Tag: parenting

children, eyesight, humor, kids, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, tantrums

Glasses. Wear Them. Love Them.

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T.Puzzle’s new glasses had finally arrived.  There was only one minor problem.

He refused to wear them.

As I sat facing him in the optometrist’s office with his new glasses neatly folded in my palm, I ran through possible actions or threats to get him to comply.

I could validate his sense of injustice at having to wear glasses that actually fit snug on his head (as opposed to his very old, very stretched out former pair).  Maybe if he felt ‘heard’ he’d be open to reason.

Or

I could square up my shoulders, look him dead in they eye and say, ‘Put the glasses on.  If you don’t, you will go to your room when you get home and you won’t come out until you decide to where them.”

I assessed the people milling about the waiting room.

Yep.

They looked like the judgmental lot that we mothers are so used to encountering.

I knew I was going to look like a Mom-with-no-soul (T.Puzzle’s baby face and dimples make him look like an innocent lamb) but I went for the second option anyway.

As my threat of being sent to his room reverberated through the office and T.Puzzle wailed, a ripple of compassion went through the air.

I heard things like, ‘bless his heart,’ and ‘he doesn’t like how they feel, poor thing.’

The technician who adjusts the glasses swooped into the room with his pliers at the ready.  “I’ll loosen them for him.  Maybe that will help.”

Since I already had long surpassed the coddling route I decided to go all the way with it.

“Nope.  They fit just fine (they honestly did).  I have dealt with stubborn boys for years.  He will wear them as is.  Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but he WILL wear them.”

I took the glasses and dramatically placed them in my purse.

“Well, T.Puzzle, we better get home so you can go to your room.”

“Nooooooo, Mommy!  I do wear them!  I do wear them!”

And simple as that, he did.

Not five minutes later away from prying eyes, he was perfectly content and proud to wear his new ‘big boy’ glasses.

T.Puzzle sporting his new glasses just minutes after his adamant refusal.

So at this point, Mom sent herself to her room and will be refusing to come out until further notice.

children, gratitude, happiness, kids, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting

Amazing Energy

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hard at work, or something like that

The energy disparity between me and my boys has always been quite extreme.  Since my wisdom tooth debacle and following slow recovery, this energy chasm has widened.

As I slowly walked the boys over to a friend’s house to see if she could come over to play, I was amazed by two things.  The first being that since it was my first time outside in almost two weeks, the air seemed lighter and the sky seemed brighter even though it was drizzly with rain.  The second, as my boys rocketed ahead of me at intense speed, was how much faster they move through life than me.  Even when I was small and filled with that natural energy little people possess, I always stuck close to my Mom and was extremely introverted and quiet.  An exciting day for me consisted of listening to my ‘Annie‘ movie soundtrack, doing arts and crafts and lots of time spent alone in my own imaginary, wonder-filled world.   My boys are so different.  They are outgoing, boisterous and love anything rough and tumble.

Today it didn’t matter to me.   Yes, I’m the lady in the neighborhood with the two wild boys.

And that is perfectly fine with me.

In fact, it’s kind of amazing.

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children, health, life in pictures, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, self care (or lack thereof)

When Did That Happen?

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Sporting their new shaved head look. This was not sanctioned by Mom but it sure is easy to style.

You know that strange feeling that settles over you if you’ve ever been away from you kids for more than a day or two?  That somehow in the hours you weren’t with them they grew in ways imperceptible to world at large yet glaringly obvious to you.  I haven’t technically been away but I am very much out of the boys’ loop as I continue my lengthy wisdom teeth recovery.

They seem older somehow.  Even in the picture above they seem to resemble young men more than little boys.

When did that happen?

children, happiness, health, humor, kids, mommyhood, motherhood, parenting, self care (or lack thereof)

Rockin’ Thursday

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It’s amazing how quickly we adapt to what life throws at us.  Mad Dog is in full swing as ‘Mr. Mom’ and has perfected a seamless morning routine with the boys.  Apparently, Full Speed is in charge of helping T.Puzzle put on the clothes that Mad Dog has laid out from the night before.  Full Speed does well with this until it’s time for the pants.  He has to count to three and as T.Puzzle jumps,  Full Speed attempts to pull T.Puzzle’s  pants the rest of the way up.  The key is timing and yanking the pants precisely when T.Puzzle has reached mid-flight.   I have yet to see this in person, but I can hear an awful lot of commotion coming from the boys’ room as this new ritual takes place.  It sounds highly entertaining.

I am adapting by setting my daily goals very low. 

Today, I did a load of laundry.

What’s next? 

I may get wild and crazy and shower.

Clean clothes AND a clean me? 

Talk about a rockin’ Thursday.

mommyhood

Wisdom (Teeth)

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I didn’t want to have to write about this.   Since it has forced me to cease blogging for a week, it only seemed fair that I share some of what has been happening to me.  Please, bear with me, I am currently heavily medicated and I know not what I truly write or how bad my grammar are, I mean, is, I mean,… help me.

Here are some things I learned:

The best way to get your husband to VOLUNTARILY do laundry, housework and childcare, is to have a horribly painful, convoluted quadruple wisdom tooth extraction and then appear so pathetic, it’s the only right thing for him to do.  Thank you, Mad Dog.  You are a saint.  Yes, you can quote me on that but only until my pain meds run out.

That while I have lost some teeth, I did not lose my sarcasm.  For example, as I sat miserably in my doctor’s office yesterday needing to be seen earlier than planned because of my unmanaged pain, when he walked in the room and asked me, “How are you doing?”  these four responses popped into my drug-addled mind:

            “Great, that’s not pizza sauce seeping down my face, I’m not that big of a disaster.  That’s actual blood because I’m on a liquid only diet thanks to you.”

             “Super, this color of death on my cheeks is very becoming.”

             “I’m awesome, but you should see the other guy.’

              “Remember that pesky bone saw you used that kept waking me up out of general anethesia?  Give it to me and your arm and I will carve exactly how I am doing right into your body.”

Seriously, I’m not bitter at all and I owe it all to an increase in my pain meds.

Apparently, my extractions were pretty tough.  Something about the bottom two being so deeply impacted they were practically upside down and the top two being resistant to traditional methods thus, that pesky bone saw.

How can I turn this into a life lesson?

Well, it seems that my boys are adapting to all this quite well.  Their routine is completely unraveled and everyone but their Mom has been lending a hand to take care of them.   They are doing great.

This has been the best medicine for this Type A, perfectionist to be forced to let go of control and see that the world and her kids can get along fine without her. 

Okay, it hurts a little, too, but not as much as that damn bone saw.