Monday, November 26, 2007

It does my little heart good. . .

to know that Kate (the mom from "Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC) raises her voice at her kids.

I'm like my Dad in that I have a quick temper. I've toned down my colorful language (at one time the Navy was heavily recruiting me to teach the sailors how to swear.) since the Wee One came along. I dont see swearing as the sign as a limited vocabulary the way some people suggest, rather I like to think that at one point I had elevated it to an art form.

But if I'm tired or sick I can get angry with the Wee One or Libby easily & that bothers me. I know no one is perfect (and not even Kate!) & I know that as a SAHM & a temporarily single parent I'm tested more than people who don't spend 24/7/365 with their child.

I joke that both my dog & child have selective hearing because I KNOW I say "leave the dog alone" at least 298 times a day. The first is usually a gentle "Wee One, please leave Libby alone. She doesn't like it when you put a scarf on her & call her Jesus" True story! She put a scarf on Libby last week & said "look Mommy, Libby eessss Jesussssssss" I just about died laughing.

The 298th time I tell her to leave the dog alone things are ugly. I'm sick of the dog barking, growling, whining & running away & let's be real----a 10 lb dog is no match for a 38lb toddler. If I had a large dog I dont think I'd be so protective of Libby. And bless her little doggie heart---she has never bitten the Wee One. She's a great great dog & if you are considering a dog to have in a home w/ small children, miniature schnauzers are a wonderful breed. They don't shed & are very smart & easy to train & are just so sweet & adorable. But I digress.

The 298th time I say "leave the dog alone" it's akin to what the eruption of Mt Vesuvius must have been like. Of course this usually produces tears & I feel like absolute crap for making my child cry. I shouldn't yell but, *sigh*, I do.

Today my dog Libby was driving me INSANE. I couldn't walk anywhere w/out her being underfoot. The weather was a factor as she couldn't go out for her daily "Puppy Bowl" (fetch w/ the ball on the tennis court) but a 10 lb dog is easy to trip over.

So tonight when Kate got a little short w/ the kids I admit I giggled. She IS human. I love that woman!

The Wee One's ready to go back to school after 6 days straight w/ Mommy. She had her first movie experience today! We bit the bullet & went to see The Bee Movie. It was great b/c there were only 6 people in the theater w/ us. She did great considering there was 20 minutes worth of ads & previews before the movie even started. Yes, I looked at my watch! I can deal w/ a few previews but ads for Sierra Mist, Coke, Honda etc, I can do without those. After the movie we went into the arcade area & rode the train & carousel.

So back to school tomorrow for her & back to the gym for Mommy. YAY!

3 comments:

Crazy Knitting Fool said...

Ok I am not a parent but I think parents today put way to much pressure on themselves to never get mad or yell. Of course you do not want to but if it happens just sit down with her once the situation has calmed down and explain that even mommies get upset and make mistakes. I learned that from watching Supernanny!

On a side note I love Jon & Kate Plus 8. I am amazed at the level of patience she does have. However, since we are on fertility treatments the show really freaks my hubby out!

NH Knitting Mama said...

That show makes me a nervous wreck. I made it through 10 minutes, and just having kids everywhere was crazy!

Um, sweetie - if they admit it or not, all parents yell and lose their cool. They lie if they say they don't.

lauriec said...

Kristyn~ Parents do put a lot of pressure on themselves (and I hope this doesn't sound condescending) because 1) it's YOUR child, 2) you only get one shot at raising them & 3) the thought of the Wee One sitting in her therapists office when she's 30 saying "my mother yelled at me because I supposedly dressed the dog up like Jesus. I think SHE's the one with the issues" scares the holy handgrenades out of me!

Sending you bebe vibes & not of the sextuplet variety!!


Amanda~ You know, my girlfriends admit to losing their cool. Our old playgroup used to involve a "how my child is driving me crazy & how I react" dish session. Today one of the girls from playgroup (who has since relocated to NC while her husband is at an Army school) & I dished on the "joys" of the 3 yr old child. The backtalk, the attitude, the insanity & how we're dealing with it. When I told her about the Wee One's performance over the weekend she literally sighed & said "at least I know it's not just M acting like that"

You know what the dreaded 3's are like!