of pranking is that I remember that right before we left lunch in school (probably 1st grade); I shoved all of the rest of the food (sandwich, chips, and fruit snacks) and chocolate milk in my mouth. Right after lunch, we all went to the bathroom and then out to recess. So I spend about 15 minutes swishing all of that food and milk in my mouth. When we got out to recess, I remember sitting by the swings and continuing to churn this food in my mouth until I got a nice chunky texture. Then I ran in front of my teacher and pretended to puke up all of that stuff right in front of her. Hahaha. I remember just laughing and running away. She just stared at me and didn’t ever say a word. Secretly, I think she thought it was hilarious and was trying not to laugh.

So naturally, it got kind of passed down to my kids. Stevie is normally so sweet and serene; however, I can pretty much guarantee, that if you give each of my kids a dollar and let them pick out a cheap little toy, she will be the one that picks out a squirting flower or whoopee cushion. She’s always up for a prank.

The classic “snake in the cinnamon rolls” for our guests :D

Her favorite and most classic pranks is probably setting out fake cockroaches. Stevie loves setting them out on the counter, putting them on people’s food, or placing them on sleeping people. We always kind of encouraged her little harmless pranks. I mean, I teach her when to let off or who is “cool” with pranks. Some people just don’t like it. But she ALWAYS loves it.

The fake roaches she likes to use

One of Stevie's other favorite pranks is borrow someone's phone, to take a screenshot of the home-screen, put that picture up to view, and hand the phone back to them. She thinks it's hilarious to watch them click the picture of the home-screen waiting for apps to open up. She actually thought of that one herself. ;) Proud dad moment. 

Titus would legit spend every penny he owns on prank/magic toys. Anything from a piece of shocking chewing gum to whoopie cushions, that kids freaking loves to get people. I have to say that I've been pretty impressed by the amount of work, he will put into pulling a prank. Two years ago in school I had a parent teacher conference with his teacher. He was just learning to write. She was and is amazing; Titus and I both adored her. Anyways during the conference, the teacher showed me an assignment Titus had submitted. The project was for them to write what they did over spring break. This was what Titus turned in...

"I went on the potty. I poop."

As she slid it across the table, I of course had to fight back the urge to guffaw. I look over at him and he's has his head down on the table dying laughing. So biting my lips trying to be super serious, look at him and tell him that this isn't an appropriate thing to submit at school. So after wrapping up the meeting and walking to car, I look at him and ask why he turned that it. He looks at me confused and said, "Uhhhh... because it was hilarious. I totally got my teacher." That's one thing about growing up with a single dad. Poop jokes are always hilarious and a part of life. 

On April Fool's Day 2018, this was Titus's prank. I thought it was ingeniously frustrating. hahaha 

Or this one he pulled last Christmas season...

Speaking of Christmas, something about the holidays really brings out the pranksters in the Megows. I used to love to prank my Mimi’s Christmas party. I haven’t done it lately because most of my family moved away, and also I don’t really have a current adult partner in crime. But back to Mimi’s Christmas, I think we pranked her Christmas three years in a row. One year, I switched out her popular banana pudding for an identical one I made the night before but substituted salt for sugar. I remember sneaking into her house so I could match the container and topping perfectly. Holy crap, it was disgusting and hilarious. The year after that I remember that during the middle of opening presents, I sneakily turned off all the lights to make it pitch black dark, blasted Carol of the bells by the Trans-Siberian string orchestra, flipped on a big black light, and took of my shirt to reveal that I drew a giant Christmas tree all over my body. I kind of just danced around the room as a blacklight Christmas tree while my family just sat confused and wondering why I was so weird.

Before the blacklight kicked in...

And after :D hahaha.

This junk was so funny to me

But my favorite prank that got pulled at Mimi’s Christmas was when we switched all the gifts. I remember sneaking over in the middle of the night and “borrowing” the same rolls of wrapping paper she used to wrap her gifts and sneaking it back to our room. We stayed up the night before wrapping up random and pretty awkward gifts. Anyways, before the Christmas party started, I hid the real presents for my fake ones. At Mimi’s Christmas, the gift opening is a big deal, so everyone all sits around Mimi and opens the presents she got them. I can’t find the pictures (ughh, they are hilarious), but I remember giving my dad a purse from Mimi, giving my cousins shoulder pad sweaters and canned vegetables, and my favorite my mom opened up some kind of sexy flavored lotion (from her mom). I freaking died. The reason it was really funny is that some years at Christmas she can’t get out shopping and buying the gifts, so she gives her home assistants money and haves them buy the presents. Everyone just kind of believed these were their actual gifts from Mimi and so did she. HAHAHAHA. When my dad opened that purse, I think that’s the hardest I have ever seen him laugh in my life. When everyone figured out it was just a joke, I just blamed my sister. Of course, everyone knew it was me, but I enjoyed poking fun at Claren (my sister) being the mastermind behind it. Love you Claren :D (Side note, my sister is getting married!! So a big congratulations on the soon to be Ben and Claren Stickley)

You can bet your butt that I'm switching out some wedding gifts ;)

Probably one of my favorite pranks is to swipe people’s phones, switch my contact name in their phone, and delete our past text messages. That way you can text them and you can choose who you want to be in their phone. So when you text them, you come up as someone else. I remember doing this one year on Thanksgiving morning to my mom. She had a friend that recently moved to another state so I snuck her phone, changed my contact name to be her friends name, deleted our olds texts, and sneakily placed the phone back. After a few minutes, I sat in the next room over and started having some fun. (Now remember, my mom is pretty much a gourmet chef. She takes her cooking and events VERY seriously. So a small change of plans can kind of derail the event in her mind.) Considering that I just couldn’t resist. Hahaha. It seems I’m apologizing a lot to my female family members. Love you too Mom!!  You’re the best! :D Thanks for putting up with my dumb crap all these years. Anyways, here’s kind of how the text conversation went:

Remember I was pretending to be her friend from out of town and this was about 11am before a 2pm Thanksgiving lunch. If you have ever met my mom, you will really be able to find the humor in this ;)

Me: Hey Denise

Mom: Hey

Me: What are you doing?

