The art of mothering during revisions part one

When I say there’s an art to mothering during revisions, the art I’m talking about is the equivalent of those modern art statues you see which resemble tangled coat hangers, or giant erasers, or someone’s pile of  recyclable milk cartons. You know the ones I’m talking about–the ones you see and think, “That’s art?”
That’s pretty much how my mothering has gone for the last few months while I finished writing Slayers Two and did revisions for Echo of Time. (Erasing Time’s sequel.)  I’ve stayed up until four in the morning on more than one occasion, and Techno Bob has had to get our youngest daughter off to school.  There’s only one problem with this system. Techno Bob is an engineer, which means he was born without the gene for fashion. I’m never sure what youngest daughter will be wearing when her father gets her ready. You can imagine how thrilled I was when I picked her up the other day and saw this ensemble. And her hair hadn’t been touched with a brush either.

Yeah, this is pretty much why children need mothers.  After our first child was about two years old, I took my husband aside and lovingly told him, “If I should die, I want you to remarry. And let her dress the children.” This advice still stands.

Next blog: How the children have entertained themselves.

16 comments

  1. becky3086
    September 14, 2012 at 3:44 am

    Lol, yeah men just don’t seem to have the same thoughts when it comes to kids as we do. If they are covered, they are dressed. I imagine he didn’t even notice her hair at all.

  2. canvirries
    September 14, 2012 at 5:10 am

    she looks really cute though with that smile..

  3. Tiana Smith
    September 14, 2012 at 7:12 am

    LOL! My hubby is the same way about putting together outfits for our son (I mean, come on, he’s a baby, how hard can it be??). Whenever I leave him to it, our boy inevitably is wearing patterned green shorts with bright yellow socks or something like that 🙂

  4. Sierra
    September 14, 2012 at 7:25 am

    I agree, although it might not match (at all) she still looks so cute! And I just watched the Erasing Time trailer…love it! I think my library has it on order 😀 Sierra
    Keep growing beautiful!

  5. E.S. Ivy
    September 14, 2012 at 7:29 am

    They both have flowers, right? And the print is about the same size in both. 🙂 Just look at this as a time that your kid gets to express her own fashion sense, whatever it may (or may not) be. I have had to bite my tongue plenty of times when my daughters dress in the morning – as long as it’s decent. Not to mention that I wouldn’t consider myself the expert on style anyway, so who am I to judge?

  6. Akilah
    September 14, 2012 at 2:24 pm

    Ha! It’s the opposite with my friend. Her husband makes sure the girls brush their hair, etc. She just cares that they have clothes on, not what they look like.

  7. CJ Hill
    September 14, 2012 at 11:02 pm

    Becky, just one of the many differences. But then how much can we talk–you don’t see them strapping high heels onto their feet.

    Canvirries, Thanks!

    Tianna, yep mine was the same even when the kids were babies.

    Sierra, hope you like the book!

    ES, true. No one has ever accused me of being a fashion plate. These days if I get a shower, that’s a good thing.

    Akilah, That man deserves a prize.

  8. Liz
    September 15, 2012 at 8:27 am

    We go rounds on this…Hunky Hubby thinks the kids ought to be able to express themselves and have control over this…and I’d rather not let the school staff think that I, as their mother, am color blind.

  9. PersonofInterest
    September 15, 2012 at 10:22 am

    Guys live in an 8 crayon box world, and women live in a 96 crayon box world. They just don’t see the colors, because they don’t have them. That’s the theory I’ve been running on.

  10. Renalds
    September 15, 2012 at 9:29 pm

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  11. Janette Rallison
    September 15, 2012 at 10:28 pm

    Liz, I remember hearing once that teachers are told the signs of child abuse/neglect to watch for in their students. One of them was children who dress inappropriately. If this is true, I’m probably on a watch list.

    Person of Interest, my husband could happily live in an 8 crayon box, which is why sometimes I have to do a clothing intervention for him and get rid of some of his overworn clothes.

    Renalds, um, you may be the reason blogger keeps asking me to prove I’m not a robot.

  12. canvirries
    September 16, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    Ur welcum..good hopes for the book!

  13. InrisusIngenuity
    September 17, 2012 at 10:24 am

    Oh that is to cute! At least he tried. Good luck with your book.

  14. Jessie Clark
    September 18, 2012 at 10:01 pm

    I love it! My husband is also an engineer. When he dressed our son in camo and a plaid shirt I said it didn’t match. He had no idea why, they both had brown. Which, he does get some points for matching colors. I think I’ll still tell him to remarry if I die too :).

  15. Janette Rallison
    September 18, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    Inrisuslngenuity, Thanks. It’s true, he does try and hey, if I get to sleep in, I can’t really complain.

  16. Yamile
    September 25, 2012 at 12:55 pm

    haha! Same thing happened to my little girl when I and mom traveled overseas for 2 weeks. From now on, one of us (my mom or I) has to stay for the kids’ sakes.

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