One on One

In a house with 4 kids, it's difficult to find time to spend with each one individually. Avery, gets the bulk of attention at this point because she's the baby and demands it. Owen is second in line for attention because, well because he's Owen. Macie is probably next. She gets quiet times with me when the boys are busy being boys. Chase is the hardest. He is very much the middle child( I totally believe in the theories associated with birth order!) He is constantly living in the shadow of Macie who everyone thinks is brilliant and beautiful. He also has to struggle with being the big brother to Owen who is sweet, smart, personable, HIGH ENERGY and very talkative. It's hard to get a word in when he's around. So Chase struggles to find his place by being the jokester of the family. He is constantly doing things to get your attention even if it's negative attention. I have to admit, he is quite funny and charming and his smile and and eyes can light up a room. My first grade teacher used to tell my parents " Susan's eyes are going to get her in a lot of trouble, but they are also going to get her out of it!" This is Chase to a T. Anyway--back to my point--when Stew travels, I let the kids take turns sleeping with me. They rotate and we get to spend a little extra one on one time talking, watching a fun show, reading--you get the idea. Last night was Chase's turn. He looks so forward to those nights and can't wait for Avery, Macie and Owen to go to bed to have me all to himself. Of all his choices, he picked Animal Precint, a show about the ASPCA and rescuing animals. This particular episode showed a woman who had put her dog's litter of puppies(13 in all!) in the trash. With much love and attention, 2 survived. I was amazed at his knowledge of animals and how big his heart was when it came to understanding what the animals had gone through. He really empathized with them and could not fathom why people would treat animals like that. It was good insight for me b/c I often wonder, especially with Chase, if he is ever "getting it." When I say that, I mean getting what we are trying to teach him about life, family, respect---the very things we all want so desperately for our children to learn and apply. He so often rolls his eyes(totally me!), and has a comeback for everything(totally me!) that I feel like the message is often lost. Watching and talking to him lastnight gave me positive reinforcement that he is "getting it." A good reminder that underneath all of his bravado, he is just like those puppies, a little love and attention goes a long way.