PJ Days and Bending the Rules

Today was a PJ Day! A loves to have PJ days. She stays in her jammies all morning. She rides in the car to school drop off in them, comes home, has some breakfast, and then spends the morning just hanging out at home.

Since she's in preschool three days a week and Wednesdays are our busy busy day, I try to have PJ day on Tuesday as a way to recover from the hectic weekend and rest up for the days ahead. I put on my cleaning clothes and do a few hours of chores while she plays, watches her shows on TV, and plays her games on the computer.

Normally, she gets tired of PJ's and agrees to get dressed around 11 a.m. Not so today. She told me last night as I was tucking her in bed that she was going to stay in jammies all day. At lunch, I tried to say no food for jammie wearing kids. She balked; I caved.

Right before rest time, I said "let's change". She looked at me with that look of "What are you stupid?" and said "If I'm going to take a nap, I'm staying in my PJ's."

When her brother got home from school at 3:00, he was somewhat shocked that I'd allowed jammies all day.

Likewise, when her sister got home at 3:45, she looked at me like I was crazy. My husband told me I'd never have allowed the older kids to do that when they were young. He's right. I should have.

At 5:15, we got home from dropping M at dance and the sun was shining, the weather was in the mid 50's (unheard of in Feb), and she finally caved. She wanted to play outside a little, maybe sweep the garage for me. I said "are you sure, it's almost night time". She's sitting with her brother right now watching Tom and Jerry dressed in clothes.

I learned a lesson today. The third child gets away with things I never would have allowed when I was a young mother. I had standards. Now, I have fun. I'm enjoying these days when she's content staying home all day with mom, hanging out, cleaning together, and folding laundry.

I wish I could have told my younger mom self to just chill a little. Expectations are good, but so are bending the rule moments and days.

If you are blessed to still have babies and toddlers at home, it's OK sometimes to wear PJ's all day. Who knows maybe next week, I'll join her in the PJ look. Guess I'm still afraid of the police pulling me over in the carpool lane at school.