Mom: Just cooking thanksgiving lunch for about 14 people. Pretty busy.

Me: Oh really. Ok I will let you go.

About 15 minutes later

Me: Hey Denise, would it possible if I came to your Thanksgiving lunch? I don’t have anywhere to go.

Mom: Ummm… I guess so. I think I will have enough food for one more person.

Me: Great! However, my car is broken. Can Tom (my dad) come and pick me up? (She lived about 3 hours away)

Awkward pause in texting. My mom is yelling to my dad “You’ll never believe what _____ is texting me right now!” and I’m just dying laughing in the next room over.

Mom: I don’t think that’s an option. We just don’t have the time to drive that far. Feel free to come next year though. Ok. Really busy cooking. Got to go.

Me: Ok. I understand. Talk to you later. Hope you guys have a great thanksgiving.

I wait another 15 minutes until things really start to get busy in the kitchen

Me: Hey Denise

My mom loses it

Mom: Yes?

Me: Good news. I found a ride. Could you feed more than just me if someone brings me?

Mom: I suppose… I’m really busy cooking.

Me: Great. I called the women’s group from my church and they all agreed it would be fun to take a trip up in the church van and eat with your family.

Mom: What? How many people?!!

Me: I think there are 10 of us.

Mom: Ok. This isn’t going to work! I don’t have enough food for that many people NOR places for them to sit!

Me: Ok.

Waits another 10 minutes

Me: Hey Denise

Mom: No Response

Me: We decided that we will still just make the trip up and just share one big plate and just eat it in the van parked in your yard.

Now, my favorite part of this prank is normally people get so frustrated they usually just end up calling this person who keeps texting them this crazy stuff. The sweet thing about smart phones is that they can do that straight from the text messages screen. So they just click “call” and it dials your number! :D hahaha.

So I hear my dad coming in trying to calm her down, and he suggests she just call her and call the whole thing off. She when I hear this, I walk into the kitchen and when she calls my phone rings and I answer it by saying “This is ______” in front of her. HAHAHA. She didn’t immediately find the humor in this prank. But I’m pretty sure, she thinks it’s a classic thanksgiving memory ;)


Be Blessed and Be a Blessing
Seth

Megow Vacations - Then/Now

I’ve had the blessing of enjoying life in several ways. Happily married with no kids. Happily married with kids, and now happily a single dad. With it being summer and time for family vacations, I wanted to kinda dissect the different ways I’ve approached family getaways over the years :)

Hahaha. You can tell that I've gotten much more laid back as in my most current stage.

_______________________

Planning the trip 

No kids: Let’s go somewhere beautiful that we can sightsee. Or somewhere with a lot of hidden trails for hiking! For sure, we need an awesome tucked away beach that no one knows about.

Married with kids: Ok. Let’s try to find somewhere that has a lot of activities and neat stores we can take the kids to! Maybe we can take them to swim with dolphins or go to Disneyworld?!

Single dad: Well considering I have about $400 bucks to make this trip happen, I just need to find somewhere remotely close to a public beach with free continental breakfast and a pool….

*Reading reviews of motels that fit that criteria*

- “This place is a nightmare. Room was messy and staff inattentive.”

*Ehhh.. Not looking good… continues to scroll*

- “Grungy looking towels.”

*Crap. I dunno about this place. I’ll read one more review*

- “I got stabbed in the parking lot, but continental breakfast features a waffle making station.”

*A waffle maker!?! Books room* 

________________________

Packing 

No kids: “Let’s take some nice outfits so we can go to some fancy dinners while we are out.” “Also, let's bring some fun stuff to wear for at night since we can stay in bed as long as we like!"

Married with kids: “Hmmm…. I have two suitcases full of clothes, one full of crafts for the condo,

Single dad: *Assembles children the day before departing for the trip*

Me: “Guys. Wanna pack your own bags for vacation this year?!?”

Children: “Yes!!”

Me: “Remember, pack the stuff you’ll need for an entire week.”

*Checks bags the morning of the trip to find a box of crayons, 48 Littlest Pet Shop toys, a “how to do magic tricks” book, 4 fidget spinners, a tooth one of them lost last week, 17 bathing suits, and shells they bought back from the beach last year.*

Me: “Ehhhh… Close enough. Grab your toothbrush before we jump in the van to leave.”

________________________

The car trip there

Before kids: “Isn’t it nice to take cute backroads and highways? Oooohhhh, look at that sign! A little local antique store that sells fresh boiled peanuts is only 20 miles off route… let’s go!”

Married with kids: *to spouse* “I’m so glad you loaded up the bags and mapped out the fastest route. I gave me time to make fun, little on-the-road bags.” and “Remember if anyone gets car sick, I’ll take over driving so you can sit in the back with a bucket and cold towel.”

