Resilience

While I love having a big family, there is one constant hurdle I jump over with my four munchkins.  As they get older, they are invited places.  They are able to try new things.  They may have a playdate, a birthday or an opportunity that enables them to go somewhere there siblings cannot.

This makes siblings very disgruntled.

Yesterday, my oldest had an invitation to go snowtubing.  He was thrilled.  Ecstatic.  His siblings?  not so much.

LLG, our seven year old, was extremely vocal in voicing his displeasure.  "Why does he get to go....I never get to go...he gets to go everywhere...This is terrible......"

After listening to him for a hot minute, we decided Hubby could take him on his own.  Hubby could meet the boys at the park, sled with LLG and take our oldest home afterward.  Our Gymnastics Queen was invited to a birthday party the same time the snowtubing was to take place, which gave me the birthday pickup assignment.

Even though our Gymnastics Queen knew she was spending an afternoon with friends at a birthday, there was still a request for the snowtubing to happen after she was picked up.  Naturally, she wanted to go too.  After a quick no way from us, she quit requesting.  We can only please so many people at once.

My saving grace in all of this is that Moopa, happily existing at three years old, has no desire to do anything that requires her to be cold or have her clothes get wet.  Hallelujah.

Last night, after we all returned home, Hubby told me that LLG spent his time on the sledding hill, because when they got to the park the line for tubing was an hour long.  Of course my oldest was already tubing, which didn't sit well with LLG.  Regardless, according to Hubby, LLG and his buddies had a grand time sledding, and they went down the hill dozens of times. 

During our bedtime snuggles, LLG mentioned it wasn't fair he didn't get to tube.  I told him we would go as a family anyway, no need to get upset.  He did, after all, have a great time sledding.  LLG persisted, claiming it wasn't fair.

My response, in a nutshell?  Tough nuts. 

After a few more minutes discussing our day, LLG went to bed happy.  My oldest went to bed happy, and my girls went to bed happy.  And because it was bedtime, I was happy.  A successful day indeed.

Siblings are grand.  They teach us so many things.  Yesterday, my kids learned once again that the world does not revolve around them.  They had a reminder that life is not fair.  Just because one of you is invited someplace, that does not mean that everyone is welcome to go.  If we can accommodate some of your wishes, we will.  But we offer you no guarantees. 

We need to be thankful for what we have, and thankful for what we're able to do.  Everything works in circles, and there will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to try new things.  We just have to wait our turn, and be resilient when things don't go our way.  Life is too short to take personally.

Happy Monday everyone...wait your turn...because next time you may be the one invited snow tubing. :)