don't be a Drag, just be a Queen: Renee

Queen #6: Renee

Renee is one of those ladies that you wish you could find a hidden USB port into their brain and download as much awesome material as you can. A good way I gauge my love of someones blog, is how often I feel the need to read it out loud to Adam. Her mutant comedic superpowers and loveable dorkiness make her clever blog posts some of the most treasured golden nuggets of my weekly reading (and Adam's listening). Janeane Garafalo meets Tina Fey if you will. Despite the fact that she's certifiably blind (not crazy eyeballs blind, but rather owns-walking-stick-to-avoid-falling-down-flights-of-stairs-blind) Renee always sees the rawest forms of what makes motherhood so irreverent and yet ironically edifying. She has been here before and she will most likely be here again because she is hilarious and sweet...and she absolutely rocks. Enjoy her "drag free" take on motherhood with me:

"I just read about a study that says that adults without children are happier than adults with children. Something to do with how Americans have kids later in life than we used to, and how kids no longer plow the family fields, so instead of being commodities, they just sort of drain our resources and leave Otter Pop wrappers everywhere, and make us all Walking Sad-Faces with yogurt on our pants.   

WHAT?!??

My kids are not easy, by any means.  Harrison nearly broke his neck racing down a hill on his trike a couple of days ago, and Lennon recently told her first grade teacher that there are two kinds of periods:  One you put at the end of a sentence and the other... well, you know...  They do stuff that makes me wince, and cry, and constantly question myself (seriously, how does she know about periods??)

...But I am definitely happy.  My kids give me a reason to celebrate just about every day.  If it's not Christmas, Mardi Gras, or National Ice Cream Day, maybe it's the day they lost their first tooth, or the day they learned how to pour their own bowl of cereal.  Sure, I could celebrate these days on my own, without kids, but there's just something to be said for sharing the Magic of the simple joys with people you love. 

And then there's the Magic they bring.  My kids are kind to animals, and have incredible empathy.  My son is quiet, but he is so expressive, and I am so impressed with his humor and determination.  My daughter finds ways to show her love in even the smallest of opportunities.  She sees beauty all around her, and she tells wonderful stories.  They are gorgeous, and goofy, and their laughter is effortless and pure.    

Now, the last thing I want to be is one of those parents who thinks their kid is the Greatest Thing Ever, and feels that Parenthood Is More Important Than Anything You Ever Did. But there's another end to that extreme, and I'm just not cool with denying that it makes me happy to be a mom, even if that is the trend these days.  I don't feel like I'm inflating the experience, in order to justify the expense, as leading psychologists suggest.  I just really like my kids, and I've spent enough time with them to know they are worth it. 

I think this is why I love reading the blogs out there that do this right.  When you love your kids, we all see it.  But when you really, really enjoy their company, we all feel it too.  When I read a blog post, I'm looking for reality, but I'm also looking for the love..  So I'm challenging myself, and you too, if you're on board, to express kind words about your kids today, if you haven't done it already, or if it's been a while..   Blog posts about broken macbooks and snotty noses have their place (see, my blog in a couple of days), but today, it's about love. 

Let me know if you're in.  Let's make the Studies and Leading Psychologists look like the WalkingSadFaceYogurtPants for once." 

- Renee

team Boo ♥'s you