Today I almost threw in my mommy towel to head for the hills.
The Dude has been especially whiny for the past week, but today he overwhelmed and vanquished my tolerance for screaming. I haven't decided whether this is a new stage of sibling rivalry (because whenever the Rosita Chiquita squawks, she gets picked up and cuddled until she stops) or if this is just a new level of "terrible three"s, or if it is his new favorite way of getting instant attention.
If it were over not getting what he wanted, it wouldn't be so bad. I can handle that and even feel a little good that I am being a good parent and NOT bowing to his even whim. But the instigation of every screaming session is some minor hurt: a finger in the door, the RC accidentally (it really was an accident this time) pulling his hair, tripping and falling on a knee. I guess this could be because he got so much attention for his spectacular fall the other day that made him look like Dracula for several hours because he kept bleeding. We had to call the doctor, make a special trip to the store, check the injury every so often.....
Whatever it was, it seemed like most of my day was spent holding one screaming child or the other or BOTH. In the afternoon, I lost all sympathy for the Dude's wails and consigned him to his bed until he stopped screaming and would TELL me what the matter was.
In between the screaming sessions he was a good helper and very cheery and sweet. He especially enjoyed cleaning the kitchen table off with his spray bottle and cleaning cloth. We read The Ugly Pumpkin ( a long-time favorite) with great gusto. The RC had a very a happy time exploring the interior of our car and gumming the Tic-Tac container to death (so the container survived fairly well, but the Tic-Tacs themselves will never recover).
It was these delicious moments that fueled me until they finally, blessedly, went to bed.
Huzzah!
4 comments:
It was indeed blessed when they finally went to bed. I was about ready to give up my daddy badge, and I was only home for a couple hours with the two of them!
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I wonder how our children will be different from us, in that when they hit thirteen, there will be this papertrail of emotion and confession.
Could be good: they see us as people and our past openness may make it easier for them to be open again with us.
Could be bad.
Or, most likely, they won't ever care enough to actually look us up and find out.
Mm.
RC: thanks for the ice cream
th: it's funny that you should say that because RC sent me an article earlier in the day about parental blogging, and how when they're little it's ok to talk about them on your blog, but as they get older they need? should? have more say about what you're telling the world about them. interesting.
i think finding out second-hand that my parents were complaining about me to the world(in the now) would make me think of them as traitors, so i'll enjoy the emotion and confession while i can. =)
if I go back through my journals from high school, I bet the days where I filled pages with complaints about my parents are the same days they shut their bedroom door and said to one another, "YOU take care of it. I'm sick of her."
fortunately, I was sandwiched between a brother and a sister who were a thousand times more difficult than me, so that I've come out looking like the easy child.
but, just to be on the safe side, maybe I'll buy my parents some ice cream next time I'm home...
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