At 6:30 a.m. Boy Dinosaur, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed, comes traipsing in, "Morning Mommy!". "Mornin' Sweetie" I manage, still fuzzy headed from being wrenched out of dreamland. I start mentally calculating a way to snag just a few more minutes of sleep then chastising myself for not going to bed earlier. I hear him greet the dogs and their toenails tap dance across the hardwood as they scurry away from gleeful fingers.
Cold doggy noses begin to prod me out of my warm cocoon. Everyone has to use the bathroom. Quickly I dart across the cold floor to the bathroom and forget to close the door, so now Great Dane is panting excitedly next to me at eye level and Shepard is pacing nervously in and out. Boy Dinosaur races in just behind the dogs, "Mommy I have to go pee pee!" He shrieks clutching his pants and I know that if I don't get out of the way immediately he'll wet his pants and all hell will break loose. I get off the pot as quickly as humanly possible and try to shoo the dogs.
A baby cries.
The morning routine begins.
I make breakfast and set out a few toys to distract them while I race to find clothes to wear- determined to find something other than sweatpants for once this month! It's too quiet and I stumble back to find the refrigerator raided and both Boy Dinosaur and Baby Girl sipping smoothie drinks (thank God that's all they had) next to a chair shoved in front of the open fridge. Boy Dinosaur looks at me smiling behind the bottle, eyes twinkling, waiting to see my reaction.
"Mindful Parenting", I repeat it like a mantra. I explain the refrigerator rules to them. I can tell we are in full boundary testing mode and happy to have a sibling cohort. I have to be firm and clear and consistent...
The battle of wits begins to get both children's shoes and jackets on. I try everything mindful I can think of and somehow they are now wearing less.
I threaten to stay home to moderate success.
"One..., Two...., Three...." the magical count down always before has reined them back in. "Four, Five, Six", Boy Dinosaur mimics back perfectly.
Do I really sound like that?
Herding them to the car I resolve to stay home if the same shenanigans continue next time. No more empty threats! Wait, why would I keep them home? Why would I use that as a threat? What if he wants to stay home and is acting out so that I don't make him go?
Why do I over analyze EVERYTHING!
Do other mother's feel like they repel their children?
Am I in some magnetic dipole moment of parenthood?
Do we have to wait until after they leave for college for the Barnett effect to take place?
Cold doggy noses begin to prod me out of my warm cocoon. Everyone has to use the bathroom. Quickly I dart across the cold floor to the bathroom and forget to close the door, so now Great Dane is panting excitedly next to me at eye level and Shepard is pacing nervously in and out. Boy Dinosaur races in just behind the dogs, "Mommy I have to go pee pee!" He shrieks clutching his pants and I know that if I don't get out of the way immediately he'll wet his pants and all hell will break loose. I get off the pot as quickly as humanly possible and try to shoo the dogs.
A baby cries.
The morning routine begins.
I make breakfast and set out a few toys to distract them while I race to find clothes to wear- determined to find something other than sweatpants for once this month! It's too quiet and I stumble back to find the refrigerator raided and both Boy Dinosaur and Baby Girl sipping smoothie drinks (thank God that's all they had) next to a chair shoved in front of the open fridge. Boy Dinosaur looks at me smiling behind the bottle, eyes twinkling, waiting to see my reaction.
"Mindful Parenting", I repeat it like a mantra. I explain the refrigerator rules to them. I can tell we are in full boundary testing mode and happy to have a sibling cohort. I have to be firm and clear and consistent...
The battle of wits begins to get both children's shoes and jackets on. I try everything mindful I can think of and somehow they are now wearing less.
I threaten to stay home to moderate success.
"One..., Two...., Three...." the magical count down always before has reined them back in. "Four, Five, Six", Boy Dinosaur mimics back perfectly.
Do I really sound like that?
Herding them to the car I resolve to stay home if the same shenanigans continue next time. No more empty threats! Wait, why would I keep them home? Why would I use that as a threat? What if he wants to stay home and is acting out so that I don't make him go?
Why do I over analyze EVERYTHING!
Do other mother's feel like they repel their children?
Am I in some magnetic dipole moment of parenthood?
Do we have to wait until after they leave for college for the Barnett effect to take place?
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