Single dad: “AAHHH!! I know you are getting car sick! I can’t stop in the middle of the interstate. Here just throw up in the sand bucket we bought for the beach.” and “No we aren’t stopping for food, I don’t you guys to eat BEFORE we left. We only have like about 90 minutes left on the road… just eat some of those goldfish crackers you split in your cup holder last week.”

________________________

On the beach 

No kids: “Let’s go play in the ocean for a few hours and then we can come relax in our beach chairs under our nice cool umbrella. *Deep sigh* How relaxing…”

Married with kids: *to wife* “I’m about to haul all of this stuff from the car to the beach. Pick out a nice spot!” and “Let’s alternate between one of us sitting in the sand with the younger kids and one of us out in the water with the older ones.”

Single dad: “AAAHHHH!! Don’t run out there! My hands are ful…. *drops everything* and sprints down the beach and into the ocean to grab the Olive (“almost swimmer”) from diving into the surf. *walks back to inspect dropped stuff* “Well, I hope you guys want all of our beach snacks covered and sand. Also, I think that’s our giant beach ball like 200 yards down the beach, wait it’s about to hit the lady in the face… crap! Ok no one in the water. Cmon! We gotta run half a mile down the beach to apologize to her… Well, I know you want to play in the water, but we have to apologize to that lady so let’s all go because I can’t leave you by yourself… There’s four of you and one of me. I can’t just leave you here… Wait! Where’s Neela!... Ahhh!!! That’s not our food basket sweetheart! Oh. My. Gosh. How much of those people's food did you eat?!? Ok, let’s find whoever this basket belongs to and pay them back for their food… One second Stevie… I’m looking for these people… One second PLEASE!!... ugh what is it?!?.. Titus is where?!... ”

________________________

Nighttime 

No kids: “Let’s go out and see some local bands play! And then let’s go for a night walk on the beach!”

Married with kids: “How about we get the kids down and then we grab some wine and jump into the hot tub on the back patio?”

Single dad: “Well. They are asleep. Maybe I’ll read my book I brou… *falls asleep*

________________________

Vacation Family Picture 

No kids: “Let’s get someone to take our picture at sunset on the beach.”

Married with kids: “Well let’s get a good picture so we can share it with family. Let’s do it later in the week so we all have some sun and aren’t super pale. Also, let’s do it later in the evening so we can go to the beach in the morning. That way the kids won’t get their matching cuffed up jeans and white shirts wet from the ocean because they will have already gotten their swimming kick in for the day.

Single dad:“Just wear whatever you want… Oh you wanna hold that dead hermit crab you found on the beach?... I mean whatever. I don’t care as long as you smile.”

________________________

Headed Home

No kids: “That was a nice trip but I’m ready to get back to home. I miss the dogs.”

Married with kids: *to wife* “That was fun, but we need a vacation from this vacation. The kids are burnt out and I’m exhausted.”

Single dad: “Sorry guys, it’s the last day… No we can’t stay longer, we have to turn in the key this morning… I wish we could stay too... Well… actually we did bring the tent… State park here we come!”

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Seth

You wanna marry my dad?

I've talked about this on my facebook before, but never really in depth. It's probably one of the sweetest things my kids do (and one of the most embarrassing). Last Christmas, my kids decided the best gift they could get me would be to find me a wife. Hahahaha. Clearly, they think I'm not capable enough for this task and need their assistance. Neela typically leads the charge, but the others are quick to give their advice/opinion on the matter. About 70% of the adult women we see in public get asked the question "Do you want marry my dad?"

Now keep in mind a large majority of these people are complete strangers. My kids literally have no shame. At first, this was jawdroppingly embarrassing. I mean, I would just stand & stare at my children making me look at a complete idiot. Also, earlier when I said the phrase "adult women", I was using that term loosely. "Adult" to my kids means anyone over the age of around 15. I literally cannot express to you the horror I have felt at certain times. Picture this: We are in the grocery store and we see a 6'5 man in full military attire (complete with mustache) walking with his high school freshman age daughter. Neela walks right up to the barely teenage girl and starts talking. I see this happening and immediately toss the frozen pizza I'm grabbing out of the freezer section across the isle while sprinting to break up this conversation. I don't make it. This is what I run up to...

Neela: "You're so pretty. My dad is handsome. I bet he would think you are so pretty. Hey! I got a great idea. You two should marry!! *turns around to me see right behind her and out of breathe from sprinting across the store* Great!!! Here he is!... Dad. Isn't she so pretty!?! I bet you are in looooove now..." 

As the blood drains from my head is shock and embarrassment, I notice the dad's knuckles turning about as white as my face. I try to laugh it off and yank Neela away from the situation. Of course, we literally are on one of those "isle twins" routines. Every time, we go down an isle who do we see rounding the corner. Grabbing fruit loops... isle twin. Looking a bag of flour... isle twin. Grabbing some chewing gum...isle twin. It was so bad. Finally, me and the kids just grabbed some fruit snacks and ate them in the toy section, so I wouldn't be stuck behind them in the checkout line. Later, we had a big talk about "age appropriateness". hahaha.

However, normally I don't mind too much. They ask college girls at work, women at restaurants, moms at the park, and even senior citizens who live at my grandma's retirement home. (Fun fact: Occasionally, some women smile at the kids and say "Sure!". However, at the nursing home, I tend to rack up with the potential spouse candidates ;)  Actually, one time one of the teachers at school told me that Neela had already given out "wedding jobs" to all of the elementary teachers (flower girl, priest, picture taker, dog sitter..."

