Raising a family

Last night Cole & Nicholas came over to began a 5-day stay with us while their parents are away.
While we've had all the grand children for days at a time before we've never had them on school days-until this morning.

It certainly is enough to make one admire the working parents of young, school-age children.  The boys are pretty good about getting up on time but then there are deadlines to meet, i.e. get dressed, have breakfast, brush teeth, take medicines where appropriate, pack lunches, pack school bags, etc.  Then it's off to the bus.

There's a little break throughout the day but then it's off to get them off the bus and pick the other up from daycare.  Then it's dinner, homework where applicable, baths, stories, family time and finally bedtime.   That's the routine to be followed every day, 5 days a week all school year.

Then there's the other piece to it:  feeding them.  For example after I brought Nicholas to school, I went to Stop & Shop to get the few things their parents either didn't pack or were already consumed in the short time we had them.  One hundred thirteen dollars later I left the store-and I know I'll be going at least one more time.  After all,  we like to eat too.

Parenting today is difficult and expensive and pretty much lifelong.  But is it any harder or more expensive than it was for us?  More expensive? No.  Harder?  I think so. I can only imagine how single parent families manage.  It must be extremely difficult for that one parent, doing all those things and working and trying to find a minute here or there to relax.