Rock and a hard place souvenir tee

The preschoolers were eating lunch.  One four year old was wearing a Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt.  The next child says to him, "I like your shirt.  It's just like the one my mom wears to bed.".  I just about snorted red pepper hummus out my nose trying not to laugh.

Then the student in the Hard Rock shirt says, "My mom got it when I was at Dad's house."  That made me sad.  So many children, so very young, shuttling between parents' homes, confused about the new significant others in their parents' lives, who maybe packed today's lunchbox.  So many small children picked up by adults who continue talking on their cellphones while retrieving child, lunchbox, and papers from the hall cubby.

I'm down.  Day after day over one hundred degrees is zapping everyone.  Disgust with Congress and media coverage is like walking in a perpetual cloud of gnats.

So hard to find a starting point for gratitude.  I'm thankful:

• My sons were older when divorce became inevitable.
• I was able to be my sons' primary caregiver and educator while they were preschoolers.
• In a backwards way, that my spouse needed to prove his manliness by providing for our little family all by himself.
• That the boys had grandparents who were consistently interested and supportive.
• We ate enough meals as a family that my kids learned some manners they still use everyday. 
• My students don't know what I wear to bed!

© 2011 Nancy L. Ruder