Now to be honest, when they first started doing this, I was a little worried they were trying to fill some "mom void" in their own lives. I got nervous that I wasn't doing a great job of being both mom and dad. However, over months of conversations with them I've learned that they just really want me be happy. Although, I constantly tell them that I really enjoy spending my time with them, they just think I should have a partner. They might want me to find someone more than I do actually.

Tangent Alert: 

Pardon my rabbit trail.

This is just my opinion, but I think some people rush through the single parenting experience at times. In all honesty it's so much work and can be emotionally/physically draining, but once you get over the hump; get in the groove, it's just the most interesting life experience. Not only does it give you an amazing chance to bond with your kids, but it forces you to grow out of your comfort zone as a human. I've always been fun, carefree, and a little weird. So naturally when I became a dad I encouraged that in my children. However, over the past few years I've noticed flaws in my parenting and personal life due to the fact that I'm playing both parenting roles. I always like to compare it to the movie "Big Daddy". My kids were pretty much named Frankenstein, acting crazy, and dressed like this for school. In time, I learned how balancing social norms and actual etiquette along with the fun/crazy is ultra beneficial.

"Sure, you can wear a pot on your hear and paint the toilet with fingernail polish."

Also, there's just such a strong sense of value I've been able to pass along to my kids being a single parent. They know they are the most important to me. There's no competition between a woman. There's no questioning that I value my relationship and time with them above everything else. With them going through their abandonment issues, this has been such a major part of their healing.

End of Tangent ;)

So besides them asking women to marry me, they also like to give me tips on how to meet/impress women. Here are some of my favorite pearls of wisdom I've received from my children on how to impress the opposite sex.

- "Whenever you go in public, you should take off your shirt. Grown up women like a hairy man. And boy. you hairy."

- "Just do this whenever you see a pretty girl..."

 

- "Dad! That girl is pretty. You should talk to her... Don't act weird like you normally do."

- "Take us to the ice cream store. Girls are always in good mood when they eat ice cream."

- "About taking off your shirt, you need to lose a few pounds in your belly before you do that actually."

- "I bet you would be more handsome without your glasses.... Take them off...  Nope.... Put them back on."

- "Dad. I bet there will be pretty girls there tonight. You should wear your tight pants!"


Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Seth

What's that smell?

I’ve learned that becoming a parent really expands the boundaries of your senses. Hahaha. They seem to get pressed to the limits of human understanding at times.

Hearing: 

“Dad. Dad. Dad. Daddy. Dad. Seth. Mr Seth. Dad. Daddy. Dad. Dad. Seth. Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.”

Taste: 

“I made you a surprise dessert! You will love it. It’s ice cream, hummus, fruit snacks, and ketchup. Try it…. No don’t save it for later, try it now! I can’t wait to see how much you will love it!!”

Sight: 

When I got called back to church nursery because Neela got her head stuck in the play kitchen.

Touch: 

“Why is the carpet soaking wet and covered with sugar?”

However, the one that probably hits me the hardest is smell. Before entering parenthood, I (along with many of us I’m sure) thought the worst part of parent smell would be dirty poop diapers. In our heads, we are engrained with the nightmare of catching a horrid whiff of a #2 diaper.

Admit it, we were all scared of the poop.

The older my kids got, the more I learned that poop was mere child’s play when it came to the aroma of children. However, I did devote an entire post to “poop” awhile back. Seriously though, a poop diaper is nothing compared to the multitude of pungent aromas that will tickle your nostrils once you acquire a child. This post I want to talk about the worst smell of all… Fermented Urine.

Poop dries and becomes just a brown chalk-like (non-smelly) substance over time; however pee just gets exponentially worse.  Here are two true stories about when that disgusting, murky pee smell overtook in the Megow house. Warning, they are pretty gross. Just FYI.

Stevie was just a little baby. She couldn’t have been more than a few months old. This putrid odor begins to form in the master bedroom. It begins to grow in magnitude daily, and I’m convinced it’s a dirty diaper.  Every day, I look around for the culprit but each day come up empty handed. Finally, the smell comes to a boiling point around 2am. So I wake up in the middle of the night bound and determined to end this problem once and for all. I begin smelling each individual item in the bedroom. Once each object has passed the smell test, I physically place the item in the living room to narrow down the search. Slowly but surely, everything is removed except our bed, an empty end table, and an empty bookshelf. Naturally, I strip the bed. Once that is done, the smell is still going strong. I take apart the bed and move the frame, boxspring, and mattress out of the room. Holy Crap! The smell is still as strong as ever. So I move the end table out and triple check the bookshelf for any remaining items. By now the smell is so strong, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where it’s coming from. All I know is that it’s still alive and burning my nostrils. So I get on my hands and knees and start to sniff the carpet. I’m crawling all over our stupid bedroom, but no luck. I’m just standing in a barren room with an empty bookshelf. Suddenly it hits me. I haven’t checked ON TOP of the bookshelf. I can’t see the top, but I’m desperate so I just run my hand across the top. I hit something and feel it splash on my hand. Immediately I jerk my hand back and take a whiff of my fingers. Suddenly, I find myself struggling to breathe. In the midst of the gasping for oxygen, I realize I located the source of the smell. After I wash my hands and collect my cool, I SLOWLY reach my hand back up to the top of the shelf. With neurosurgeon like precision I carefully grasp the object and gently bring it to my line of sight. Immediately when I see it, I know EXACTLY what it is! Now get ready, because this is pretty gross. Apparently when Crissy took her pregnancy test, I was so on edge that I just stood holding the cup of pee while staring and waiting for the results. When it displayed “pregnant” and in my extreme excitement induced stupor, I just sat the cup down somewhere not thinking. I mean come on. This was our first baby! That’s understandable, right? Right? Just don’t answer. Haha. Apparently, the place I sat the cup filled with urine was completely out of sight and far enough away from our living spots where it wouldn’t raise an immediate flag from the smell. Well, by my estimate that cup has been up there for over a year.  There were literally tiny life forms swimming around in that cup of pregnancy tested pee. After all of this, I decide to just soak my hand in bleach water for about 5 minutes. While my well-aged urine splashed hand is soaking in this burning liquid, I ponder what life has in store for me as a parent. Aaaand cue next story…

