From Quiet to Chaos!

Remember those quiet Sunday afternoons long before we had kids? Browsing through the Sunday paper, without thousands of interruptions or watching a movie in it’s entirety. Got me to thinking about how folks found peace and quiet way back when.
 

“Bye kids, see you when Halley’s Comet returns!”

Don’t get me wrong, I love those wranglers, but everyone needs a break from their offspring. How did the pioneers get away from their kids? There weren’t any shopping malls or theaters to escape to for a couple of hours or iPods.

What did Moms do back then? Did they hide in the brush and hope that the wild critters would stay away while they collected their sanity?

Maybe they rode into town to the nearest saloon and knocked back a few whiskeys? Did they meet any handsome cowboys?

Did their kids constantly interrupt them when they were trying to cook up some grub for dinner? Maybe kids didn’t talk as much then as they do now. Somedays my kids talk so much, that I have to promptly remove myself from the situation. They are either telling me stories that have no conclusion, or arguing with one another, for what seems like an eternity.

Did parents seek out this man’s advice, on how to deal with children?

“Always obey your parents—when they are present. This is the best policy in the long run, because if you don’t, they will make you. Most parents think they know better than you do, and you can generally make more by humoring that superstition than you can by acting on your own better judgment.”  Mark Twain 1835-1910

It’s more difficult to get away from your kids now, or for kids to get away from parents. You just can’t turn them loose like my parents did, it’s not safe or wise. It was much easier then, to let them roam around on foot or bikes blazing a trail, helmetless, free as the wind. Our kids are tethered to us for much longer than they used to be. I guess we all deal with it in our own way.

Well it’s about time for violin and cello practice here at this homestead, I enjoyed the silence earlier, now it’s time to enjoy the live orchestra…. send earplugs!