{"id":410,"date":"2018-05-22T10:55:32","date_gmt":"2018-05-22T10:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hayleysmom.com\/?p=410"},"modified":"2018-05-22T10:58:26","modified_gmt":"2018-05-22T10:58:26","slug":"sleepless-in-sammamish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hayleysmom.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/22\/sleepless-in-sammamish\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleepless in Sammamish"},"content":{"rendered":"

I used to post that on Facebook whenever I was facing down a night of insomnia.\u00a0 “Sleepless in Sammamish”.\u00a0 Hayley would make fun of me, “Really mom, were you sleepless IN Sammamish”.\u00a0 Clearly she did not get the Sleepless in Seattle reference.\u00a0 That makes me realize and remember two things.\u00a0 Number one we loved each other through sarcasm every chance we got.\u00a0 Second, I never got to share the best of the 80’s and early 90’s movies with her.\u00a0 I had thought about it, having a movie night and making her watch an 80’s movie marathon.\u00a0 Sixteen Candles<\/em> would have led the night off followed by Pretty Woman<\/em>.\u00a0 I would throw in Pretty in Pink<\/em> and the Breakfast Club<\/em>.\u00a0 My plan was to torture her with these movies during her recovery the same way her and her friends tortured me with the IN THEATER Twiligh<\/em>t marathon!<\/p>\n

But why did I wait?\u00a0 I had thought about watching those movies with her for years.\u00a0 Most nights or weekends I was too busy working to be the best at my job.\u00a0 Why didn’t I turn off the laptop and snuggle on the couch with her and get lost in the Molly Ringwald characters.\u00a0 Who could beat Ducky and the Donger!?!\u00a0 She would have loved the one on one time, maybe not the movies but she would have loved the time together.\u00a0 She was not your typical teen.\u00a0 She actually wanted to spend time with me.\u00a0 What did I do?\u00a0 I tried not to be selfish and tried to push her out into the world to experience fun with her friends not with her mom.\u00a0 What a fool I was.\u00a0 How lucky was I.\u00a0 To have this beautiful child that wanted to spend time with me.\u00a0 If you have not already, you must watch one of these movies with your teen.\u00a0 Let them make fun of you, but watch the movies.\u00a0 Pay them if you have to.<\/p>\n

She used to want to follow me around Home Goods.\u00a0 I love wandering Home Goods.\u00a0 I didn’t always buy anything it was the alone time and looking for a special treasure.\u00a0 Sometimes I would sneak out of the house so I could go alone.\u00a0 When I let her go with me she would be right on my heels, my little negative mojo.\u00a0 “That’s dumb.\u00a0 You don’t need that.\u00a0 No I won’t put that in my room.\u00a0 Mom there is no more room in my dorm.”\u00a0 I would get annoyed with her, snap at her, tell her to sit in that chair and I will come get you when I was done.\u00a0 One time I snuck out to HG and she drove her own car and showed up any way!\u00a0 LOL.\u00a0 I was at Home Goods last week.\u00a0 I would have given any body part to have that stinker on my heels ruining my me time.\u00a0 If you are so lucky to have a shadow, embrace it.\u00a0 I didn’t always do that.<\/p>\n

Learn the technology.\u00a0 Instant message your teens.\u00a0 Try to have an entire conversation in Memes, Gifs, Stickers and Emojis.\u00a0 The weekend before her surgery Hayley and I did just that.\u00a0 One of these days I will share it.\u00a0 If you don’t know how to do that google it!<\/p>\n

