The Very Busy Mother

One cool fall morning, the children went back to school. The mother drank a cup of coffee and  then began to work on her house. WHINE, said the 3-year-old! So the mother hugged and kissed and went back to her busy work of digging up potatoes.

WHEN DO I GO TO SCHOOL, cried the 5-year-old! The mother promised that tomorrow, she too could go to school, helped the 5-year-old pick out her first day of Kindergarten clothes, and then went back to her busy work of making salsa (using homegrown tomatoes and jalepenos), marinating chicken, and baking zucchini bread.

HELP ME ON MY VIOLIN, fussed the 9-year-old! So the mother coached and taught and practiced and then went back to the busy work of sorting all the clothes in the entire house.

PLAY THE PIANO WITH ME, complained the 11-year-old! So the mother played the top part of the piano duet and counted out loud, and then continued to busily work on sorting the clothes.

HELP ME ORGANIZE MY LIFE, begged the husband. So the wife added items to the to-do-list and the calendar for her husband’s new iphone calendar, and then went back to the busy work of washing sheets and making the bed.

CUDDLE WITH US BEFORE BED AND TUCK US IN, cried the children. The mother helped them get their jammies on, helped them brush their teeth, helped them set out their clothes for tomorrow, and cuddled on the couch before bed, just like that. It had been a very, very busy day.