Hide and Seek

Written by Sheree Echlin 

Kids know when you sneak off for a moment to yourself. That minute of solitude where you can just gather your thoughts….nope too late they find you. Every. Single. Time. It’s like they have a special radar to find Mummy where ever she is in the house. It’s cute when you hear their tiny little voices followed by giggles but when it’s screaming followed by loud moaning shouts of “Mummy, Mum, where are you?” it takes on another level altogether. And of course, these moments always seem to happen when you’re either in the shower or toilet! They know, they always know when mummy has to do something for herself. Or even if you just sit down, they appear out of nowhere! 

Kids. What can I say that hasn’t been said before? On a good day, you don’t mind them so much. One bad day or hour, a minute maybe and you’re ready to disown them. I love the fun times. The days where we giggle, be silly and do girly things. But the bad days really take the cake, especially when I have a four-year-old repeating everything I say. Honestly when did she develop such an attitude? Did I turn my back one day and someone dropped a mini teenager in place of my big baby? Don’t get me wrong I knew she would grow up, but I wasn’t expecting a miniature version of myself for a little while yet (haha!).  

I’m still enjoying my “baby” Miss Phoebe though, well most of the time anyway. When she starts copying her big sister, it’s not as much fun. But I can’t get enough of the chubby arms wrapping around my neck in a hug and when she tells me she loves me. It just melts my heart. Until five seconds later when she blows a raspberry in my face. Better than when I cop the occasional deliberate blast of air from the back end of either of my children I guess. 

Yes, I’m raising girls, not that you would know it some days. And you know what, I really have no issue with it. I’m not exactly a girly girl myself, a topic I’ve touched on many times before. Kids will be kids and I’m a big believer in letting them find and develop their personalities without feeling like they have to conform to the idea of “how it should be”.  

Miss Izzie is one sneaky four-year-old though. Even if “no” is the answer, she’ll find a way to do it. There’s no stopping her from getting food. Opening packets is no longer a barrier, she can do it, even if it’s with her teeth. Grabbing something from up high that’s just out of her reach, she moves a toy or chair and suddenly it’s in her hands. Yep, she’s one big girl these days and you definitely can’t tell her otherwise! As for her younger sister, she’s still adamant that chocolate is what she needs every other minute of the day. Honestly, I can’t blame the kid for trying, it is pretty tasty! But just like tomato sauce, chocolate is certainly not a meal….that’s another story in itself. 

Am I scared about my babies growing up? You bet I am! I see them changing and growing all the time. One day they won’t need mummy doing everything for them anymore. It makes me both sad and proud at the same time. But one thing I know I’m not afraid of is how they will handle themselves in this world. While I may constantly roll my eyes (gee I wonder where they get it from??!!) at their attitude and cheekiness, I know it’s not entirely a bad thing. In time, they will become strong, independent women and I can only hope I’ve had a big positive influence on them. I don’t always show them the right way to do things and I’m about as far from perfect as you can get, but I can only hope my girls look up to me as much as I have with my own mum. Lucky, I love them, right?! No matter how big they are, they will always be my babies (big girls if you ask them!), but for now I think I’m going to try and enjoy them being little as much as I can. 

Kids will drive you crazy, make you laugh and they certainly keep life interesting. My girls definitely always give me something to make light of. Follow more of their antics at shereeechlin.com.