French Country Wall Clock

My husband and I were talking the other day about this magical thing that transpires when we get one-on-one time with our kids. And these days with our almost teenager, its almost as if he becomes a different person. Gone is the attitude and the eye rolling and the one word (usually sarcastic) answers and in their place is laughter and fun and great conversation.

A couple of months ago my son had a day off from school but my daughter did not. And, I’m not gonna lie, it was during a pretty exhausting parenting patch. It was a time when we felt like we were beating our heads against the wall trying to get this kid to care about even just the basics in life, like…oh…you know…wearing deodorant or actually using shampoo in the shower. It was a season where there was lots of arguing and we felt like we had to have nerves of steel to be able to peacefully interact with him.

And I’ll be honest, I wasn’t feeling all warm and fuzzy at the thought of spending the day with this kid who was pushing me to the limit and making me question everything I ever thought I knew about parenting….or life…or myself.

But, deep down inside, I knew. I knew that what our relationship really needed was time together. Time away from the daily routine. Time that didn’t include running out the door to school and doing that horrible thing called Algebra.

And I was right.

I had been wanting to get a new phone for awhile (and was being mercilessly teased by my family for having a REALLY old model iPhone) and I knew that this boy desperately wanted to go with me to the store and help me pick it out. And when I informed him that our first order of business for the day was to get my new phone he was beyond excited!

After that we headed to lunch and shared a precious time of talking about middle school and all of the highs and lows that come with it. We talked about friendships and teachers and about his relationship with God and there was not a single moment of eye-rolling or arguing.

And then we made a stop at Trader Joe’s which just happens to be next to Tuesday Morning which is super dangerous for this shopper. We wandered the aisles and joked around and then suddenly I spotted it.

The perfect piece for an empty wall in my living room.

I’ve been looking for just the right thing to hang on this long wall and was so thrilled to score this beauty.

After paying for it, this boy who exhausts me and tests me and pushes me to the limit, well, he casually took the clock from my hands and carried it out to the car for me. I glanced at his face as we walked through the parking lot and he looked so happy, so serene. So like my boy. The boy who he is when he isn’t being taken over by puberty and hormones and trying to hard to grow up.

And now, every time I glance at that clock hanging on the wall in the living room, I don’t just see a fabulous decorating find.

I see a memory.

A memory of a day that I will cherish forever and one that I will cling to during the next round of eye-rolling and sarcasm and arguing that is sure to come. Oh wait…here it is now! 😉

So glad you could meet me at the Fence today,