Parenting.

Parenting. 

It's the hardest job you'll ever love..or so I've heard.

Being a parent IS great, don't get me wrong.  But just like any good marriage, it has it's ups and downs.

We all have our "roles" in the parenting game.  

Which brings me to this man.

No, NOT Iron Man, the one beside him.  The one I've shared the last 17 years with.

Brent.

He wants me to talk about him more in this blog.  He says the content lately has gotten boring since it's not about him.

Typical.

The center of attention is where he thrives.

Parenting has been a little rougher on him I think.  There are, or have been two other beings that have filled up my attention for the last almost 15 years.  Grace and Evan.

I worked until Grace was 6 months old, till I was already pregnant with Evan. Then we both decided I could stay home and be the care giver until they both were in school full time.

I relished that time, but unfortunately, it turned me into the default parent.  The parent that knows every bit of information, important and routine, about all their children.  Their shoe sizes, how much their lunches are every week, what kind of underwear they wear, etc. 

You'll catch my meaning after reading this.  A woman at church posted this link to her facebook wall, and all of us women in my Sunday School class are talking about it.  It's us.  Every. single. one. of. us. 

Which makes me happy, and yet a little bit sad. 

It makes me realize, because I have always been very involved in my kids lives, I never gave Brent the chance, the reason, to know these same bits of information I know. 

It's no wonder people who are the default parent (cause it could be the man or woman) are exhausted ALL THE TIME. 

I have information floating around in my head that isn't even my own. 

THEN, our youth paster posted this on facebook today.  HIS version, HIS response to the default parent article.  It's hilarious.  You must read both posts. 

You see, this WHOLE thing isn't about who is better, men or women, it's about the roles we all play.

Brent, he relishes being the fun parent.  The parent who takes the kids out for supper after a long day of work, because I am gone, and he doesn't know what to prepare. 

I am the homework parent, the parent who shops for needed things, the parent who knows when Grace has a student council meeting at school. 

Sometimes I don't enjoy being this parent, I want a break.  Maybe that will come when we're empty nesters. 

One can only hope.