I Have a Dream...

I have dream on the rolling hills of Georgia that my house will be clean.  I have a dream that the dishes will be done, not one would be put in the sink, and the counter tops would be crumb free and spotless. 

I have a dream that one day my two little children will love each other like brother and sister, instead of like mortal enemies.  They will want to play together, and they will share their toys happily with one another.

I have a dream that one day my laundry will be caught up.  It will not be in a wrinkled mountain waiting to be folded.  It will not be strewn on the floors and closets waiting to be washed.  It will smell like spring rain and be free of wrinkles.

I have a dream that my dog will not eat my children’s toys, and that these toys will be picked up instead of my house looking like a toy tornado swept through the dining room.  I have a dream that I will get that dining room back, and we will have an actual table and chairs in there.  One day, we will sit at that table and eat a civilized meal, and everyone will eat what I cooked without complaint, and everyone will chew with their mouth closed, and no one will throw their food to the dogs.

I have a dream that  I will be able to sit down in the evenings and enjoy an adult beverage without a child coming down every ten minutes to see what I’m doing, or get a glass of water, or go to the bathroom, or be re-tucked in, or need another hug, or need to get rid of the monsters. 

I have a dream that my house will be spotless.  Nothing will be out of place, all of the socks would be mated, not a speck of dust will be found on the furniture, and not a smudge of crayon will be on the walls. 

I have a dream that I will be able to sleep through the night without getting up for a sick child, waking to a cough or cry, or changing wet sheets at night.

I have a dream that I will go to the grocery store without a child trying to climb out of the cart, or beg for a cookie, or cry for a Hot-wheels car, or complain they are hungry, or wave to everyone they pass by. 

I have a dream that my children will treat things with respect.  They will not throw away everything, including the car keys.  They will not throw my iPhone off the bleachers at a high school, or in the water table, or on the floor.  My son will not hide my husband’s wallet where he will never find it. 

I have a dream that I will not have to see a tantrum on a daily basis.  I have a dream that I can leave my house without someone having a melt down.  And, that I can get the mail and not return to see children at the door. 

I have a dream that my daughter will wear matching earrings.  She will not pull them out of her ears so often that I stick whatever earring I can find back in her ear.  I will not spend her college fund on more earrings.

And, when all of these dreams are realized, my children will be grown and out of the house.  I will look back on these days of mess and chaos and think of them fondly.  I will miss those slobbery kisses and breaking my toe on their toys.  I will miss the fights and the hugs.  I will miss the days of kid-dinners.  And, I will dream of those days and want my youth back. 

*Disclaimer:  This poem is in now way meant to belittle or poke fun at Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have A Dream speech.  I am a big fan of Dr. King's writings and speeches.  His words are profound and still relevant today.