Kitty time’s little daughter changes a warp speed. My husband and I are always amazed at how quickly she grows and develops. What happened to the sweet little newborn that fit from my elbow to my hand? It’s fun and exciting to watch and experience.

But sometimes, it’s a little bizarre.

Case in point – while my 13 month old has yet to show any noteworthy signs of separation anxiety, much to my relief thus far, when she is tired or not feeling well, she does tend to want moi.

And really, who can blame her?
She knows that I love her and will do anything in the world for her. But wait, there’s more.
She knows her mommy loves fashion, has an eye for accessories, generally smells better than daddy, and well, is pretty….so why not prefer moi?

Correct?

Mais oui!

And so..on the occasion that she passes over her dad for moi, I am beaming with pride. I must be doing something right, right? She obviously can still be attached to me even though I’m working full-time? All is well in the world.

Well, dear readers, be careful what you wish for. This seems to be a theme of kitty time.

On Sunday after her morning bottle, which she has graciously shifted to a bit later in the morning as she learns to love to sleep in (read, arise at 7am instead of 5:30am), she was playing.

My husband and I were just relaxing, easing into the morning, when suddenly Kitty Time’s dear daughter made her way past her daddy, to moi. Clearly she had a reason. She was a woman on a mission and the end-game was moi.

Ahh..victory again…..the preferred parent, I thought, as my heart swelled as much as possible before having some coffee.

And so, the sweet gal made her way up to my lap, here she was, wanting me…and….then……she puked.

Mais oui!

All over moi.
and her.

Nothing like starting the day off with a real scent of baby. Forget that crap they make you believe on TV about sweet smells and baby powder. This is the real deal.

And so, dear readers, the reason for her trip to moi was clear. She didn’t feel well and she wanted her mommy.

Though it might not always smell that great, it still feels good.

Indeed. This entry is about an endangered resource. No, not furry cute animals frolicking in the snow or melting ice caps.

PLEASE.

You are reading kitty time…..the subject is about, who else, but MOI?

Or rather…….the human parent.
The endangered resource is energy. Physical and Emotional energy.

With parenthood, kitty time discovered pools of energy and efficiency skills she never knew existed. Finding them required tapping into a deep well that quickly started drying up and refueling it requires effort and time.

Where did this alter ego of kitty time come from? What happened to the days of lolly-gagging around stores. Endlessly pursuing the lastest fashion must-have in the malls and boutiques around town. Obsessing over the next ‘it’ item in shoe ware. Mocking fashion faux-pas among the celebrity elite or poorly dressed unsuspecting individuals on the streets?

Ahh..the days of kitty old….

But not so fast…new kitty time….she is a different kind of animal. Sure..she still cares about these things….but the pool of energy and time from which to care about them and spend on them is different (read: thank god for internet shopping and slow work days)……

But back to the endangered resource. Energy. Kitty time’s delightful daughter demands the majority of my energy….which means much less is left over for other causes.

My point – learning how to weed out energy wastes of time is something I have gotten better at.

Sure…kitty time still LOVES to get fired up over a good cause….what’s kitty time without claws….but choosing which one to really react to is something that is more necessary now.

And so, kitty time’s wise advice to you, my dear readers, is this – whether you are a parent or not – we are all busy. And we’d preserve a lot more emotional and physical energy if we just saved it for when it’s really worthwhile. Sure, I urge you all to mock the Administration, get fired up over the latest dumb thing the President said, but particularly with the holidays around the corner and lots of quality family time looming…..take a few deep breathes……lick your paws for a few minutes and decide if it’s really worth it for those claws to come out.