46

Realization came from nowhere, driving down Riverside with Sal, listening to the Hollies singing, “The Air That I Breathe.”
I realized I’m turning forty-six this year and make an audible noise that sounds like a hum and a huh bled together.

”What?” Sal asks.

”I’m turning forty-six in November. I had you the year I was twenty-three. I’ve been Kelly equally as long as I’ve been Kelly-Mom. After this year I’m going to be Kelly-Mom longer than I’ve been Kelly.”

Sal recognizes,
”Hmmmm. That’s weird. Yeah, that’s weird.”

Going into my twenty-third year old being a mother, I can tell you that I had no idea that every one of your children will bring fifty more children into your life. It’s like a chain letter.

I can tell you a million things about parenting, and that feeling is overwhelming so I’ll just dump a couple today:

• Only children get a bad rap. They don’t have the same manipulation skills as children with siblings. They are loyal. They are good with adults.
  

• Ages 3-6 are pure. This is when the personality of a person truly shines. Before they are ruined by societal norms. Good or bad, this is the person through and through.
  

• Talk to your babies. Talk your ass off when you’re with infants and babies. Narrate. Be as verbal as possible as young as possible and allow them the safety of freely expressing themselves- no matter how ‘well’ they can communicate, talking to them non-stop will get them to their best levels as early as possible. And trust me, you want them to talk early if they can, to work through the future frustration meltdowns that will incur from not having the right words.

• Pick your fucking battles. You don’t need to explain things to kids over and over. Let them win the stuff you are being stupid and controlling about.

• Do you have any parenting questions?