Living the family life

To my friends who protect and serve    To my friends who grew up to be firefighters, EMTs, EMS, officers both police and correctional, and military.   As I sit here on my porch this morning in this city, I watch several ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars go by. For me this is normal to see them pass multiple times daily. I am reminded constantly that they are everywhere and that I’m safe. If you know me personally and know where I live then you would know that I don’t always feel safe. It’s sometimes hard to feel safe in almost downtown of a major city. Yet when things go wrong, your brothers and sisters are not to far behind to protect, serve and rescue. For that I want to say thank you.   I pray for you and your families daily. I pray for your safety and health. I pray for your mental health because only God knows what you’re battling. I pray for your families. I know they’re proud of you, as am I. I grew up with many of you and to see you serving your c...

   They say it gets easier as the kids get older. The tantrums, fussing, whining, “mommy this” and “mommy that”, and messes. They tell you that you’ll get it. I’ve even heard “it takes time”.   Please stop. Stop saying it gets easier. I understand that but I’m struggling now. My mental health is struggling now. As mothers we’re told not to blink because it goes by fast yet you also say “it gets easier” so which is it? One sounds like I should live in the moment and the other sounds like I am wanting time to go faster so it gets easier. Not how it sounds to you? Let me try another approach.   You’re listening to your toddlers screaming, home is a mess despite your efforts to clean it for the hundredth time this week, dinner didn’t go as planned, you clean up dinner and kids, and finally get the kids off to bed. You finally go to bed after finishing laundry and not even a few hours later you wake up to a crying child whom had an accident in bed. You get up to chan...