Well, after my big post about mothering with gentleness, I was really working at it and thought I was doing pretty good the past few days with the child I struggle the most with. But wouldn't you know, all kinds of scenarios have come up to test me to the limits! Plugging the toliet and overflowing it with too much toliet paper, spilling all kinds of water all over, food messes, etc.
My usually happy little guy has been a whiner and fusser and wants to be held ALL the time! He cried for half of the church service in the nursery just because he thought that I was going to leave him, even though I kept telling him that it was my week to work the nursery! He was fussy at the church Easter dinner. He is fussy sometimes at home when he has no reason to be. I'm not sure if he's teething but whatever it is, it's ANNOYING! Then my friends had a little get-together for me at McDonalds to celebrate my birthday (thanks gals!) and my daughter was being a pest and hitting other kids; kids we don't even know as well as my friend's kids. Embarrassing, but typical! Can I go crawl in a hole and come out when my kid is in elementary school? Then, when we got home my little boy was due for a bath, having smeared himself and me with my birthday cake, and I undressed him and was preparing to give my daughter her additional punishment for being naughty at McDonald's and she was screaming, he was screaming because he was scared and he began running around naked, peeing all over the carpet and the doll on the living room floor! Ahhhhgh! I threw him in his little bathtub and tried to finish up with my daughter but he was screaming like he was being tortured and kept climbing out of the shower (we don't have a big tub) and slipping and falling out of the shower and smacking his head and trying to crawl across a wet floor while slipping and sliding and screaming! I could not for the life of me understand it as he LOVES baths and jumps to take one! So here I am with a kid playing slip-n-slide in the bathroom, getting all banged up from slipping and falling, another kid screaming bloody murder and all the while trying to scrub pee up from the living room all at the same time and live through all of the insanity! I was definitely more drill sergeant-like than gentle during this whole time! I finally got them calmed down and to bed and was so weary I wanted to sit down and cry. I'm just so glad that my in-laws bought me a parenting book I'd been wanting for my birthday. I think I'll go read it right now!
....To be continued......
4 comments:
Hugs, hugs, hugs. I know days like that all too well. Try to take some moments for yourself (I hide in the bathroom with chocolate). On days like that, I use a cartoon or two so that I can get stuff done knowing they aren't trying to kill each other or wreck the house. And hopefully, in a day or two, it will pass!
I know how you feel all to well, I have three strong willed, energetic, boys they run me ragged half the time. If your book gives any suggestions on gentle mothering please post them, I would really like to know.
I would venture to guess that your kiddos had excess sugar on Sunday ~ my little guys were SO intolerable Monday, too. It's always that way after a 'candy holiday'! I wish I had the gumption to just say, "NO" to the candy, but it's kinda hard when it's from Granny & all the cousins eat theirs.......
We've had discussions on how sugar isn't good for you (even though it sure does taste good!) and how it fights your body.... yesterday, my 4-yr old asked for a glass of water to 'help fight the sugar' - then a few minutes later said, "I think the candy won." Poor sweeties!
I've always wanted to read Clay Trumball's book - but for some reason or another have never bought it.... please let us know what you think of it (in more detail) when you've read it all.
hang in there!
Oh my goodness, am I ever sorry you had a day like that. I've been there and can totally feel your pain.
The slipping and sliding reminded me of a night that Kayley was especially crabby and I was getting her ready for a bath and she peed on the floor, then proceeded to keep slipping in it and screaming. And of course she didn't like her bath either after that.
When I have days like the one you just had, it makes me really start to panic as I think, "How in the WORLD am I going to handle one more????? Ahhhhhh!" Lord, help us!
Thanks for the blog about mothering with gentleness -- I feel that I really need to work on that as my patience has really been wearing thin these days!
When we're old soccer moms and are done with the baby and toddler stages, we can look back on these days and be glad they are OVER! :)
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