Fairy Tale Creatures as Adults

As a child, I loved playing princesses and assorted fairy tale creatures. It was fun to pretend and make-believe. As an adult, not so much. The part of being the adult I don't enjoy is being obligated to be the make-believe creatures.

I HATE the tooth fairy! A close second is the Easter Bunny. Thank heavens I don't have to be Smokey Bear or I might jump off a cliff. Santa is a marginally different matter. He, I can handle.

I am a terrible tooth fairy and have forgotten multiple nights in a row. I'm much better at handing them a dollar when the tooth falls out. When my oldest lost his first tooth I was going to do it differently. He got a box of crayons, no money here! The next one he got a coloring book. It seemed to work out pretty well until he went to preschool and another child received money. His gifts, tho more expensive, we're NOT cool. I'm still a cheap fairy and refuse shell out more than a dollar for any tooth. And, I won't pull them. It gives me the creeps when they come out in my fingers. Being obligated to sneak into the bedroom at night, find the tooth that hasn't stayed under the pillow, replace with a dollar, adequately dispose of the tooth, then head to bed, just doesn't excite me. By the time all the kids are asleep, the last thing I want to do is pretend to be fairy.

The bunny has to be a close second due to the fact it's only once a year. I love Easter weekend because it was always a holiday I could spend at home with my kids. Over the years that's changed. I love the meaning of Easter and the resurrection. But why the silly rabbit? Dying the eggs and a hunt is fun. But again with the creature! I'm not a big fan of loads of candy. With 6 kids that's a whole lot of sugar and hyper energy. Not to mention money that's quickly ingested. Once my kids got a little older we moved away from the traditional baskets and Easter clothes. In years past they've gotten camp chairs, pillows and sheets, sunglasses and mugs. This year I ran out of ideas. Today I had to make a run to Family Dollar and see what I could scrape up. The pressure to be a "good" bunny is ridiculous. But, I think I pulled it off.

Easter this year consists of: a new laundry basket, water balloons, chapstick, squirt gun, goggles, a 2 liter of soda, cheese balls and a few chocolate candies. Nothing riveting but all things I don't usually buy.

The unfortunate part of tonight is that I have to be BOTH creatures. Oh yes, we had to lose a tooth today too.

Fighting From the Other Side

Aren't these good lookin kids? Every one of them deserves a mom to fight for them. Thankfully, all my kids now have one.

I want moms in my situation to have a voice.

I'm a mom of 6 kids on an every day basis. Three I gave birth to, three I gave my life to. I love all 6 of my kids in their own special ways. This is the culmination of a lot of work and love for years.
Just over 3 years ago, my unbiological kids unexpectedly moved in. It was definately the best thing for them but it took a lot of adjusting and work. Our household doubled in a couple of hours. Within a week they were enrolled in school, settled in the house and permanent residents. After a few months you could already see a dramatic change for the better.
What these 3 needed was a mom who was going to take care of them like they deserved. They were now fed regularly, attending school, supervised and stable. There were a lot of issues to deal with and overcome but you could see the changes. They now had parents who were willing to fight for their right to be a kid.

I know of people who are trying to put their lives together and get their kids back. I know of some who aren't fighting but feel entitled to their kids.
What I want is for moms like me to have a voice from the other side. I want to be able to tell a judge about the struggles we've had for years because of custody being in limbo. The one who has "parental rights" but doesn't care to be the parent except when it suits their needs. Kids go thru such despair and heartache when promises are broken or birthdays and Christmas are forgotten. There are times when it's easier to cut all ties. There are kids who are better off without the hit-and-miss parent.
I am the mom who is willing to fight for my kids. Fight for their consistency and stability, even if this means less parent time with the one who has "parental rights." Parental rights is a fancy term for still being on the birth certificate. These kids are MINE. I feed them, teach them, wipe their tears and celebrate the successes. I'm the one who puts limits on behavior, rewards for things well done and makes them feel special. I'm the mom without parental rights. But, that doesn't make me any less of the mom.

I want moms like me to have a voice in the system. We're the ones who pick up the pieces and put them back together creating a child. We do this over and over again as the other parent pops in and out of their lives causing drama and chaos. There isn't anything about my situation that I would change. But I would like to save another mother from watching her kids hurt while being powerless to help. I would like judges to know what happens after their decision was made. Lets improve these decisions.

This mama bear isn't done fighting for her kids. All 10 of them. And any other child who needs someone to fight for them.

Family