Four kids later and I haven’t dealt with any more horrific pee instances. I mean I’ve had some dealings with rotten, dead wild animals under the house, but nothing of the urine variety. Until one day last year… I pick up Olive from daycare and notice that wonderful sight that every parent loves to witness. My kid standing in the hallway holding a plastic bag.

Girl, you better wipe that smile off yo’ face. We both know you got pee pants in that bag.

Crap. So I take the damp bag and put it as far away from me as possible in the car, but not too far because I don’t want that junk to get left in the car in the South Georgia heat. However, I did have to go grocery shopping so I can’t immediately go home and throw the pee pants in the wash. So I just make a mental reminder to wash those things asap when you get home. Fast forward an hour. I pull up to your house and have to unload the Mount Everest of groceries from the back of my van, so I hand the urine pants bag to the guilty party and tell her to go in and throw her pants in the wash ; get ready for a quick bath.  I get all of the groceries put up, run to the bathroom, find her standing her naked and waiting for her bath. I bathe her real quick, then run to glance at the washing machine to see a pair of pants in there. So I run the washer and start dinner. Crisis averted. A few weeks pass. Hahahaha.  It’s a relaxing Saturday at the house when suddenly I smell this horrid odor. Not just an ordinary bad smell, but the equivalent of stepping in a dead animal carcass stuffed with rotten eggs and 3 year spoiled coffee creamer. Suddenly, I see Olive burst out of her room with puke dripping down from her chin to her shirt. So I sprint to her room to find some opened plastic bags thrown around across the floor. Apparently giving a 4 year old the job of putting her pee pants in the laundry was too much for my four year old, because she instead got caught up playing with toys and the bag slowly made its way to the bottom of the toy bin. And there it sat and festered until Olive curiously opened it and threw up everywhere. As I examine it closely I see a brittle, discolored Ziploc bag containing what looks like Sloth from the Goonies burp cloth when he was infant. So many putrid colors and smells from that bag. 

 “Hey you guuuys. I just spit up.”

However, it’s not the sight the hits me first. It’s the smell. Immediately, I recall this musky scent… Aged Urine. Olive must have thrown her clean pants in the wash and decided to hide the pee pants bag. Instantly, I began to dry heave and franticly grasp for the only thing in my reach that I can use to pick up this mystery cloth item, Olive’s Minnie Mouse Microphone. I lift the “used to be pants” and begin to race to the outside dumpster. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. As I’m running outside, it catches a breeze and literally blows into my face. The smell was so strong that I could taste it. As you are reading this and you are thinking, “Ohhh, it must have went in his mouth”. Let me stop you right there. My mouth was completely closed. The stench was just so viscous that when it brushed by my face, I could feel it drip down my nostrils and onto the back of my tongue. I then begin to vomit all over my driveway. It’s too much. I just run inside and leave in festering there in the driveway. I locked the door and we stayed inside for the rest of the day. Shoot, I didn’t even deal with it until we got home from church the next afternoon. Even to this day, I still shutter at the memory. Needless to say, my new philosophy is when I see my kids holding a plastic bag after school that junk goes straight in the trashcan.

So new parents, just know poop is gross but old pee will melt your face. ;)

Be Blessed,

Seth

"My Origin Story" - My marriage

Note: I just finished writing this thing. 

There's no way I'm proofing it #toolazytoproof. 

So please just ignore any grammar mistakes :D

_______________________________________

I think I take it for granted that people just kind of know all about the kids and my life now. I mean, I kinda just type whatever the heck is on my brain for the world to read… you’re welcome world. Hahaha. I just kinda figure everyone pretty knows all about us. But then I started thinking, I don’t think I’ve ever really dove into my married life. It was about an entire third of my existence, but I just don’t mention it much here. I’ve talked a little here and there, but nothing major. I have talked about divorce a few times. Mostly, I think that’s because I’m worried my family and friends will think I’m still heartbroken over Crissy. I’m not. Or still in love with her. Again, I’m not. Or hoping that we will ever get back together in the future. Again, again. I’m not. However, I would like to talk about my life and story about us getting while we were together. Not because I miss it or anything. The way I like to describe how I feel about my marriage now like a can of diet soda. At first sip and while you’re drinking it, the taste is refreshing and nice; however, the aftertaste is just disgusting. (Sorry diet soda fans). I mean, it was nice but after experiencing that aftertaste I don’t want another sip. I think it's easy for me to disassociate with my memories of that relationship, because the aftertaste (bad years) was just so gross. However most of those years (which were mostly awesome) played a significant part of my story. Not only during the marriage, but after as well. Most of my adult life was spend with Crissy by my side but I don’t believe many of you know about those years. So I think it’s time to bite the bullet and just start from the beginning. Hopefully as I go along you’ll kind of see my intentions of this post. My goal is for this to be kind of like an Origin Story of the person I am today. J Also, I figured I might as well type this up because I’m starting to forget more and more of this part of my life (not complaining), and one day the kids might ask about me and their mom together, so I can refer to this post as a refresher. I will try to keep it as short as possible, but it might be lengthy. Just FYI.

