What is the best part about having children?

"The Three Amigas"

The greatest joy of having children is enjoying them as adults. Really. Unless of course your child ends up in an orange jumpsuit, which is every parent’s greatest nightmare right up there with driving accidents. If you are reading this and have little ones at home and doubt my first statement I can understand that. You love to snuggle with your little ones, watch them learn and grow, puke, have diarrhea, whine, cry, and keep you up at all hours of the night. And then as they grow older you spend countless hours helping them with their schoolwork virtually repeating every grade level you already completed only to be thanked by an “I hate you!” at least once in their life.

Been there, done that.

When they are adults, it’s time to finally enjoy the fruits of your labor.

My oldest, Anthony, will be 29 next month.  But you will find out more about Anthony in April. And yes Anthony – if you are reading this you are not safe from mom’s blog!

My “little” girl, Annamarie, turns 25 this weekend. A quarter of a century. Yikes. She lives in California – that’s right – the farthest possible place from her mom on the continental U.S.  She chose to go to college in Orange, CA. and decided to stay and make

Graduation Day!

a living in the Golden State. People (including my husband) asked how I could agree to allow my daughter to attend college so far away. My response was how could I not? It was a no brainer to me. What an adventure and experience for her and if I would have had the chance to do that when I was her age I would have been all over it. She was given grants and scholarships and we somehow made it work. Was it frightening to me??? Oh heck yeah. But I believed that my own fears should not keep my child from experiencing life outside of Georgia.

If anything, this move to California has brought us even closer together though the miles that separate us are great. I’m actually very proud of the fact that she is making it in a very tough place (LA) and is (mostly) off the mom and dad gravy train. As to the question of not seeing each other enough….I have done the math. I spend at least 3 weeks a year (usually 4) with my daughter. 24 hours a day times 21 days = 484 hours. If she lived closer and, for a year, came over every Sunday for dinner and spent three hours at our house that would equal 156 hours. I figure I’m way ahead in quality time with my “California” girl than most parents are with their children that live near to them.

Totally obsessed with the Beverly Hills Hotel bathroon!

I usually trek out west with my sister (her second mom). Believe me, when I say we have a blast. The three of us make very strange bedfellows because of the age difference, but actually we are very amiable traveling companions. Who would have thought someone so much younger than we are would actually WANT to hang out with two ladies “of a certain age”? We have nicknamed ourselves "The Three Amigas" because we are definitely as silly as Short, Chase and Martin and certainly as adventurous.

Santa Monica

We make it a point to take side trips while in LA, which have included Laguna Beach, Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, San Diego, Santa Monica, San Juan Capistrano and even Catalina Island. We have found a place to dance and boogie down in every place we have visited. Could be a dive, could be a disco, or could be a local pub. Doesn’t matter – the three of us live and love to dance. Who do we dance with? What a silly question – each other! I’m sure if my sister and I did not look so much alike we would be 
perceived as lesbians. We could care less.

Laguna Beach

One time, when Annamarie was still in college, the three of us stayed in Laguna Beach for a few nights. She was not yet twenty-one and had some studying to do. So my sis and I went to the local tavern featuring a live band and left her with her books and some quiet time at the hotel.

When we came in at 1:00AM, exhausted from dancing the night away, she was beside herself.

“Where have you two been???? I’ve been so worried!!!! I almost called the police!”

My sis and I just looked at each other and smiled. Payback is hell.

Caesar's Palace

As Annamarie grew older, she was able to join us in our quest for dance music. In Las Vegas we managed to rock Cleopatra’s Floating Barge at Caesar’s Palace. Of course Annamarie had all of the men drooling and vying for her attention. To them, my sis and I were virtually invisible. After a night of observing the ogling and swatting the men away from her, my sister looked at me and said completely straight-faced, “Let’s dump her.” Which led us to fits of hysterical laughter which is how we spend most of our time together – laughing. It’s frickin’ awesome.

Red Rock Canyon - Las Vegas

In Santa Barbara we found a dive of a place with a DJ and shared the dance floor with a Bachelorette Party. They adopted us into their group and we proceeded to dance the night away celebrating the nuptials of a complete stranger. What a riot.

A night of dancing in Santa Barbara

My sister and I are flying out to LA on April 1^st and staying for a week. Our side trip this time will be to Palm Springs and we are already making plans to make this trip memorable. Dancing will definitely be part of the package.

As a parent, you spend your children's beginning years holding them close to you – in your arms, clasped to your chest. Soon it changes to holding their hands as they walk across the street or comforting them when they scrape their knees. As they grow older they may allow you to put an arm around their shoulder or give a daily hug. It’s nature’s way of preparing you for the eventual separation that comes when your child becomes an adult and it all seems to happen at warped speed.

My hope is when I grow older and begin to become feeble and forgetful, my children will hold my hand as they take the role of “teacher” and be patient with me as I was with them when they were learning to read, borrow in subtraction, or learning right from wrong. Maybe someday when my time on earth is coming to a close, they will hold me close to their chest and rock me in their arms as I did them when they were infants. Call it role reversal, coming full circle or whatever you want. One of the biggest regrets in my life is I was not there to do that with my parents in their final days, and they deserved that and much more from me. 

But, until that time in my sister’s and my life arrives, "The Three Amigas" will definitely continue to dance our butts off and spend our time together making priceless memories. Life is good.

P.S. Look for a post with pics from sunny California Easter weekend!

P.P.S. Hey - do you think the gym membership is working?