Yes, within the past 48 hours, I have succeeded in: getting in a fight with my hubby, and making all four children cry - at separate times, for separate issues. Yep, all in 48 hours. Now THAT'S some creative time management!!
Okay, in my defense - the younger two cry at some point over random issues pretty much every day (especially if they are past their nap schedule), so that doesn't take much on my part :). The older two, well I do take full credit for that...
Yesterday it was Sarah, and it was over one word. a r e. That's it. Three letters. A sight word from Kindergarten. She knows this word. I know that she knows this word. It was on EVERY page of her take home book to read. We reviewed it when she forgot...(on every page!). Then, when I had her re-read it, just to be sure, the melt down occurred, and not from her. I'll spare you the details, but it ended with me just sending her to her room to clean it up and take a break before we tried again. A few minutes later when I walked by her room, she was curled up in her bed, almost crying. After some snuggle time, she was back to normal, but I felt like a buck ninety nine...
Then this morning, we had a tight schedule to make, including an extra violin group practice for an upcoming concert, then shoot off to drop the twins at school, then off to get the kids into the kids gym, and set up to teach a 9:15 muscletone class... (but no time pressures there!)
... when we pulled up at the school (just a few minutes behind schedule, but still doable), we discovered that Seth's backpack was missing and he informed me that he had taken it off... at the violin teachers house... completely in the opposite direction of the gym...
When I tried to reason with him that he could just go in and I would get retrieve the backpack and get it to school right after my class, he became the 'statue'... his completely immobile, won't talk, won't move, won't respond defense mechanism... and then promptly broke down in tears, saying that we HAD to go back and get his backpack, and he had to go with me (he couldn't possibly bare the humiliation of showing up on the playground without the backback).
Again, my patience fled like the dukes of hazard (okay, so I totally just dated myself!), and I pretty much forced him out of the car, only to have him stand on the curb and start crying. I tried to drive away a little, hoping that he would see some friends and get perked up, to no avail - he just stared after me with those hurt puppy dog eyes. So I flip around, trying to get him back into the car while he is again doing his 'statue' pose, but this time surrounded by about 4 friends who are all trying to help out. I finally get around and get him back into the car, only to tell him that he will then have to go to kids care and come to school late if he wants to come with me to pick up the backpack. Then I add, "and you will feel silly, because there won't be any big kids at kids care, they will all be at school." Really, truly, did I HAVE to throw that out??! Why didn't I just give him a paper cut and pour in some lemon juice?! He, of course, starts crying more, saying, "Mommy, PLEASE just take me back to school!" (we are now 1/2 way to the gym and way behind schedule...
... so we whip around to go back to school, drop him off, probably even more shaken up then he was before, but he ran to play with some friends this time, so I gunned it off to the gym.
... of course my karma came right back at me, as I run into class and start the music, the cd player chokes on me. We did the warm up literally to 'air music' as I tried frantically to play with the cd player, count beats into the mic, and give movement cues all at the same time. When the 3rd cd started and stopped on me, I so wanted to turn to everyone and say, "Okay, I'm done, let's just all go home now!"
... Please can I just push 'delete' button on the past 48 hours??!
3 comments:
Oh Jen!! I am so glad that I am not the only one that threatens my kids, of course only in desperate moments!;) You are such an awesome mom! I don't even know how you do it! Merissa and I always stand in amazement (I am sure tons of others do to!!)! Your the best!!
Miss you tons!!!
It must be in the air this time of year. I have read several blogs lately about Moms having bad days. So know you are not alone. If I only have my kids crying once a day, I feel like I have succeeded;) Good luck, we're all in this together!!!
Fun Day you had!
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