The Definition of Parenting

This post was supposed to be about the quote, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." I heard it somewhere the other day and I thought, no wonder parents always feel like they're going crazy! I mean, every day I serve my kids some "new" ("new" meaning they don't currently like it, not that they've never had it before or even liked it before) fruit or vegetable. And every day, they tell me they don't like the fruit or vegetable. But I keep hoping.

I was prepared to lament about how many times I've told them to use words when they're angry, or to flush the toilet, or to ask politely for what they want instead of whining. And how many times they have totally ignored me.

I was going to say that, "Parenting is the definition of insanity."

But then I looked up the quote. It's not a Chinese proverb. It's not by Mark Twain, Albert Einstein or Benjamin Franklin. It does not resonate with years of gravitas.

It's something that Rita Mae Brown said in a novel in the '80's. Probably.

And THEN I realized that my children don't bite anymore. They have all bitten each other (and me, their father and grandmothers) in the past, usually somewhere around the age of 14 months. And after each bite, I would say "NO!" and remove them from the situation. And lo and behold,  after of a month or doing the same routine 20 times a day, they would actually STOP BITING.

So really the definition of parenting is doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over  and FINALLY (after years of gray hairs and martinis and blogs posts about public humiliations and candy bars and tears) you get different results.

I May Be Doing Something Right

This morning, after telling the kids that we would be leaving for Florida tomorrow, I overheard this conversation.

Lovebug: I want to see the pyramids. I want to see them in Florida.

Ironflower: Lovebug, the pyramids are in Egypt. You can't see them in Florida. We'll see them when we go to Egypt.

Lovebug: I want to go to the beach in Florida!

Let's hope they can maintain their positive attitudes and intellect while we drive down there. We weren't going to go, but my parents have rented a rather large condo and well, we feel that we all deserve a vacation after this fall and winter.

Of course, my parents are flying down.

We'll be driving the minivan with three kids and eighteen bottles of wine. The wine is supposed to be for after we get there.

I'm not entirely sure about that.