Crissy and I met a few times before we actually really “met”. We went to high school together. She was a pretty, popular girl. After high school, she started working at Applebee’s where I was already working. So I trained her. We got along well at work, but that was really about it. Finally, one day one of our mutual friends wanted to throw a surprise party for his girlfriend (who was also a mutual friend). So pretty much, he was just “I’m going to distract her today. You two just plan a party by tonight and I will bring her over to be surprised.” Hahaha. So there we were, just two new friends driving around town in my first car.

Anyways after that day we just started hanging out the time. Just friends that eventually evolved into best friends. We are pretty much inseparable. Neither of us had romantic feelings, just best buddies. Well, that kind of changed a few months later, when we took “The Road Trip”. Those few days were some of the craziest in my life. Seriously, I need to post about it soon. I think everyone would really enjoy it. But until then, I’ll give an ultra-brief summary. Our friends, Reed and April, Crissy, and I went on a road trip to the beach one summer. We all just kinda piled in the bus and went. On that trip, it kinda of just hit me. I was in love with her. It was a super strange and nerve wracking feeling. I didn’t say anything on the trip or for a while after. Finally, one day I just told her. She said she didn’t feel the same. I remember lying in bed that night being so heartbroken. Getting your heart crushed at 18 was no fun. L So the next morning, I drove out to her parents’ house to talk to her. She really didn’t want to hear what I had to say on the matter, but I was persistent. I laid it flat out on the table. “Crissy, what chance do I have of us ever getting together?” Her response, “I promise you that you have absolutely zero chance ever. That’s not going to happen.” I appreciated her honesty. I knew it was tough for her too. No one likes to lose a best friend. So I slowly trudged to my bus, got in, cried, and drove home. We kinda of quit talking or seeing each other after that. It was literally us hanging out together 24/7 for months and months to zero communication. It was hard on me, but I got through it.

A few months pass…

I was at work and my manager came and told me I had a phone call. (This is back in day before everyone had cell phones. Don’t you miss those days? :D ) It was Crissy. I was stunned. She asked if I wanted to come over after work. Of course, I said yes! So I went over there and she explained how no one treated the way I did and she missed me. I was happy. Suddenly, we were back on track spending all of our time together. Then one night while we were helping a friend move (Crissy showed up in overalls, a trucker hat, and a painted on beard to look like a “mover” hahaha), she kissed me. I’ll be completely honest. I was stunned. She kept kissing me, and I think my brain and body must have not been able to handle it, because I immediately went to the bathroom and puked! HAHAHAHA. I felt sick the entire next day. It was just a super intense rush of feelings and emotions. She kinda just hung out with me on my parents couch. We both laughed about how I got so excited from kissing her that I puked and had to just lay down for a day and soak all of this in.

So later that afternoon, we went back to our friends new house to help her unpack and move her stuff into her new place. It was very late before we finished. I remember the date. It was July 2, 2004. It was about 2am, and our friend moved by VSU so we decided to just go for a walk around campus. I could tell we both just “knew”. So during the walk I leaned down, picked a wild flower, and asked her to marry me. She said “Yes. Of course.” And that was that. J

We suddenly tried to think of how to explain this to our parents. She was 19; I was 18. How were we supposed to tell them that we were engaged?!? Also, I still needed to officially ask her dad’s permission. So we came up with this secret plan… We told both of our parents we were just dating, so they wouldn’t think we were crazy. Then after a few months, I asked her dad to marry her. He said “Nope.” HAHAHA. I remember sitting there in side by side arm chairs for about an hour trying to convince him to let me marry her. I literally drew little charts explaining how Crissy’s GPA and work performance had improved with us “dating”. Finally, he looked at me super serious and said “Fine, but she’d better not be holding a baby until after she’s walked across that college graduation stage.”

Yay!! I was delighted. This was October 2004. We immediately started planning this wedding. I rented an apartment to have a place for us to rent. That place was a literal dump, but it was all I could afford. It had six foot ceilings, and I’m 6’2. It was pretty much just a tiny, TINY one bedroom apartment. However, it was ultra-cheap and right across the street from the college. This was awesome because we were both in school full time. The day I moved out, my dad took me to the side and made me promise him one thing. He said, “Promise me, that you will both never sleep in that apartment, until you two are married.” I agreed and so thankful for that advice. My dad is such a wise man. However, we were taking all of our classes together and working all of our jobs together. So driving her 25 miles home every night in my bus (that had a top speed of about 40 mph) was just getting kind of old. We both decided we needed to bump the wedding day up. We sat down with her parents and said “Ok. We are moving the wedding date.” Her mom’s response, “THANK GOD!! You two need to be engaged for at least a year.” We both kinda looked at each other and laughingly cringed, replying “No, we are bumping it UP. We are getting married in January 2005.” Hahahaha.

So January came. We were both so excited for the big day. Our wedding was super fun and original I like to believe. It was a 1960’s theme wedding. On the invitations, we encouraged people to dress up if they wanted to. In the foyer of the church, we had face painting, hair wraps, love beads, and a station to leave your shoes so people could go barefoot into the wedding ceremony if they wanted. Crissy and I did everything pretty much from scratch. We tie-dyed sheets to hang in the church. Our friend helped us make the flower arrangements. It was just a fun event. Our friends dressed as pirates and were the door greeters. The ring bearers were some of our friends dressed in full costume as Scooby Doo and the Pink Power Ranger. That was just a really fun day. J

There we were two 19 year old married kids taking all of our college classes and working all of our jobs together (We typically kept about 2-3 jobs while in school to avoid loans and be financially independent.) We spend our free time volunteering around town together.  It was some of the best years of my life. Crissy and I were inseparable. Most of our friends called us “Criss and Sethy”. Those super broke younger married days are the ones I always think of first. We were just living on love, and man we were in love.

