Well, there’s one way to get ‘em to kiss your feet.  Leave for a while.

I was recently away from home for about a week and a half.  It was an unexpected trip, so I hadn’t made all the typical arrangements that moms make before they leave their families.

We leave lists of everywhere everybody needs to be when so that maybe they won’t forget.  We arrange for friends to pick up our children from school.  We leave phone numbers to call for just about every circumstance that may come up.  We leave the house clean, clothes washed, and suggestions and/or frozen meals for dinnertime.

It is a scary thing, this leaving of the family.  If you’re a mom, you know what I mean.  We worry because there is reason to worry.  Even if you have done all the prearranging, there’s a high probability that something will go wrong.

Since I left suddenly, there were dirty clothes to be washed and no carpools arranged.  Oh me, oh my.  There was a chance they wouldn’t get picked up from school or not taken to one of the myriad of practices after school. 

There was a chance the dog wouldn’t get fed because even though it’s “the kid’s” dog, I’m the one that makes sure she has food and water.  The cat’s litter box would overflow, because nobody seems to be able to figure out how to do that except me. 

Heaven forbid if they needed groceries.  Oh, they know where the grocery store is and I’m pretty sure they know what a grocery cart is, but they always have a list handed to them.  Yes, my family would miss me, or rather all the things I do.

I once received a card that said it so well.  The front of it looked like a classified advertisement and read something like this: 

MOM WANTED!

• Long hours, low pay, little time off
• Must be willing to work overtime on weekends, holidays, and summer vacations
• Energy, imagination, intelligence, endurance, and flexibility required
• Must have ability to cook, clean, and drive for long hours
• At a moment’s notice, must wash clothes, doctor children, and nurture pets
• Must have ability to lead and instruct, coupled with a warm, loving, affectionate personality

After ten days, I returned.  I walked through the back door and it felt good to be home again.  I braced for the disaster I had imagined and was pleasantly surprised.

It didn’t smell like kitty poop.  This was a very good sign.  There was no pile of dishes in the sink.  I was extremely impressed.  The dog dish had food in it and there weren’t empty pizza boxes everywhere.

Everyone’s eyes were on me, waiting for my reaction.  I didn’t want to act surprised that the house was clean, because then they would feel like I didn’t think they could do it, which was really the case, but I didn’t want them to know it.  It was getting complicated.

So I said, “I missed you guys!” 

But they couldn’t stand it.  After a few minutes, my daughter said, “Well, aren’t you gonna SAY anything?!

“About what?” I replied.

“How clean the house is!  I spent ALL DAY yesterday cleaning cuz we knew you were coming home today.  Oh, and by the way, I’ll NEVER take you for granted again!”

My son piped in, “And I’ve been cleaning the litter box, and I did a load of wash today.  I’m REALLY glad you’re home.”

My husband was down to his last pair of socks.

They ran and hugged me and said how much they missed me.  And it was the truth.