Perspective

Today it was pointed out the uniqueness that is the way my husband and I choose to raise our kids. We've talked about this particular thing several times. Driving to town. This posting is to simply explain myself, nothing more.

For the past 2 1/2 years that we've had kids we've lived in small towns. Each town has had a Wal-mart. The town that we used to live in also had an HEB (how I miss HEB!). I choose when Allyssa was little to adjust my day so that she gets her naps in. I feel that structured days lead to easy nights. That doesn't mean that we don't switch up what we do during a day, but nap times are at the same time each day, they are to be expected and are on the MOST IMPORTANT TO DO LIST. The only day that any nap is removed is Sunday when David, Jr.'s morning nap is thrown out the window to go to church.

Because of the rigid nap schedule that we keep, driving to town to go to a bigger, cheaper Wal-mart, or a grocery store is not a high priority. I make a list and I do go once a month or once every three weeks, but I do not go as often as most people who live out here, or so I'm told. But naps aren't the only thing that keep me from going to town. It also has to do with the time spent in the car. I don't feel like time in the car is time well spent. Sure, going places is a must and we do go, sometimes. Yes, it is good for the children to go places and to learn how to spend time in the car. However, if I strapped them in the car once or twice a week to take them to town, every week, I would spend an hour driving and a while stressed out pushing them around in the cart trying hard to stay collected and trying to entertain them and trying to purchase everything on my list for the cheapest possible price (I have to go through my coupons), and, in addition to that, I need to get home before nap time. No, sometimes it doesn't work out right and we get home later than I want. Sometimes the kids cry half way home because they are tired from the trip. The way I figure it, if I can make a list of the non-perishables or the items that can freeze (like tortillas from HEB, which are my favorites), then I can make the trip once every few weeks and get those things. Then, the milk and sale items that I can get with my ads at my local Wal-mart work just fine.

One issue that was brought up to me was that my kids might be sheltered if I keep them home instead of going places.

That might be true, but the fun things that we get to do when we are at home, outweigh any of that. And, they really aren't sheltered. Allyssa has ridden on an airplane on two different occasions. She's been to the Texas State Aquarium (David's been once). She's been to San Antonio twice (David's been once). We go see the fish at The Bass Pro Shop (and at Wal-mart a few times a week). We go to the parks in town often. They've been out to eat with us several times (even though I don't like to go out to eat often). Allyssa's been as far north as Amarillo and as far south as Brownsville. She's stayed at a "cabin." She's spent several days at Grandma and Papa's on her own (that's a big deal because Grandma and Papa used to live 10 hours a way and now live 5 hours a way; she's stayed with them on two different occasions, she couldn't until she quit nursing, so she got a late start at spending the night at Grandma's, but anytime they ask now that she's over one year old, she ship her off to have some good fun (with a list of things I'm anal about that they MUST follow of they won't get to watch her again, but they do follow it)).

So while my perspective on car rides differs from lots of people's perspectives, I don't think I'm wrong. I don't think you are either. We each do what we do and we each try to be the best parents we can be. For me, it is very stressful to try to grocery shop in Katy with my kids right now at their ages. Everyone would probably agree that a stressful mommy isn't any fun, and that's what I try to do...make being a kid fun. Kids grow up fast. Sometimes too fast. Circumstances in life sometimes insist it. While I can, I'm going to try to keep them carefree and a stressed out momma doesn't accomplish that in my household. What does? Well, Allyssa's favorite things are stroller rides, tricycle rides, and reading books. David's favorites are swings at the park (not as fun at home for some reason even though the swing is the same kind) and standing up an things. We do these things best when we enjoy our hometown.