Finally, when we were college seniors Crissy accidentally ended up pregnant; however, I did keep my promise to her dad. She did not walk across that stage holding a baby. She just walked across it 8 months pregnant. Hahahaha!! I was so excited to become a “daddy”. I always wanted to have kids. In March 2008, we welcomed our little Stevie Joy into the world. We kept her a surprise, but I was convinced she was a boy that we were going to name “Titus”. Crissy got a full time job working for Babies Can’t Wait. We built a house. I decided to go back for my masters. It was a time of big changes, but Crissy and I were tighter than ever. I remember once, I went out of town for a few days, and she called me every day of that trip crying. Not because she was stressed about having a baby by herself, but because she just wanted me to be there with them.

You can identify the child by my glasses frames :)

Months pass. We sell our house, and I graduate with my Masters. Soon we find out that Stevie is going to have a little sister. So in July of 2009, Neela Grace was brought into the world. I start looking for a job as a K-12 Library Media Specialist, but couldn’t find any for a long time. I remember becoming pretty depressed during this time. I just remember a thinking that a man needed to provide. The best I could get was a part time job at a local private school. The pay was hardly anything, but at least it was some actual experience. My spirits were really low. One specific thing that always comes to mind during this time frame was Crissy coming to sit in my lap, picking up my head, looking me dead in the eyes and saying “Seth. I love you more than you understand. I’m proud of you. Don’t stress over this job. Let’s just love each other, love people, and love Jesus.” It was such a tender moment that I felt truly so blessed to have her in my life.

Eventually, I get a job at Wiregrass GA Technical College (formerly Valdosta Technical College). The pay was minimal, but at the time I WANTED that job. I would have a REAL job. They called me into do three different interviews. I didn’t hear anything for a while after that, so I started to become depressed again, until I got the call!! I got the job, and we were officially rich! Hahaha. Soon after, I finally got my “Titus”. We moved into a little house that was formerly her granddads. Besides the crappy apartment, 603 E. Stanfill Street holds the fondest memories. We were just this little family that was completely in love with each other. I can’t really express how close we were then. We led a marriage group a church and were constantly asked for marriage advice from people. I just remember playing in our backyard and my heart feeling so full.

After about two years, we move out of our Hahira house and into my parents’ old house to help take care of my grandmother. They moved to Alabama but my Mimi lived in a mother-in-law suite attached to their house. This was also a fun time in our married life. We were just a family living on the farm and now expecting our last child, Olive!! The kids loved living there. To be honest, so did I. Then our life changed again when I was offered my current job at Valdosta State University. The pay was significantly much more which was exciting. So exciting in fact, that we decided to buy a second home from her dad. (He is a contractor and sold us both of our houses for very cheap. Her parents are such blessings still to this day.)

There we were. We finally made it to official adulthood. Both with good paying professional jobs, a little stair step patch of kids, and a brand new super nice house. I know what really happened next, but we kind of became a little more distant. I was working more and she was busy with her job (she worked two days a week) and being a mommy. We were still very close and happily married, but I think we could both feel something was off.

Time passed and she started going out with friends more and more at night, while I stayed home with the kids. This led to arguments, which resulted in marital conflict. We never had this happen before. I mean, we fought from time to time, but never like this. She started drifting off more and more frequently. Meanwhile, I was becoming more and more bitter about my wife leaving me all the time to be with her friends. We both made mistakes during this time. Not pointing any blame. There are always two sides to every story, but finally it came to the point that I was with the kids alone pretty much all of the time besides when I was working. That was a tough time for me. She started hinting for a divorce, but I always said that I would never ever agree to that. We loved each other and needed to build our marriage back up. The situation grows progressively worse. Days, weeks, months pass. By now I’m doing the kids solo and Crissy has moved out. No one knows anything. I keep up a social media appearance that we are still a happy couple. When we happen to see each other, things usually erupt. I’m just so broken and hurt that my best friend just left me. This is only escalated by the fact that I’m pretty much I total train wreck raising four kids on my own. Still, I hold on to the hope that this marriage would be healed. I’m constantly talking privately with a small group friends and counselors trying to work out my brokenness.

Then, one day I just feel this sudden peace. That was God btw. We stopped fighting. He molded me from an “interrogator” into an “encourager”.  I was positive that I would be able to keep things together and protect her reputation so it was be a seamless transition into our happy harmony again. I was beginning to get the hang of being a single working dad/full time parent of four. Every single night, I would sit for hours and pray for her, our marriage, and our kids. However, it seemed the more healing I found, the further Crissy drifted away from the kids and me. We hardly saw her. Still I had peace and was able to show that peace to the kids. Remember, Crissy used to be the most legit mom ever. Having her fade away from their lives was almost too much too watch. However like I said, me and “my crew” as I started to call them found peace in midst of the storm. I learned little techniques to help them cope with everything that was going on. Soon, it was like she was kinda just gone completely, but we were still married.  

