Otherwise known as parenting. I don't always make good decisions in life... like today at work I was so intent on what I was working on that I came to the sudden realization that the 20 oz. of water I chugged in the last hour had created an urgent situation... TWICE. Or that eating chocolate in angst to start the work day does wonders for a blood sugar crash late in the morning.
So when it comes to my kids one should note that while in my head I think it would be so cool to be SUPER MOM (hear the music and see the cape flap) I am alas only human and sometimes I don't make good decisions.
I am envious of a few of my friends who always seem to come across as being in a mommy bliss so full of love for their children that they always seem happy and unflappable. I am sure anyone that sees me with my kids thinks what does that woman take because she is like the energizer bunny... maybe she should slow down and actually finished getting dressed before she runs out the door. I love my kids, really I do, but sometimes I just need to catch my breath.
So this morning I get up with high expectations of a great day leading into a weekend filled with travel, family and what is sure to be a beautiful wedding. But oh it wasn't to be. What is it about six-year-olds that makes them so much harder to deal with than 18-month-olds. Give JJ a banana and a room with a cat and he is in bliss and can keep himself entertained for at least a few minutes while I fold a weeks worth of laundry. I know I can tackle him, get him dressed and groomed in under five minutes to leave the house on time.
His older sister Abigail is a whole 'nother story. She had brought some potato heads (read 7 or 8 not sure why we have so many) up to hear room last night. Mind you she hasn't played with these in months so maybe that was the fascination. But after dragging her out of bed she proceeded to sit down on the floor and start to play. I am thinking it is 6:30 and I still have to put the clothes away and really we don't need to leave the house until 7:20 so I ask her to get dressed and I leave the room. I come back in 10 or 15 minutes after finishing my chores and she is still sitting on the floor playing with the potato heads. Still not dressed or groomed. So I ask her nicely for the third time to please get dressed and groom herself or perhaps the potato heads will be no longer once I get out of the shower.
So I go shower and come back to her still sitting on the floor... dressed this time and looking mighty proud of herself. At this point it is 7:10 and I am thinking S$%^ no way we are going to make it out of the house on time if she doesn't get a move on. I am by now more than a little annoyed she is still sitting quietly in her room playing (why can't she do that when we want a few minutes of peace???) So I scoop up her brother and race downstairs all the while hollering at her to get her butt moving. So after two trips up the stairs she finally wanders down (with all the potato heads wrapped up in her blanket... she thinks I don't know) and I hustle her towards the bathroom.
She is in there while I am loading the car and getting her brother ready and I am thinking OK we are getting somewhere. I go in to the bathroom and I haven't a clue what she had been doing for five minutes but she hadn't brushed her hair or teeth. So I ask her what she was doing and she says 'mommy my tummy hurts so I can't brush my teeth'. This is Abby code for 'I am hungry so I refuse to function like a normal human'.
By then I am ready to strangle her because this will be the fourth day out of five that I am running late for work (at least two of these days were because of Abby getting stuck in neutral... one because we overslept and one because well it was Monday). So screechy bird mommy with flapping swirling motions comes out... I am pissed at this point and she is crying and JJ is standing there looking absolutely baffled. God help us please I am thinking... so she did brush her teeth 'just super fast mommy' and we get to the car where I toss her a brush, a breakfast bar and her lunch and we are off for another day with the episode soon to be forgotten.
How it makes my heart ache to start the day like this... usually happens once a week so I vow to change MY behavior, and to talk to Abby, AGAIN about HER behavior and how it makes us both feel, and we live to love another day.
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