What a freaking ridiculous day it’s been.
Before I begin, I know I shouldn’t complain about such trifle issues. Big picture: everything is grand. We are blessed to have three healthy children, a house, food on the table. I recognize that. However, I will now continue with my rant.
Seriously. The school year is not even finished yet, and I’m done. DONE. It’s been a bad day. I need to regroup before that bell rings at 1:30 tomorrow, or we’re all screwed.
My children have somehow forgotten how to listen and follow instructions. This is not just a random slip up, people…they are not listening to a single word I say. Not one! I ask them to pick up their stuff, then walk past it again a while later, and they claim I never asked them to do it. Or (and this is my all time favorite thing, ever!), they ask me a question, and I answer them, and then two seconds later they ask me the exact same question. Then, two seconds later, they ask it yet AGAIN. Is anyone else experiencing this phenomenon? End-of-School-Itis, perhaps? Whatever it is, it can go away, immediately.
After hours and hours of this today (with most of it coming from the little one, as the other two were at school and didn’t return home until around 4pm), I snapped. I started sending kids to their rooms, with threats of not renewing water park passes for the summer. Ugh. I hate “that Mom”. I’m sure the kids don’t like her very much, either. But, when you have no helpers during the day, and it’s one of “those” days, something’s gotta give. Fortunately, my husband arrived home this evening before I started revoking birthday parties and library cards, and he is now supervising the kids in the backyard so I can vent…er, write.
Write, of course, in between the laundry, dishes, and school tasks that need to be finished before bedtime. It never ends, does it? I was just lugging a load of laundry up the stairs when I got intercepted by the little one (he’s really on a roll today!). “Mom, I need a pair of socks. Can you get me some?” (he can’t reach his sock drawer…) Of course, I impatiently replied, “You don’t need socks. You’re running around barefoot in the backyard. Wearing socks with no shoes would just be ridiculous.”
As I struggled with the laundry, he eyed me carefully and shot back, “So…it seems like you’re NOT going to get me the socks…”, which was met with my left eyebrow rocketing off my face. He got the point and quickly retreated back outside.
Eh, well. Tomorrow is a new day, right? Perhaps the Listening Ear Fairy will deliver three fresh sets to my children as I sleep tonight. It’s a long shot, I know, but I’m going with that.