Phantom Child Syndrome

I told you yesterday that my husband took the boys camping last night which left me with just the 4 girls. I love a quiet house with only four girls. They played dollhouse and Barbies, made popcorn, and watched Barbie and the Magic Pegasus. We also worked on finishing off the rest of the non-chocolate Halloween candy that I forgot about. I'm not sure if the house was quiet because there were 2 less kids or because the boys were gone or both. Either way, I still suffered Phantom Child Syndrome. You know how when a person gets a limb removed such as their leg or arm, but they still feel that limb and get itching or painful sensations where the limb used to be? It's called Phantom Limb Syndrome.

Mother's can get it too when their children are gone.

While my boys were gone, I realized that I am constantly counting and checking on the whereabouts of my children. It doesn't always have to be visual. If I can hear babbling from another room, the toilet flush, or smell a poopy diaper, I know my child is near. All the senses play an important role in parenting.

This morning I lay on the couch and took inventory of my children. I saw Emily in the girl's tent, I heard Sarah dramatizing a Barbie saga, I felt Wendy sitting at my feet, and I saw Rachel on the floor eating a roll of Smarties (a couple of which I tasted.) My inventory was complete, but I could still sense a two year old in the other room making a mess. I sensed him climbing on the kitchen counter looking for chocolate. I sensed animal crackers and milk spilling on the kitchen floor. It was weird. There where phantom children in the house.

The phantom children are home now and here is a picture of Bradley shooting a BB gun on his camping trip and Jason walking off into the woods: