THE KOOL AID MOM

I always prided myself on the fact that I was the "Kool Aid" mom. My house was always filled with my kids and their friends, and sometimes even their friend's friends. I was always making pancakes for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and home made chocolate chip cookies for dessert. There was always a fresh pitcher of lemonade or iced tea, (and sometimes even Kool Aid). I really didn't mind them having friends over because then I could keep a closer eye on them. (I was also sure that they ate lunch) The problem was, once I started offering the food, it never stopped. So once again I say to you, it is OK to be the Kool Aid mom, but once you are labeled, you are labeled for life. There were two kids that lived two houses away from me that played with my son and daughter. They would come over and run through the house, screaming and playing. I would have to send them outside sometimes, but the neighborhood kids would eventually knock on my door and ask to use MY bathroom. I would tell them that they should go home to use their bathroom, but they would tell me they were not allowed to. Apparently, while these kids were running like crazy in my house, their mother was home ALONE vacuuming and cleaning her bathrooms. They were told that once they came home, they had to remove their shoes and stay in so they wouldn't dirty the house. UNBELIEVABLE. So, of course, I would let them in to use my bathroom, get a drink, a band aide, and whatever else it was they needed so they didn't have to go home. When my son had his friends over after school, they would expect me to make grilled cheese sandwiches, followed by chocolate chip cookies, and some ice cream sandwiches. I really didn't mind doing it most of the time, in fact I was flattered. Looking back, I was a real jack ass. All the other mothers were home with their feet up watching their shows, knowing I was feeding and watching their kids for free. I probably went through a large package of cheese, a loaf of bread, and a gallon of milk daily. I'm sure my husband had no clue that he was feeding the whole neighborhood. When my kids had to bring something for a bake sale for school or scouts, everyone else brought in dunkin munchkins, but not me. I had to stay up all night making homemade cookies. The reason I was up all night was because my kids and their friends were eating them right off the trays while I made them. My son Jack had a very close friend who I made many a grilled cheese sandwich for. Just recently he came to visit us.(he is 27 years old now) After he greeted me and my husband, my son came over and whispered something to me. I didn't understand what he said, so I asked him to repeat it. He said his friend wanted to know if I could make him a grilled cheese sandwich for old times sake. So I happily made him two! Just remember, it is fine to be a Kool Aid mom, but once you have that label, you wear it proudly for life!