Yup ... I'm 'that' mom

The other day I was sitting near a group of other moms watching our little kids from afar and couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

They were discussing the challenges of being a mom in today's world, given all the opportunities offered to kids anymore, and how busy families have become. They brought up some great points about limiting your kids' activities and making time for your husbands, etc, etc.

I agreed wholeheartedly with all of it and, since I would venture to guess most the moms were at least 10-15 years younger than me, I was glad they were realizing it early in their parenting experience, but yet I remained quiet about my opinion at the other end of the room.

I would have expressed those same views 10 years ago when my girls were toddlers, but it's funny how life changes. You don't know how badly I wanted to blurt out, "Oh, you guys just wait! It all seems so simple when they're little but trust me, it changes. Unless you sell all your belongings and move to some cabin in the middle of nowhere, your kids will become busy.

Doesn't matter if it's sports, band, dance, science club or youth groups, it happens right before your eyes. And if you limit your child to only be involved in two things, then times that by three children, who all like different activities, BAM ... you instantly become busy. No getting around it."

However, I decided it was best to stay out of the conversation, not that I was asked in, but because my life is SO different than the one they were discussing and I didn't want to seem like Negative Nelly and for all I know, maybe they might want to move to some deserted cabin someday to avoid the life I currently have. Certainly wasn't my business. But I decided on my drive home afterwards that I'm "that" mom. The one who's living the opposite life that the young moms were describing. I felt a tinge of guilt at first but I decided I felt guilty enough in my 30s. I'm in my 40s and I don't have time to waste feeling guilty.

Look down upon me if you will, but my kids ARE in multiple activities. We ARE running from one thing to another most days and yes, I do order pizza or grill hotdogs for dinner probably more than the recommended daily allowance. There are days I wish I could go back to when my babies were small and we had regular meals at 5:00 every night, every evening free for leisurely walks and our favorite TV shows, and when Hubby and I actually had time for real dates, but I love my life now just as much as I did then.

We still have plenty of family time together; it's just not always at home. It may be in the truck on the way to games or in the bleachers cheering on a daughter but we're always together. My girls are busy but they're happy, ask anyone of them. They love their dance and their gymnastics, their volleyball and their softball, their basketball and church groups and all the other things in between.

No my laundry isn't always caught up, my books don't always get finished in a timely manner, and Hubby and I have redefined our date nights to lunches and spur of the moment coffee house breaks but we make do with the time we're given.

Our driveway may seem as busy as a New York City toll road and my truck probably has more miles than most 2008s but it is what it is. We take breaks as often as we need to and say no to a lot of other opportunities just for a weekend at home. I know these busy days will soon end and I will miss them, just the same as I miss the slower days from long ago. Each chapter is different, but for now I guess I'll be "that" mom until my title changes.