Holidays, with Kids

What is life like when you're entering the holidays with two teenage daughters and a 9-year-old son? Allow me to fill you in.

First off, the two daughters wanted to go shopping at 5:30 am on Black Friday. They're not big shoppers, but there's a socialization/tradition aspect to getting up early that morning and visiting the stores. The two girls are always amazed at the people out and about at 6 am on Black Friday, too. It's fun people-watching.

Of course, by 9 am the "fun" has worn off. One of my daughters wanted me to take her to see "New Moon" as soon as the theater opened and the other spent two hours at the bookstore. By 1 pm when we left the mall, my two girls were satisfied and I was exhausted.

Then there's the 9-year-old son. This past Thanksgiving holiday was spent nagging him. His trading cards are spread all over my living room floor, sorted in piles across the room. And all his underwear is missing. His dad made him clean his room the other weekend, and I strongly suspect he threw all his dirty clothes into his closet along with everything else on the floor in his room. Two weeks later he's scratching his head and asking me what happened to all his socks, underclothes, and pajamas.

Children LIVE to challenge their parents' sanity.