Being a family.

Tuesday, October 08, 2013

It's funny how "family" takes on different meanings. It used to mean my parents, sister, and brother. Then I met Peter, and he became part of my family. I love my friends like family. And now we have a little guy and a dog in the mix, and again, the word 'family' feels different. I tend to think of my family as the four of us - me and the three boys who live under this roof. 



We're all busy doing our own things: Pete and I working all day, Eli living it up with his friends at the sitter's, Rory doing whatever it is he does when no one else is home (I don't even want to think about what that might involve). 

But every night, we all have dinner together, and that's what feels the most like a family. We have breakfast together, too, but weekday breakfasts are rushed and scattered. Dinner's a different story. We're all in the kitchen, hanging out, eating and catching up, our family. For 45 minutes at the end of the day, there's no phones, no computers, no TV. Maybe some music, otherwise, just us. It's one of my favourite times of the day. 

There are other times I feel it, the family thing: when we're all in the car together, Eli sleeping in the backseat and Pete and I talking quietly so he keeps napping. Walking in the park, playing tag in the backyard. The rare occasion when the three of us go to the grocery store together. Watching the Santa Claus parade. Every day it's us, but sometimes the feeling of family is really powerful. Realizing that we are in it for the long haul, our little group. Remembering that I'm somebody's wife and somebody's mom. It's like the coziest blanket. 

I treasure our family time, the trips and holidays and dinnertime each and every day. I hope that even when Eli gets big and cool and thinks we're lame, we still get to have dinner together every night. 

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6 comments

  1. "...remembering that i'm somebody's wife and somebody's mom. it's like the coziest blanket."

    exactly, amy, love.

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  2. I needed to read something like this today!!

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  3. me too, I am having a rubbish day. I had the best start to it, then it went downhill at around 10.15am!

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  4. I love this post.

    That is all.

    ReplyDelete