Family Dynamics

All this week our daughter has been working with her uncle's youth group.  They are doing a mission work at a camp - working with inner city children.  I look forward to hearing all about the week when she gets home on Saturday afternoon.  We're missing her because she's been gone since last Friday!

The middle of our three sons is also gone this week.  He's at church camp.  We saw him at Wednesday night worship services and will pick him up tomorrow.  It was good getting to see him in the middle of the week.  I don't think it mattered to him that we were there - except for the fact that his older brother made him Rice Krispie treats!

So, for the past five days it's been our oldest son and our youngest son home together.  It's been fun.  It's been different.  These two play together, but probably not as much as each of them play with the one who is gone.  It's been good for them.  They've played golf, baseball, ping pong, and had bonding time.  It's been great seeing them grow closer.  I don't recall them arguing at all!  How nice is that?

Family dynamics are interesting, aren't they?  It's amazing how the dynamics change with the addition of another child or children into the mix - or the subtraction of one or two children into the mix.  I personally would rather all my children be home together and be all together, but I know that's not the way it's going to be.  In fact, the going and doing is going to get more and more common the older they get.  However, I know and realize that the coming and going, the change of dynamics, is good for them.  And, as much as I hate to admit it, it's good for me, too.  It's preparing me for the future (the really nearing future!).

Some day our children are going to leave home.  That's what we, as parents, are training them (or should be) to do.  We should be training them to become productive individuals in our society, making a living and eventually providing and caring for their own families.

Our family will be together for less than 24 hours over the weekend and then the dynamics will change again, with the oldest two going to church camp.  That will leave the youngest two as the only children at home next week.  They will have a blast.  I just know it!  They will play and play.  I wrote about how they play together recently.  Their dynamics will be different.  Their playing time will be different.  I look forward to seeing them and hearing them play.

And then the next week, for the third week in a row, our daughter will leave again - for another camp.  That week will be basketball camp.  Three weeks of being gone, with just a night or maybe two, back home. (I'm glad it's her and not me!).  The family dynamics will change, yet again.  All three boys will be home together.  I anticipate more arguing, but I'm thinking they'll have fun -just the boys with my husband and I. Hmmmmm. Now that I think about it, they'll probably want to send me away, too - and make it an all-boys week!