Take it from me, kid.
A dedication to the little minions in my life.
Once in a while I’ll have a friend make a comment about how she would love to just pick up and travel like I do, or buy nice things like I do, or sleep whenever she wants like I do. And I always respond with a joke about how I made a different series of decisions in my life to lead me down my path, and them down theirs. The majority of my friends chose marriage and babies, I chose a career. Contrary to popular belief, one path is not better than the other. (Is the chip on my shoulder showing yet?) But, while the paths may be different, I reap the benefits of both paths. Their path leads me to their children, also known as Auntie Lea’s Loves and it’s like I have my own little army.
I was on my annual beach vacation with friends recently, drinking coffee in the (very) early morning quiet when I heard the less-than-quiet pitter patter of a very sleepy five year old. I said, “Hey buddy” to which he responded, “Did you know my Oma lost her credit card?” Naturally, I chuckled, told him that I hadn’t known that his grandmother had lost her credit card and then he curled up under my arm, put his head on my chest and spent the next seven minutes telling me all of the places that his Oma looked for said credit card. For inquiring minds, the places she looked included, but were not limited to, her cabinets, car, wallet, drawers, bedroom, kitchen and underneath tables.
If my friends had chosen different paths, I wouldn’t have moments like this. So, call me selfish, but in my mind, I’m getting the best of both paths. Travel, nice things, sleep, AND the cuddles, the chuckles and the early morning moments. As these tiny humans continue to grow up and become contributing members of society, I hope I can teach them a thing or two. I’m affectionately calling it my “Take it from me, kid” series.
Take it from me, kid; it’s okay to take a path that is different from the one you are “supposed” to take. By now, society says I’m supposed to be married and have 2.18 children. I’m supposed to want to attend Parent/Teacher Conferences and spend entire weekends on soccer fields surrounded by screaming eight years olds dealing with heat stroke and sugar highs. Maybe that’s your path. And if that’s the path you want, then I hope that path is paved with ease and you get to skip down it with the happiest of tunes playing in your head. But if that’s not the path you want and you’d rather travel the world or decide that you’re perfectly fine being a cat mom or a dog dad for the rest of your life, then I just want to make sure you know that that is okay, too. Societal pressures are real and no matter what path you want to take, I’ll be there marching behind you holding a banner and wearing a “#1 Fan” shirt.
Take it from me, kid; if you want to play hard, you have to work hard. Your mom and dad are going to try like hell to give you the best life possible and raise you exactly how they believe that you should be raised. And you know what? They’re going to do a damn good job. But when the time comes where you have to hold up your end of the bargain, it’s time to put your game face on and get after it. And you know what? It’s a hell of a lot of fun. You want to know how I afford to go on nice trips and drive a nice car and own nice things? I work for it. Do the work, put the time in and get it done.
Take it from me, kid; pick your battles. If something comes up that you want to fight, first ask yourself if that’s the hill you want to die on. If it is, then fight like hell, and give me a call, because I’ll fight alongside you. If it’s not, then let it go. I’ve fought a lot of battles over the years that in hindsight, were completely unnecessary, so save yourself some of the stress and choose wisely.
Take it from me, kid; it’s okay to say no to doing things you don’t want to do. Caveat - this only applies to you as an adult. I’m sorry, if I tell you to go wash your hands or to stop bugging your sister and you don’t want to, too bad. I’m Auntie Lea and what I say, goes. But when you’re an adult, it’s okay to turn down the invite to the party that you don’t want to go to. It’s okay to opt out of a vacation that will be the opposite of relaxing. Life is too short and time is precious, it’s okay to say no.
And last but not least, if you ever need dirt on your mom or dad, just call me. Take it from me, kid, I’ve got you covered.
