Original publish date: March 30, 2011
My girls don’t really mind my company at times. I’ve been known to be fun—as long as we’re doing what they like to do! We’ve found some common interests—though I’m happy just spending time with my children when they’re amenable, lucid, open, or just plain willing to indulge me in a few minutes of their time. When I really think about it, we’ve actually smiled, laughed, or just plain enjoyed ourselves while doing these activities:
- Shopping for them: clothes, makeup, shoes, jewelry.
- Sorting through old clothes, then selling them at resale shops (and letting them keep the cash).
- Thrift store shopping for treasures.
- Going to garage sales.
- Taking drives and singing in the car—both their music and my music (what they call oldies).
- Stopping for frozen yogurt.
- Hiking.
- Taking road trips to little towns.
- Going to a scary movie.
- Watching TV together on the couch while I tickle or scratch their backs.
- Eating scrambled eggs and toast together—they like the way I make it.
- Texting witty messages to each other.
- Listening to books on CD in the car.
- Listening to them complain about their friends, job, boyfriend, lack of clothing, father, whatever…
- Playing Scrabble, gin rummy, or Apples to Apples.
- Taking them for body piercings—nose, belly button, various place on the ear (these are as far as I can stand).
- Talking about boys.
- Talking about when they were little—especially reminiscing about funny things they said.
- Listening to them tell “their” joke.
- Going to their grandmother’s to hang out.
- Househunting.
- Going out for pancakes.
- Browsing for gadgets: cell phones, TVs, stereos, iPods, etc.
- Looking at YouTube videos together and sharing our favorites.
- Going to the Renaissance Faire.
- Browsing through art shows.