Although I felt peace, it was still heart breaking. More and more people began to call me with “Crissy stories” and questions about what was going on. My fear of divorce slowly faded into an actual thought “what if it happened?” I began to pray more and more about this. Not trying to spread gossip, but Biblically speaking I had firm ground to stand on in the case of divorce.  Then my worry was “What if I lose the kids.” Honestly, how many dads of four with full time jobs get custody? So I started praying. I felt God telling me to fast (not eat) for two days and truly put my whole heart into praying and listening for an answer. Then driving home from work (I remember the time of day and the exact spot of the road I was driving), I felt God tell me “You’ve done well”. I knew it was time to file. The process was so nerve-wracking. I lost so much weight from just being so overwhelmed that I literally never had an appetite. Those months were the most anxious times in my life. I was constantly worried that Crissy would get the kids. However in the end, she agreed that I should have primary custody and she would get every other weekend visitations. Praise God!! The kids and I had become so unbelievably tight throughout the past few years of walking through this together that I couldn’t imagine not having them with me. It was an answer to prayer. I was and still am elated with the outcome.

I just keep on keeping on. Just “living the dream” (my go to response for questions about life). Life became such a fun thing. I was living this incredibly unique gift of a life that was filled with the craziest stories of the most awesome kids in the entire world. Every day seemed to be an adventure. However, I did feel sad at times that I didn’t have anyone to share all of these crazy stories and silly experiences with.  Then one night, I thought to myself “You know what? I’m not just going to sit around and wait for a wife to share this stuff. I’m gonna stuff putting this stuff online. If nothing else, it will be a fun way to remember things for when the kids grow up.” That was the beginning of the blog you are reading now. Yay! Fun, right ;)

So yeah, that’s my Origin Story. I love the person I am. I love my kids. I love the life I have. I love the God I serve.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Seth

Megow Kids Q&A - Pet Peeves

What do think the term "pet peeve" means?

Stevie: "Things you don't like, but they always happen."

Neela: "That's when you have a pet and it pees a lot."

Titus: "Dad. I'm not dumb. That's a made up word."

Olive: *lays head on table* "42"

(Dad explains what it means)

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Stevie: "Buying and picking out clothes. I hate clothes. I wish we were like animals and had fur. That way I wouldn't have to wear clothes. Plus, I would always be warm and cozy."

Neela: "Not having a dog. I need a dog dad."

Titus: "When people litter."

Olive: "These questions."

What is something that dad says that gets on your nerves?

Stevie: "Clean your room."

Neela: "When you tell me that I can't lick your hair like a cat."

Titus: "No more screen time or my brain will rot."

Olive: "No."

What is something that dad does that gets on your nerves?

Stevie: "When you fart. It's so bad."

Neela: "You don't let me watch scary movies."

Titus: "When you sing the Rudolph song to make us not fight."

Olive: "When you make me be in nature. I like inside and snacks, not hiking and bugs."

What is the worst part about going to school?

Stevie: "Not seeing dad."

Neela: "Not learning about more animals. Math is dumb. I wish I could go to an outside nature school."

Titus: "I like all the parts of school and I love my teacher."

Olive: "Waking up."

What is your least favorite part of the day?

Stevie: "I don't have a least favorite part."

Neela: "The part about when I remember I don't have a dog."

Titus: "Doing homework."

Olive: "Right now."

Worst movie ever?

Stevie: "Nightmare before Christmas. I saw a part of it one time. I hated it."

Neela: "Mickey Mouse."

Titus: "Pokemon. It's so annoying."

Olive: "Grown up shows."

Grossest food ever?

Stevie: "Popcorn"

Neela: "Black Eyed Peas."

Titus: "I like everything."

Olive: "Olives"

When you grow up, what is the one job you would never want to do?

Stevie: "Surgery"

Neela: "A butt doctor"
Titus: "Nurse"

Olive: "A grown up"

What is the hardest part about being a kid?

Stevie: "That I won't be a kid forever."

Neela: "That I don't have a phone so I can't order pizza."

Titus: "Not being able to see aquariums whenever I want."

Olive: "You can't drive to Dairy Queen when you are a kid."

What is the hardest part about being the oldest? Or what do you think it would be if you were?

Stevie: "Taking care of everything"

Neela: "I wouldn't be able to sleep outside."

Titus: "Going to longer schools and waiting."

Olive: "Stevie."

What is the hardest part about being the middle child? Or what do you think it would be if you were?

Stevie: "Never being able to do anything fun."

Neela: "I can't open doors. I just follow people and run in the door behind them."

Titus: "I can't bring electronic things with me to town."

Olive: "This is ridiculous."

What is the hardest part about being the only boy? Or what do you think it would be if you were the only girl?

Stevie: "No girls could spend the night."

Neela: "Too hard to poop rainbows. Only girl power makes you poop rainbows."

Titus: "It makes me miss mommy so much."

Olive: *walks away*

What is the hardest part about being the youngest? Or what do you think it would be if you were?

Stevie: "I would have a big belly because everyone would give me all of their snacks."

Neela: "I want to be the youngest wolf in a wolf pack."

Titus: "Being called a baby."

Olive: *from across the room* "I'm not coming back over there."

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Seth 

How Kids are Similar to Dogs

Easily distracted.

Can sleep anywhere...

but prefer sleeping in your bed...

and love to be the first thing you see when you wake up.

Love to pee anywhere and everywhere.

Dog or little boy... we'll never know. ;)

Not huge fans of the term "Personal Space".

Both love to get dirty...

luckily, they have a shared love for bath time.

Both enjoy dog biscuits.

Enjoy walks...until they decide the walk is over.

Follow you to the toilet.

Finally, unsupervised time is not recommended with either.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Seth