Boy, was I riding a wave of parenting empowerment this morning, feeling all good about what a great mother I am because I tell my kids I love them and I listen to them and what have you. But then, reality knocked on my front door, let itself in, and smacked me right upside my head.
By the time Chris got home from work, Kaitlyn was squatting down on the playroom floor screaming at the top of her lungs, Nathan was in his room after I grounded him for three days, and Ryan was scowling and stomping around in an eerily accurate imitation of his father when he’s in a bad mood. Me? I was on the couch staring at the floor and feeling like a washrag that has been thoroughly wrung out.
I was this close to getting in the car and just driving away. Where would I have gone? Oh, I don’t know. New York, maybe? I could have checked myself into a nice New York Bed and Breakfast right in the heart of Manhattan, or in the Adirondack mountains for that matter. Anywhere that doesn’t have screaming toddlers and belligerent eight year olds would have been pretty tempting at that point.
But, I didn’t. I made dinner, drove to Barnes and Noble to treat myself to a new book, drank a Starbucks Mocha, then came back home feeling much less stressed. And talked to my husband about asking a friend to watch Kaitlyn for a few hours one day this week so I can get some things done around the house that are piling up. Because if I don’t get caught up on the housework that can only be done when there isn’t a toddler stuck to my hip, I will end up trapped under a pile of laundry bigger than Mount Rushmore. Anyone want to come over and help me? I can pay you with coffee and Oreos.
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I sure wish I lived close enough to help. Hugs.
Amen. I seem to have weeks like that. Especially when the hubby’s out of town. Darn kids. I’d come over if you got some Back to Nature mint creme cookies – I’d even leave my two little hellions there for you.
I made dinner, drove to Barnes and Noble to treat myself to a new book, drank a Starbucks Mocha, then came back home feeling much less stressed.
Word. Mochas can fix just about anything.
I’m behind on my housework as well so I can relate. Hope today is better for ya!
I sucked my next door neighbor’s preteen into mother’s helpering for a couple of hours 1x/week and it is awesome and cheap.
Your therapy (B&N and Starbucks) is the same one I use! Fabulous stuff.
Ahh, the fact that you got some time away MAKES you an amazing parent! If we lived closer together, we could swap toddler duties so that we’d have time to get stuff done around the house!
Twitter: Table4Five
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Thank you, Karen, I appreciate that
Twitter: Table4Five
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Thanks Lanna. Mint creme cookies, you say? Hmmm
Twitter: Table4Five
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Allison-I had a triple chunk brownie, too. It pretty much went straight to my ass, but it made me feel a whole heck of a lot better
Twitter: Table4Five
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Fairly Odd Mother-would you mind telling me how much you pay your mother’s helper? I could probably find someone around here to do that, but I wouldn’t know how much to offer to pay them.
And yeah, B&N and Starbucks is where I always go when the stress gets to be too much.
I could take the girl for a few hours of Friday.
I so get what your talking about.
I’d do anything for an oreo. I’m not allowed to eat them because they make me F-A-T. Shhh! Don’t say the word. But if you have them, then technically it’s okay to have them, because yenno, I didn’t buy them myself.
sorry….chocolate cookies make me a little nuts. I lurve them.
Twitter: Table4Five
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I love you, Dana
:0 
Heh, I would volunteer to help, but I’m pretty sure I live no where near you (texas)… and… lol, I don’t like little people. Not that I’m mean to them or anything but when ever one starts crying I get the strong urge to start crying too and I usually yell for my mom! LOL.
I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to be a father. But I suppose it might be different when they’re your own family.
I also know how it feels to be a washrag rung out at the end of the day. I work in customer service for a major bank and after 5 hours of listening to people yell at me and not listening to me I sometimes feel like I just want to scream and quit on the spot. LOL.
Unfortunantly you can not quit but it’s good that you were able to take some time to your self to go to B&N to read a book and relax a bit. : )
-Mike
Twitter: Table4Five
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Mike, thanks so much! And, if you don’t mind my sharing a little piece of my history with you, until I was almost 30, I did NOT want to have kids. I spent a disastrous summer when I was 19 working at a day camp for elementary school age kids. I got FIRED, no lie, because I yelled at a kid for dumping a bucket of water on me.
Believe me, it is VERY different when they are your own kids. But, listen to your instincts-you are not required to have children!
Re:Customer Service at a bank-oh, YEAH, I know that feeling. I worked in the Loan department of our credit union for state employees, my job was to answer the phone and answer questions. It was a MAJOR drain on my energy. You have my sympathy!
Yummy *organic* mint creme cookies. http://www.backtonaturefoods.com/products_cookies_3.aspx Fattening, but oh so good. Is today going slightly better at least?
Twitter: Table4Five
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Lanna, yes, thank you for asking. Kaitlyn slept from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and woke up in a good mood. But then the 5:15 witching hour rolled around, and she was her usually screechy self. It was easier to deal with today, though.