This weekend we went my husbands home town to visit his family. The journey from our house to theirs takes about 4.5 hours and is filled with beautiful scenery and amazing sites! That’s a lie, they live in Kansas, in case you all haven’t been there yet….don’t go. There really isn’t much to see aside from some wind mills and corn fields. Andrew and I spend the better part of our time participating in carpool karaoke, using our curled up fists as a microphone. When the really dramatic parts come on, we squint our eyes and gaze briefly (very briefly since one of us is driving) into each other’s eyes for added effect. It sounds similar to the mating call of a cat, you know the one that sounds like they’re dying? It really is a beautiful thing. When we tire of that, we sometimes sit alone with our thoughts, lost in the moment of a song. Both have become like therapy to my soul and my favorite part of any road trip.
Allow me to introduce my littlest buddy, H. He’s our five year old nephew, his attitude would rival that of a fifteen year old, but his smile melts even the hardest of hearts. He is quite possibly the cutest kid around. But I don’t just love him for those adorable doe eyes, I also love him because he has no f*cks to give. That’s right, I said it….no f*cks will be given by this kid. About anything…..and that makes him my hero.
You see friends, H just tells it like it is. If he likes you, he will cling to you and make you watch his every move, because he’s 5 now, and in kindergarten, and everything is awesome! But if he doesn’t, he will tell you. He thinks your hair looks funny? Yep, never fear….he will let you know. He farts on you while he’s snuggling? He will giggle while he shares the news. He says whatever is on his mind. This weekend, he had visiting us on his mind. “Hey, I wanna come to y’all’s house, ok? And I will play with your boys and we will swim, ok?” He then repeated it periodically so we wouldn’t forget. “Hey, I’m coming to y’all’s house in the morning, ok? I’m not going to kindergarten.”
See what he did there? He doesn’t ask….he just tells you. He’s one hell of a negotiator for his tender age of five. I envy his ability to make you feel like all of it was your idea too. I’m like, “Sure buddy, let’s see if mommy and daddy will come down in a few weeks! Hey it’s Labor Day; y’all should come down and visit us!” I made that statement with such conviction, because little H, made me think it was my idea. He really may be a genius…..or I’m an idiot. 🤷🏻♀️
Today, we met with my in-laws at Taco Shop for lunch before we left town. Going places as a family is always a good time. You see, Andrew comes from a large family. There were 4 kids and each one of them had 1-5 kids….throw in the step-kids and blended kids like mine….and it’s quite the show. When we descend on a restaurant, you can see the high school kids that work there start to panic. I imagine we look like a cross between The Clampets and Cheaper by the Dozen. There are usually kids running, a few will be fighting, someone is almost always crying, someone else doesn’t want to eat there, and we are guaranteed to spill something. Some kids are dirty when we arrive from a day spent outside, and some are dirty when we leave from enjoying their meal to its fullest. I’ve learned that there is no graceful way to take 15 people to a restaurant. It simply just isn’t possible.
When my little man, H, found out we were going to taco shop, he informed me that he doesn’t want that. I ignored him for awhile, hoping he’d change his mind before we got there. The last thing we need is another crying kid when we arrive at lunch, because he doesn’t like the food. After a few moments of trying to get my attention, H takes his tiny little hands and places them firmly against my cheeks. I could smell what might have been urine and little boy sweat on his fingers as he squished my cheeks harder until I turned my head to look at him.
“Hey, I think y’all should take me by McDonald’s for a Happy Meal. I don’t like it Taco shop.” he said as he slowly released my cheeks from his death grip. There was a little bit of drool coming off his chin as he locked his eyes on mine, so focused, so I’d realize how serious the situation was. Naturally, I couldn’t say no to his pleading little eyes, so we stopped by McDonald’s to grant his wish. When we arrived at Taco Shop, my husband looked at me with surprise as I grabbed for the happy meal box. “Babe, we can’t just take that in there. They won’t let us, will they?” he asked, hoping I would agree to let him eat it outside. “Watch them try and stop me.” I said, as we entered the restaurant. Andrew was mortified. “Please don’t get us kicked out of my favorite taco place….” he begged, as I found a table close to the family.
As we sat there I couldn’t help but laugh at how funny we must look to others. This giant family, with tons of kids and chaos. One kid even has food from another restaurant. But then I looked at little H and noticed his smile. He had no f*cks to give. He had his happy meal, his Hi-C, his McDonald’s toy, and his family. That’s all he needed to be blissfully happy. Suddenly it occurred to me, we all need to be more like H. Enjoy the simple things in life. Like time spent with family on a Sunday afternoon, no matter how chaotic that may look. Give no f*cks what others think of you, because at the end of the day, no one else matters. Do what makes you happy, say what’s on your mind, and give no f*cks my friends. Little H is wiser than he knows, he’s doing it right folks. 😎✌️
The Mommy Chronicles 