Parenting is...

letting a huge moth in the house at the same time you're sweeping out the spider.

Parenting is...

bringing the stuffed gorilla in the car with you everywhere you go so he won't "be lonely," while S is at school.

Parenting is ...

when the day's only accomplishment is finding the list library book.

Parenting is ...

Giving the two stuffed bears a very gentle good night hug, kiss, and nose nuzzle, because, "they are hibernating."

Parenting is...

hanging up the banner even though it says, "Happy New Yaer"

Parenting is ...

hanging up the sign even though it says, "Marry Christmas."

parenting is ...

having squashed pennies and tiny plastic swords in your wallet.

Parenting is...

finding a hand-written sign in your front yard proclaiming "sticks rule" and thinking that that statement is pretty much true. They ain't in the National Toy Museum's Hall of Fame for nothing.

Parenting is...

a plastic Playmobil pirate flag spiked into your bar of soap.

Parenting is...

never having enough AA batteries in your house or enough napkins in restaurants.

Parenting is...

when some wine helps when they whine.

Parenting is ...

noticing that there's still an electrical plug in the playroom with a child protective cover over it and feeling nostalgic.

Parenting is ...

fishing toilet paper tubes out of the office trash can to take home for your son's pet mice.

Parenting Is...

thinking that bumper stickers declaring the driver's children have been chosen as "student of the week" are dumb, but secretly wishing that my kids' schools handed them out.

Parenting is ...

learning how to make bracelets out of tiny rubber bands and having a Pete the Cat song stuck in my head.

Parenting is ...

... remembering to take deep breaths.

Parenting is...

more often about the circle of laundry than the circle of life.

Parenting is...

pulling an orange, plastic, spider ring out of your pocket and having no recollection of how it got there.

Parenting is ...

being the only UNO player out of five who is actually keeping track of whose turn it is.

Parenting is...

thinking it's clever that your five-year-old twins are choosing to express their individuality by wearing two differently pattered socks until you realize that really what it means is that they are just creating dirty laundry twice as fast.