by took the opportunity i mean that we dragged ourselves out of the house on a saturday afternoon usually spent in preparation for sunday work, complaining all the while. neither of us wanted to do this. but we moved into the suburbs for this particular reason - that our daughter would have children her age, that there would be block parties she could go to. truthfully the term 'block party' made me hate the idea already.
but we girded our loins and took one for the kid. and it was what we could have imagined. two full time working parents (ministers no less) struggling to find common ground in a cul-de-sac filled with stay at home moms and executive dads.
as i was standing there, between the awkward conversation and the silences i heard entire conversations in my head: no, my child is not wearing organic diapers. yes i let her eat that popcorn she dropped on the ground. her nose is running, its not swine flu. so my kid is touching your kid - is that against the law?
and then, watching her run around the asphalt with absolute joy on her face, scribbling on the sidewalks (and other kids) with chalk, hearing her talking to strangers i took a deep breath and let it go.
sure my child's hair is a mess because she wouldn't let anyone touch it and i choose to pick my battles. who cares that she sits down on the sidewalk and takes off her socks and shoes. like mother (or father) like daughter. we are under no obligation to live up to anyone's idea of family - just learn what it means for us this moment. today.
Luckily, our next-door neighbors came around the corner. they have a daughter ainsley's age, they're both full time employees (and parents), and our children love each other.
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