When you have children, it seems as if there are not enough hours in the day. There is always a game to attend, clothing to buy, or you have to load up the Tahoe and be the taxi driver. There is the hand held out every day for money; lunch money, snack money, mall money, candy money, game money, and the list goes on and on.

In today’s economic times, it can be difficult to raise children and give them all of the things that they need. Sometimes, as a parent, you can get a little discouraged and forget what is really important. Life seems to pull your priorities away from seeing the small things that really matter. The things that use to be important get lost somewhere underneath the financial obligation. However, I have taken the time this week to smile through the hardships. I have decided to write about the funny things that my children have done.

If you have children, then you know that no two children are the same. I have two children and they are as different as night and day. My oldest daughter has always been the type that if I told her not to touch something, she would stay 10 foot away from it. She is very well mannered, involved in every club in school, makes great grades, and has a good head on her shoulders. In contrast, if I tell my youngest daughter to stay away from something because it will hurt her, she will be running straight to whatever the culprit is to show me that it will not hurt her. She could care less about grades, and is a daredevil. I never realized what people meant by saying that you will love all of your children in different ways, until I had my own.

My children have both done some really funny things, and it is a joy to watch them grow up. I can remember when my oldest daughter had visited her grandfather. He had some chickens and she loved to see when the eggs had hatched into baby chicks. She kept begging me to let her take one of the eggs home with her so she could “hatch it.” I tried to explain to her that she could not hatch the egg. One day I went into her room and found her sitting on an egg that she had took out of the refrigerator. I said, “What are you doing?” She responded with, “Hatching my baby chicken.” It was so funny, because in her mind, she believed that she could bring the chicken to life.

My youngest child is always doing funny stuff. For instance, she always believed that if you seen a black cow in a pasture, you could pull over to it and get some chocolate milk. One day we were riding down the road past a pasture full of black cows. She hade a cup full of coke that she poured out in the floor and said, “Pull over mommy, I want some chocolate milk!” She really thought that we could go to that cow and get some chocolate milk

Furthermore, just the other day, she had just got home from school. She came to me with the thermometer and wanted me to take her temperature. I checked her, and her temperature was normal. About ten minutes later, I hear my oldest daughter calling for me to come to the kitchen quickly. As I enter the room, I hear this popping noise and I think that the microwave is going to explode. I then realize that, my youngest daughter has put the thermometer in the microwave to trick me into believing that she had a fever. Her goal was to have a temperature of 103. I started panicking thinking about the possibility of mercury being in the thermometer. I take the kids outside, and call poison control, just to be sure. As soon as I get an all clear, I talk to her and ask her why she wanted to be sick so badly. She responded with, “We have a lot of work to do at school tomorrow and I don’t want to do it.”

Another fond memory would be at Christmas. We were all gathered at my mother-in-law’s house. It was time to open gifts and the children were so excited. This was when I only had one child. My mother-in-law had a huge gift for my daughter. She wanted to be the first one to open the big gift. As we all gather around to watch, I am holding the camcorder. She snatches off the wrapping paper and opens the box. All of the sudden, her smile turns to disappointment. She realizes that this big box is full of clothing. She starts throwing clothes over her head. They are flying everywhere in the room. She is screaming, “Where’s the toys!” She was so upset because she was only five and had thought that box would be full of toys. I was so embarrassed by her ungratefulness. However, she was just being a kid. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that children always say what is on their mind.

In summary, I could go on and on about fond memories of my children that will make me laugh. If you are struggling in any part of your life right now and times seem difficult, just start remembering. Remember what was once important in your life and start paying attention to the little things. Don’t get bogged down with economic hardship. Enjoy your children and laugh a little. They will grow up fast, as I am seeing this happen before my eyes. Someday, all we will have will be the memories. I look forward to the many more funny events that my children will perform in my life.