I've had it this week. I thought last week I had a fuck everybody attitude, this week I not only want to say fuck everybody, I want to kill them too.
My kids have been in rare form, fighting constantly, my daughter has had bowel issues and accidents at camp, my son said this morning he was sick of our family because I had the nerve to tell him to put his shoes on when it was time to leave. Then, when we got to camp this morning, the kids fought over whose turn it was to get dropped off first. Why it matters I have no idea but I'm not 6 and 9 so I guess I couldn't possibly understand the importance of that. My daughter and her friend swore it was my son's turn to be dropped off first so I went with that even though my son said he got dropped off first yesterday. Excuse me for not remembering, I can barely remember my own name at this point.
So I dropped my son off first and he burst into tears and wouldn't let me go and then he said, "I miss Daddy". Call me a heartless bitch but I think he said that as a manipulative ploy to gain my sympathy. Is that possible at six years old? Yes, I think it is. I hugged him extra hard and told him to have a good day but I'm not giving in every time one of my kids brings out the "I miss Daddy" card.
After walking out to my car, it dawned on me that my son was right, he had indeed been dropped off first two days in a row. The horrors, the injustice of it all. Tomorrow I have a new rule - Mommy decides who gets dropped off first and there's no arguing, and if there is arguing then whoever argues will get dropped off first the next day too.
My kids may never see their iPods again. I'm tired of the attitudes, tired of the not listening, tired of the arguing. I'm going away to visit a friend in Washington DC this weekend, my parents are watching the kids for me. I'm going to be the first one on the plane, and my happiness at flitting away may be enough to fuel the jet all the way to DC.
Update: Oh, and I forgot to mention that I'm renting a room out in my house to a woman who was advertising that she needed a place to stay in my town. I've checked her references and done a background check on her. If she murders me in my sleep, everyone who is advising me that this is a bad idea can say "I told you so". I'm not that worried about the inconvenience of having a stranger in my house. Probably because the kids and I will be at my parents' house for most of August. Check back with me again in late August when we return home and there's a stranger using my toilet and shower.
I have had this problem with my kids over who gets to ride shotgun and finally I just decreed that everyone rides in the back and no one gets to sit up front EVER!!! LOL
ReplyDeleteWhen my kids were 4 and 8, I solved the problem of who gets to ride shotgun, load or unload the dishwasher, pick out the movie, etc. because the scrambling for "first choice" was making me stabby.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter was born on the 11th and my son was born on the 12th, so she is an "odd" and he is an "even". If the day of the month was an odd number, it was my daughter's choice. If it was even, it was my son's choice. End of argument! It made it SO easy as there was never any variation - although the 31st was always up for bidding (by their good behavior - mom's sole choice and discretion) so my "even" son was not cheated on the 31's!
I had a girlfriend with two kids both born on an even day and she just assigned one of them to be the "odd" one when she saw how great the system worked! I also had a girlfriend with five (yikes, right?)kids and she just assigned them days of the month that were theirs (they each got 6 days, with that 31st day up for grabs!) and there was never any bickering after that. It was either your number day or it wasn't - no arguing.
As a matter of fact, my "babies" still use it with each other and they are married and 22 and 26-years old now!
Hope that the idea might help you so you don't contemplate wringing their sweet, little necks like I was contemplating on a few occasions!
Having general naughtiness with my four and two yr old so know how u feel, it is relentless. And yes kids will say things like that to pull at yr heart strings. My 4 yr old decorated the patio with suncream while i watered the plants. He hid under the kitchen table before I noticed what he had done so after a telling off (and issuing the ipad/computer games ban- which works-always follow through on punishment for bad behav) he said he didn't like me anymore. I just kept my cool and said well that is very sad for mummy as I love you so much even when you do naughty things I never stop loving you. To which he then burst into tears and started shouting I do love you mummy and we had a hug.
ReplyDeleteI am a teacher so see children daily change their mannerisms when they get picked up. I don't always get it right myself either! He just wouldn't tidy up today yet I know at nursery he is brilliant at tidy up time. He wound me up so much that I broke one of his mega bloc robots which I had warned him I would do if he didn't put the rest of the blocs away but I threw it down in anger next to me rather than put it in the box and I don't think I should show how frustrated I was, I should of kept my calm like I normally do. I had warned him and I just literally lost it because of his behaviour. Bad but we are all human. He is such an able and capable boy for his age.
Just think- we r all great mums and the kids are just testing the boundaries. Don't feel bad, all or most kids do it. We just have to think one step ahead. And I love the ideas suggested above with the odd/even days. We have not reached that stage yet but I am sure we will!
I also know my friends are going through the same. You are not alone chick.
Enjoy your weekend's rest- they will miss you. I have a break coming up and intend to make the most of it. FTxx