Tag: mommyhood

bad day, children, mommyhood

Know Better

WFAM

I’m having a casual conversation with parents that I don’t know very well. This is the point where you let slip some of your parental foibles and see precisely where they land on the recipients’ spectrum of normalcy. For instance, they might self-diclose that their children are impeccably behaved when dropped off at a friend’s home, and you might imply that you fear for your friends when you do the same. You are using humor to illuminate that while your kids are incredibly adorable, they may be less than perfect in decorum or behavior. Your hope is that the other parents will admit the same for their kids (at least a little). Let me tell you it’s a real bummer when you are the only one sharing a horror story and the faces meeting your gaze are blank with incomprehension. It also doesn’t help when you hear the phrase, “My kids would know better than to act up,” or “my kids were taught better than that,” in response to said horror story.

I self-disclosed that Full Speed had an unfortunate use of words when referencing his visiting cousins a while back. “Do you have any problems with bad language from your kids?” is my curious inquiry.

“My kids know better than to use a bad word, and they were taught better than that,” is the response.

Are you getting the same feeling I had? That the implication is that my kids don’t know better and certainly weren’t taught better.

I would try to draw the same conclusion but apparently I don’t know any better.

children, mommyhood, Uncategorized

Forget the Park

WFAM

I decided to take the boys to the library park after school. I know their day is long at school but it usually bodes well for me at home if they can run some energy out. They were psyched as we pulled into the parking lot. As I looked across the field that stood between us and the actual playground, it resembled a muddy swamp. There were rivulets of murky water mazed throughout the grassy muck. I took one look and knew it wasn’t gonna happen. I told the boys we had a change of plans and would head to a park that was closer to home (and less of a mud disaster).

Full Speed was mad. He decided to have an awful attitude as we came upon our new location. At one point he decided to take a handful of mulch and throw it at T.Puzzle at point-blank range. Slowly and after a time-out or two, he readjusted his attitude and begrudgingly played.

I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that urged me to call our time at the park to a close sooner rather than later. They were both on edge and even though the weather was pitch perfect, I didn’t want to chance it. I announced it’s time to leave and then T.Puzzle goes into the throes of a level 9 meltdown. Slowly and after a time-out or two, he readjusted his attitude and begrudgingly left.

Why is it that when you are doing something out of the ordinary for your kids that it more often than not it completely backfires? It almost seems that the more good intentions and higher the expectations, the more it can fail. Then you bring home your two crabby kids and throw them in the bath (something they do all the time) and they have the time of their lives. Think of all the money Disney World would lose if parents actually caught on to this logic. Stay home and give your kids a bath instead.

By the way, did I mention we are considering a day trip to Disney sometime before the end of the year? Should be interesting.

children, kids, life in pictures, mommyhood, Uncategorized

I Spy

WFAM

I am trying very hard to get my house back in order after all the visitors. This morning I was clearing floors and decided to put T.Puzzle’s new Thomas the Train track on our dining room table. Per our morning routine (as we are extremely routine oriented here), the boys were dressed, fed and had their teeth brushed. If this goes smoothly it allows time for a cartoon viewing before school. I use that time to sneak back upstairs and change out of my pajamas and occasionally focus on my personal hygiene. I do mean occasionally. When I come back downstairs what do I find but this:

Oh, well.

After the boys are dropped at school and my morning workout is complete, I take a few minutes to phone my sister. She is getting back in the routine of her everyday life and so am I. We both agreed seeing each other helped our hearts tremendously and maybe we will survive this first Christmas without our Mom after all.

I told her Mad Dog is traveling and that overall the boys and I are doing well. She told me to thank Mad Dog for all he did to make the trip to Florida happen and all the other ways that he was generous to her family. I told her I would but when he is traveling, I rarely get a chance to speak to him. He is usually incredibly busy and often times meets with colleagues for dinners out at night. I told her it’s hard sometimes to hear that he is on his way out as I am in the lonely process of shutting my house down and tucking the boys in bed for the night. She said that she understood.

“It’s probably hard to think of Mad Dog eating steak when you are at home eating chicken nuggets with the boys,” she said.

“How did you know I had chicken nuggets last night (I really did!)? Did you put cameras in my house while you were here?” I asked.

This made both of us of laugh. Of course a Mom would eat chicken nuggets. It’s just what we do.