Here’s what I’ve learned this month.
You’re never quite as alone as you think.
When you stand at a front window and stare into the middle distance while eating fistful upon fistful of your child’s Halloween candy in some semblance of pajama/work at home attire, you will appear to the casual passerby on the street like an absolutely terrifying (and confusing) apparition.
(“You heard about THAT house, right? They say she died with fun-sized Baby Ruths clutched to her chest…”)
You can tell a lot about a person by their candy of choice.
Nora loves Kit Kats; tidy, easily organizable, so much chocolate.
Jasper prefers accessible candy. Literally any that you suggest or he can get. Fell on the floor? Still his favorite. Oh, my poor, poor third child.
Suzy, though? Laffy Taffy, all the way. Making her an absolute wild card to me, yet again. (Who prefers Laffy Taffy? Is this something I should keep tabs on for future reference? Are things going to date back to that time when I knew?)
October is very long.
I mean, I knew this. What with the three birthdays and three parties and mystery reading (twice!) and so many moments of YOU ARE SPECIAL– not to mention Halloween and its monthlong, candy-drenched festivities (of which I know I am also entirely to blame), I have an early November hangover. October is my December-esque overload, but instead of a Christmas morning extravaganza, it’s more of a Santa visit whack-a-mole all month long.
I still really love birthdays, though.
(So, like, next year will most likely look the same.)
Nora’s 8th birthday was the other day.
She’s taught (and reminded) me so many things. For example, if a conversation is getting heated, it’s perfectly acceptable to open a book in mid-sentence and wander out of the room, deep into a page. A throwaway comment to one person is someone else’s “lay awake in bed and angst over it until 2am” turn of phrase. You can never have too many Beanie Boos (or equivocal tiny stuffies). Chocolate chips and bacon solve most doldrums. Anything- teaching your little sister Algebra, convincing your brother to clean up toys- can be a game if you’re playing with the right people.
And the heart-bursting, face-breaking kind of love you have for your kid the first time you meet only gets exponentially more powerful with each passing day, week, month, and year.
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