All About Perspective

I don't know how many times I've heard the expression "it's all about perspective." As far as I'm concerned, truer words were never spoken. The other day, my daughter told my husband that she wished she could be me. At first I was flattered, then she added, "Yeah, cause if I was mom, I could sleep late and take naps!" My incredibly sweet and patient hubby then pointed out that by the time they get up for school, mom has usually run three miles. And apparently she had conveniently forgotten who fixes her hair every morning. (Cause it's not her fairy godmother!) And we all know lunches make themselves and laundry washes itself, right ladies? Not long ago her sister informed me that I "don't have a job" and I was moved to devote an entire chapter to the subject in my book.
My perspective on parenting has definitely changed. I have said before that the twins were my "practice kids." After surviving the first four years with them, I knew before she ever made her grand entrance that things were going to be different with my third child. Never was this fact more evident than a few weeks ago, when she spent the entire weekend at a barrel race wearing a Sleeping Beauty dress over her clothes. The whole "I would never have let my other kids do this" thought crossed my mind again later the same weekend when I was watching her sit and play in the only mud puddle at the whole facility. What can I say? You live and learn...to pick your battles.
On another note, as anyone who picks up a new sport does, I have been reading up on running. Among other things, I have learned that you can't really call yourself a runner until you have run to the point of puking. In that case, I am officially a still a "wogger." I'll be sure to alert the media if my status changes.