We liked to go to parks.\u00a0 If they had water even better.\u00a0 We didn’t care.\u00a0 We spent so much time in the parks in Bellingham, yet she had barely explored what that beautiful area has to offer.\u00a0 We had a plan to buy a small RV and start touring all of the National Parks until we had seen them all.\u00a0 Just the two of us.\u00a0 We thought we could do it by the time she was 30.\u00a0 Not sure if that was ever realistic but again how lucky was I.\u00a0 Your kids don’t have to be little to benefit from parks.\u00a0 Buy a discover pass, keep it in your car.\u00a0 Make it a point to know the parks around us.\u00a0 Stop and take 15 minutes out of your day with your child.\u00a0 No cell phones.\u00a0 Just you.\u00a0 You would be amazed and possibly dismayed at what they might share with you.\u00a0 I need to resurrect this with Henry.\u00a0 I will pay him if I have to.\u00a0 But get that time outside exploring our tax dollars at work.\u00a0 Buy the Discover Pass.\u00a0 Visit one state park a month.\u00a0 Doesn’t have to be a big planned out affair just know where the parks are and if you happen to be nearby, stop the car.\u00a0 At that point your teen is your hostage.\u00a0 Use it to your advantage.\u00a0 I love thinking about my park time with Hayley.<\/p>\n

Do crafts.\u00a0 Hayley loved to do crafts.\u00a0 We called it art.\u00a0 Man we sucked at it.\u00a0 They are never too old for crafts.\u00a0 You don’t have to be good at it.\u00a0 Just do something.\u00a0 One time I taught her to crochet.\u00a0 She never made anything except a long curly chain, but she was proud of that chain.\u00a0 Use magazines to make a collage.\u00a0 Let them have a can of spray paint and a flower pot and go at it.\u00a0 They will bitch and moan that they have better things to do.\u00a0 Again offer bribes.\u00a0 Once they get going they will have fun.\u00a0 Plus you will have some artwork for the garage!<\/p>\n

Do a Puzzle.\u00a0 Every summer we chose a puzzle and put it out on our dining table.\u00a0 I was usually the only one that worked on it but occasionally I would be able to entice a kid to come over and help me.\u00a0 My trick was to sort the pieces and put a pile of easy ones in front of their chair.\u00a0 They would sit down start matching them up and wonder why you were such an idiot to miss those pieces.\u00a0 More than half the summers we did not finish the puzzle but that was not the point.\u00a0 Another place to “be”.<\/p>\n

Like the eighties classics there are so many other things I didn’t get a chance to do with Hayley because I thought there was plenty of time.\u00a0 I didn’t take her to a glassy baby 2nd sale to show her how grown women lose their minds.\u00a0 We didn’t take her brother and dad back to show them Washington DC.\u00a0 She and I had the best trip there but talked about sharing it with the boys.\u00a0 Some of my favorite family memories include Mariner’s games and Putt Putt golf.\u00a0 Camping in a small “cabin” with a family of mice.\u00a0 This was our way to find out the McCutcheons were not campers.\u00a0 Go to at least one Seahawk game, splurge.\u00a0 Go to Seattle and be a tourist for the day.\u00a0 These are all things that Hayley made us do.\u00a0 She was our cruise director.\u00a0 If you don’t have a director in your family assign each person a month.\u00a0 Tell them it is their job to find something for the family to do.\u00a0 Give them a budget or tell them it has to be free.\u00a0 Always take a family selfie and print them and put them on the fridge.\u00a0 Don’t let their whining and complaining stop you, remember you actually are in charge until you are no longer paying their way.\u00a0 Use this to your advantage to create family memories.<\/p>\n

Your child is not going to die like mine did.\u00a0 But they will grow up, move out, make more friends, find a partner and you will get less time.\u00a0 Do everything you can while they are your captive little audience.\u00a0 Post your photos on Facebook so others can steal your ideas!\u00a0 They don’t always need big expensive entertaining vacations.\u00a0 We couldn’t, but we made the most of the ones we did take.\u00a0 Don’t let finances or work or excuses get in your way.\u00a0 Find a way.\u00a0 These will be the memories you have created for your teens.\u00a0 Heck they may at some point think you were actually cool.<\/p>\n

Don’t wake up like me one night and regret what you didn’t do.\u00a0 Think about what you did do.\u00a0 Create a memory this week.\u00a0 Do it for Hayley.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I used to post that on Facebook whenever I was facing down a night of insomnia.\u00a0 “Sleepless in Sammamish”.\u00a0 Hayley would make fun of me, “Really mom, were you sleepless IN Sammamish”.\u00a0 Clearly she did not get the Sleepless in Seattle reference.\u00a0 That makes me realize and remember two things.\u00a0 Number one we loved each … <\/p>\n

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