parenthood a balancing act.

People have all kinds of things and advice to tell you as a parent.  What they can't do is tell you what will work for you.

Evangeline has been extremely frustrating lately.  She has never been a "carry me" kid but the last few days she has been "carry me Mommy."  I mean its extreme.  I get up to go to the bathroom and she's following behind me crying "Carry me Mommy."  Completely crazy and freaky.  At any rate my left shoulder (my carrying side) is wrecked.  It hurts to move it in any form now.  So today I decided I wasn't going to carry her.

A list of infractions are as follows (my infractions, then how she punished me, and how I punished her):

Mommy made a couple of phone calls.  Evangeline decided to drag an entire roll of toilet paper around the house.  Mommy sighed, kept her cool and made Evangeline help pick up and throw away the wasted TP.


Mommy refused to carry Evangeline to the potty.  Evangeline wet her pants as she stood there and screamed at Mommy.  Mommy sighed, kept her cool again and made Evangeline clean up her mess and put her wet things in the bathroom.

Mommy made dinner.  Evangeline didn't want dinner and expressed this by hitting Mommy.  Mommy growled and put Evangeline in time out on the stairs, until Evangeline could say she was sorry.  Mommy let Evangeline out of time out. 
Happy ending I THINK NOT!

Mommy ignores Evangeline to help Trinity study.  Evangeline doesn't like that Mommy will not come change the channel or put a movie in for her.  Evangeline throws all of the kids movies on the floor by knocking over the table they were on.  Mommy yells, makes Evangeline help pick up the movies and walks her, not carries her, to time out.  
Still not over with by a long shot!  Our time out is on the bottom stair.  Because there is nothing there to look at or see. 

Mommy finishes with Trinity and heads to the bathroom...because ahhhh, she can go by herself for the first time all day because her little tag-a-long is in time out.  Trinity comes running yelling.  Evangeline has peeled the new wall paper off parts of the wall!

WTF are you serious?  So Mommy heads for the stairs as Evangeline takes cover under the kitchen table.  The truth is before Mommy's eyes.  At the very bottom of the stairs and at the top of the stairs tons of wall paper lay in strips on the stairs themselves.

Mommy wisely resists the urge to skin her child....Evangeline comes willingly if some what cautiously out from underneath the table.  Evangeline finds herself standing on the stairs while Mommy somewhat calmly explains that what she did was very naughty, very mean and completely awful.  You can be mad at Mommy all you want but you are not to destroy the house!

Evangeline finds herself sitting in a chair in the dinning room while mommy took a time out and began writing this blog.  Suddenly Evangeline's crying hits an all time high and Mommy realizes that Grandma must be home with Piper. 

Mommy explains to Grandma what's happened and Grandma has to cover her face with her cowl to cover her laughter.

And you know what it's okay that Grandma was laughing, Mommy's mouth was twitching while she was telling Grandma what had happened all day.

Mommy hopes that this story (a cautionary tale for mother's everywhere) makes your lips twitch a little.
Because these are the things kids do. They are never always little angels and you may yell and bluster a lot at them, but if you hug and kiss and praise more they will never doubt your love.

After all we all are only human right?  Kids don't always have the tools to cope with their anger so they do things like:
Flush stuff down the toilet
Break you favorite coffee cup
Write on the walls
Push their siblings
Empty their drawers and drag clean clothes all over the house
Throw things
Kick and hit
Wipe snot on your clothes (yes I constitute that as an aggressive act)
Tear up stuff
Cut up stuff (no matter how hard your try to keep scissors out of their little hands)
Wet their pants with the intention to push your buttons

Whats funny I would rather have all those things happen in one day than deal with tantrums.


Enjoy your laugh or giggle.  Because here I am sitting and writing and smiling and loving my three babies with all my heart!