Thinking Allowed: You get what you get

I was at an activity with Zadie this week and the facilitator was about to hand out hula hoops of different colors to accompany the activity. In preparation for doling out the colorful orbs she reminded all the children "you get what you get and you don't get upset." And then I was surprised when partway through the idiom about five other parents joined in the rattling off of the phrase. I felt like an outsider in my lack of communal enthusiasm. And thats when I realized that one sentence is likely what guides parenting in Australia. I never heard it said before arriving here and now it is said so often it is like a mantra unintentionally engraved in my memory and likely the memory of all Australian raised children. I suppose though if you need a guiding parenting principle is isn't a bad one. And I wonder how much it contributes to Australians being a more laid back people. I mean they grew up being reminded continually in jolly enthusiastic voices that there is no need to be upset by whatever one gets.

This past week we got three ear infections, beginnings of a lung infection, and a throat infection. Most of our children are drinking antibiotics like water. I am envisioning the slow destruction of all their gut flora and the internal battles between pink liquid and their pinker insides. I have forgotten at this point if they are so irritable due to illness or if they've always been like that. Zadie has given up her small bed beside ours in favor of permanently sleeping on top of my body. I know there was a time (probably two weeks ago) when I wasn't constantly finding snot encrusted bits of toilet paper around the house but maybe there wasn't. Luckily we are likely on the mend. Luckily it was just a cold and not the Black Plague. Regardless, I do find some solace in the Australian parenting philosophy so I am not going to get upset. Also, I meant to not write much and just post a lot of photos as per the request of someone who will know who they are when they see the photos.