GUTS is all about faith being real, courage,
compassion & down to earth living. Heather
Gauthier is all those. This heartwarming glimpse
into her family will fill your
heart with good stuff, to help you
have a better week. I almost felt like a
private observer in her home, while reading
this. You will enjoy it & be better for it.
Life is but a Stage
Sunday, 20 November 2011
My Crazy Family
http://www.todaysparent.com/
I’ve been asked to write a blog about how my life and family are different. I’ve been asked to describe the uniqueness of it; and the ways in which my life differs from the standard “cookie cutter” life. Frankly, this got me to thinking about cookie cutters.Cookie cutters generally come in specified shapes; stars for Christmas, circles and squares pumpkins for Halloween, eggs for Easter, and hearts for Valentine’s Day. Although these shapes differ from each other, they are your run of the mill predictable cookie cutter shape.Life is not predictable, nor does it ever fit the standard cookie cutter shape. Even if from the outside it takes on a predictable and expected shape, it’s what’s hidden on the inside that makes it different.
My family is not like Ward and June Cleavers that is for sure, but does that family represent the cookie cutter anymore? I guess that depends on who’s asking. The days of a Mom and Dad staying married forever are sadly becoming more uncommon. I say sadly, perhaps because all children (myself included) secretly wish our parents stayed together. Is it sad that the family dynamic has changed?Today we have the step, blended and single parent families. We have families with two moms and families with two dads. We have adopted parents, and foster parents, and some of us our Grandparents who’ve raised us. These family dynamics are no longer unusual, which means they are no longer unique either. This makes writing about the ‘uniqueness’ of my family very difficult.I love my family and all the cracks and crevices that come with it. This is my second marriage, and my husband and I each brought a child (our sons) into the mix. This officially makes us a blended family; and we face most of the typical trials and tribulations this family dynamic brings. My husband and I both work outside of the home, he often working long hours, and me often on the road for days at a time. We have no immediate family in the same province, which makes leaning on our families for support difficult, if not impossible.There are three children that live in our home; a his, mine, and an ours child. We cover off every age group; A teenager, a nine year old, and a preschooler. One of our children has OCD, the other Aspergers, and the verdict is still out on our rambunctious three year old, but this is our life and to us it is normal.To an outsider our home probably looks insane. It is loud and chaotic. It includes tears, yelling, and groundings. It includes last minute cupcakes and trips to the emergency room in the middle of the day. It includes appointments and assemblies, fun lunches and sporting events, slammed doors, lost mittens, late projects, and piles of laundry. It also comes with a side of laughter, shoulders to cry on, arms to hug you, and boo boos to kiss. It comes with patience and understanding, warmth and reliability. Our family guarantees a smile on your face and the most loyal of alibi.
Yes, this is my family and even though we may face challenges that others don’t, we may still be found in aisle five under the irregularly shaped (but surprisingly normal) cookie cutter section, and that’s exactly where we belong, and where we want to be.
My family is not like Ward and June Cleavers that is for sure, but does that family represent the cookie cutter anymore? I guess that depends on who’s asking. The days of a Mom and Dad staying married forever are sadly becoming more uncommon. I say sadly, perhaps because all children (myself included) secretly wish our parents stayed together. Is it sad that the family dynamic has changed?Today we have the step, blended and single parent families. We have families with two moms and families with two dads. We have adopted parents, and foster parents, and some of us our Grandparents who’ve raised us. These family dynamics are no longer unusual, which means they are no longer unique either. This makes writing about the ‘uniqueness’ of my family very difficult.I love my family and all the cracks and crevices that come with it. This is my second marriage, and my husband and I each brought a child (our sons) into the mix. This officially makes us a blended family; and we face most of the typical trials and tribulations this family dynamic brings. My husband and I both work outside of the home, he often working long hours, and me often on the road for days at a time. We have no immediate family in the same province, which makes leaning on our families for support difficult, if not impossible.There are three children that live in our home; a his, mine, and an ours child. We cover off every age group; A teenager, a nine year old, and a preschooler. One of our children has OCD, the other Aspergers, and the verdict is still out on our rambunctious three year old, but this is our life and to us it is normal.To an outsider our home probably looks insane. It is loud and chaotic. It includes tears, yelling, and groundings. It includes last minute cupcakes and trips to the emergency room in the middle of the day. It includes appointments and assemblies, fun lunches and sporting events, slammed doors, lost mittens, late projects, and piles of laundry. It also comes with a side of laughter, shoulders to cry on, arms to hug you, and boo boos to kiss. It comes with patience and understanding, warmth and reliability. Our family guarantees a smile on your face and the most loyal of alibi.Yes, this is my family and even though we may face challenges that others don’t, we may still be found in aisle five under the irregularly shaped (but surprisingly normal) cookie cutter section, and that’s exactly where we belong, and where we want to be.
Posted by Always Heather at 11:17
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