Sometimes I feel a bit like I am floating somewhere in the midst of the Pacific Ocean.
All by myself.
Sometimes, I wish I was. Floating by myself, that is.
Parenting is hard. Being a Mommy is hard. Rewarding – absolutely. Magnificent – you bet! Wonderful – of course! But, still HARD.
I’m in the midst of what feels like my most challenging parenting stage yet. The small people are almost 5 and almost 3. And, damn, they are good at it.
The tantruming, the whining, the fighting, the competing, the disobeying, the refusing to eat, the tattling – I think my ears are starting to bleed. I wonder how long before I’m committed to an asylum – or until I leave my husband a note in purple crayon that I’m heading for that island? (What do you want to bet he would join me?)
I think the biggest challenge is that all of these things happen daily. I’m convinced I could handle tantrums OR whining OR tattling – just not all of them. Every day.
As I typically do when I hit an obstacle like this (well – there hasn’t been one quite like this, but, still….) I ask the people I trust for advice.
I began with my closest friend. She is a mom too. The good news/bad news: she has been right where I am (great for me – not the best time for her) so she understands this particular dilemma. (The dilemma is – do I lock myself in the closet claiming ‘time-out’ for mommy and make moaning sounds any time anyone approaches the door – or do I try to work through it?) I was leaning towards the closet, but my friend always makes me feel centered and voted for the ‘work through it option.
She reminded me that this is a stage. She assured me I am not, in fact, a candidate for ‘worst mother of the year’, and suggested I give myself some credit for the love and attention I give. Since I can’t tackle every challenge at once – pick my battles. And don’t give up. She promised that continuing to help my kids work things out rather than allowing them to fight will be worth the effort.
I’m pretty sure she is right.
In the mean time, I think it is a good thing they are cute.
(If you don’t hear from me for a while – I opted for the island route – I’m thinking Pina Coladas and Palm Trees – want to come?)
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