Dora Memory: Good for Both of Us

I had Molly when I was 25. I had Cody when I was 26. I had Rylee when I was 35. So many times people ask, besides the obvious "what were you thinking?!", if I was more relaxed and enjoyed motherhood more as a 35 year old than a 25 year old. The truth is....NO. I have always been a pretty relaxed, don't get stressed about the house or lack of money and enjoy the kids kind of mom. When I get those sappy emails that remind us of what life is really all about, I feel like they could be describing me.

That's not to say I don't have days where I could send them all to the moon and live happily ever after, but for the most part, I haven't found being an older mom to be that much different. Until yesterday.

Rylee received Dora Memory for her birthday on Sunday. As she was popping out the cards from the cardboard frame, I reviewed the directions (I don't know why, I am just quirky like that sometimes). I decided that we would only play with half the cards since this was her first time playing and I didn't want to overwhelm her.

I quickly learned how it would go. It would go something like this: Rylee finds a match, Shelley does not, Rylee finds a match, Shelley does not, Rylee finds a match, Shelley does not and Rylee does this Ha Ha shaking of the shoulders tease. She was so good! And I was so bad! It was literally to the point that when I flipped over a card, I would watch her reaction to see where the match was. I am not kidding! By the end of the game she had 14 matches and I had 10.

So YES, being an "older mom" is much different. You see, I need to play Dora Memory just to get my brain back in shape!!!