Lemonade $.25

Jamie was all excited about having her lemonade stand. We went to the store to buy little Dixie cups and a large bag of ice. When we got home we mixed the lemonade (pink, of course) and added the ice. We colored posters, blew up primary color balloons and found a peanut butter jar for her to collect her earnings. After setting up a table and placing the signs, balloons and pitcher of lemonade where the customers could see, she sat down and waited for her first customer. I was going to say that she "waited patiently," but that would have been a lie. Within seconds she was frustrated. "Where is everyone? Why aren't they coming to my lemonade stand?" As cars approached she would be hopeful. "Here comes my first customer, Mommy!" And just as quickly as the car approached it would pass. Her shoulders would slump and she'd sink back into her chair. Over and over again, her anticipation and excitement was smothered. An unexpected teaching opportunity had presented itself.
It has been a difficult lesson for me to learn over the years that sometimes no matter how hard we try to make something go just the way we want it to, no matter how much we plan and prepare, we don't always get the outcome we had hoped for (i.e. raising children and the ten thousand "sub-categories" that come with the territory!) Jamie had the expectation that every car that passed by her stand would stop, place a quarter in her peanut butter jar and enjoy a cup of her ice cold lemonade. Had she failed because that expectation had not been met? Of course not. Her lemonade stand was absolutely adorable. She had everything she needed- cups, ice, lemonade, signs advertising what she was selling and for how much. She was prepared. She was successful in her preparations and her committment to the stand (we spent more than two hours watching cars pass.) Her success was starting something and not giving up just because it wasn't going as well as she planned.
I think the parallels between this experience and my experience as a mother are pretty obvious. Motherhood may not be anything like I expected but I'm committed to my children. My entire life I've been preparing (unknowingly perhaps) to raise these children, and I'm still learning and preparing myself for another day. Frequently my preparations turn out to be wasted time: The carrots and celery I cleaned and chopped to have ready for snack are left untouched while I find myself filling the request for cut apples instead. The craft supplies I organized so that we could make puppets get turned into a different craft entirely. But I'm learning to be prepared for anything and to be more flexible. Some days require more preparation, other days, more flexibility. Every day requires lots and lots of clean up! As long as I am providing a safe, loving, fun environment for my children to learn and grow in, every day is a success. It's a given that things won't always go as planned. But that's where the adventure begins. Just go along for the ride.