The Giving Tree might need counseling

Almost all of you have read "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, and like me, many of you probably own it. It is a story that warms our hearts and makes us feel good inside, right? Well, have any of you really taken the time to think about the story and why the giving tree is actually a bit codependent tree lacking self-worth :)?
I'll give you all a reminder/cliff note version of how the book goes. There was a little boy who loved playing around/cllimbing this tree. The boy gets older and doesn't ever visit the tree. He comes back and the tree offers its' apples for the boy to sell, because the boy wants money to buy things and have fun. The tree is happy. Then the boy comes back when he is older and doesn't have time to play or enjoy the tree but jumps upon the chance to take the tree's branches to build a house when the tree offers. The tree is happy. The boy comes back when he is an old man and wants to sail away on a boat. The tree tells the boy to take his trunk to make a boat. The tree was happy.. but not really. After a long time the boy comes back. The tree is depressed, because he has nothing left to give the boy. The boy says he is too old to do anything anyways and that he simply wants a place to sit. The tree is excited that the boy can come and sit on the stump that is left. And the tree was happy.
So, I ask all of you.... was the giving tree a bit too giving? She gave literally everything that she had to the ungrateful kid who never really seemed to show much gratitude and only came around when he needed something. Couldn't the boy given a thank you at the very least? This book makes me think about the sacrifice a parent makes. We love our children. We would do anything to make them happy. Is it possible that giving them everything may be doing them a disservice? Maybe instead of just handing a kid a bunch of apples to go and have fun with, the kid could get a job or an education so he really appreciates what he has. I know the whole point of giving is not to think about what you will get in return, but dude, couldn't the boy just have at least seemed a little more peppy when he came to suck the tree dry of all of it's assets? Okay, that is my rant. Sofia likes the book... so I very well may continue to read it to her, and maybe we can talk about the message a little bit. Has anyone else every noticed that the message is a little confusing... even it though it seems to warm our hearts.. or am I just reading into it things more deeply than Shel Silverstein ever meant? Well, either way....I still think the tree has issues , but don't we all :)?

And The Mother of the Year Award does not go to.....

Me. I have gone back and forth on my decision to make the following post. Even though I know the story is ridiculous, I am still embarrassed and kind of feel like crap about the whole situation.
So.... here it goes. We have been traveling a lot over the last month, and traveling a lot= breaking routines alot which= crazy sleep deprived children who were so ready to be home. The first night I was home, getting Gabe to sleep was not fun. Usually we do our whole bath and reading routine and he goes right to bed. Well, since he has been sleeping with me for the last month on all of our trips, he was not fond of the idea of being in the crib again. After letting him cry for 1/2 hour in the crib, I finally went and got him and walked him to sleep.
Night numero dos-Gabe immediately starts crying again when I put him in his crib. I sit outside the door not knowing what to do, because I hate hearing him cry, but I also don't want to have him used to drawing out the bed time routine forever each night. So... I decided that I will let him cry for up to 1/2 hour and if he was still crying... I would reassess and make another game plan.
At this point I go and call my friend Amanda and notice that he stops crying about 20-25 minutes later and is sound asleep. Randomly a few minutes later, I hear a knock at the door. I open it and am very surprised to see a police officer. I hang up with Amanda and ask how I can help him. The first thing he asked me is if I have small children in the house. Being the freak I am... I panic and think "Did one of them fall out a window or escape or get kidnapped..... (all of you other freak moms know those crazy thoughts). After I tell him yes, he tells me that one of my neighbors called the police, because they heard a young child crying for "an abnormally long period of time" and they were "extremely concerned." I was seriously in shock that someone called the cops on us, but I remained very calm as I talked to him, because I obviously hadn't done anything wrong. The cop was actually very nice and understanding as I explained our situation. He also understood that since it was a hot night and all of windows were open (in townhouses very close to each other) that they were able to hear into our house much more clearly than on another night.
He is very understanding and leaves.... clearly he has more important things to get to. I am left feeling confused. Mad at a pesky neighbor for freaking calling the cops on me. I have no idea who did it, but obviously it was a neighbor very close to me who doesn't know me at all or have kids. Then of course all of my insecurities that I already have as a mom sink in and I start feeling like the world's crappiest mom... seriously... who has the cops called on them??? I am a playgroup mom. I am for the most part a happy, singing, silly mama who LOVES being with my kids. I love my kids more than anything. I know that I am no where near perfect and make many mistakes and lose my patience way too often... but I am pretty sure that I am not the kind of mom you call the cops on. To give credit to the person who called the cops.. they probably don't have children and maybe they were extremely concerned... but it would have shown far more concern to knock on my door to see how things were going like neighbors used to do instead of immediately calling the cops. So...... I am trying to let this not affect me and trying hard not to dwell on it, but it has been hard. So... when any of you mamas are feeling like you are having a bad parenting day take comfort when you think to yourself, "At least I didn't get the cops called on me like Kara."
Chris took this mugshot picture of me tonight and my best attempt at playing the role of a dead beat mama.

My husband is a stud because.....

He took the kids to Portland spontaneously to the zoo leaving me by myself to:
-Run 8.5 miles
-Go to Home Depot
-Go to the library to pay a fine and returning to my car to find a ticket, because I fed the wrong meter in my hurry to get one more errand done. Dang it!!
-Get a cheapo pedicure
-Go to the music store to get a new string for our guitar so I can finally become the rock star I always dreamed of.
-I should have cleaned my house and taken advantage of the kids being gone to get a million things done, but I can save cleaning for every other day of my life.
Thanks sweetie..... it is amazing what 8 hours alone did for my sanity.