Parenting While Sick and "Tired to 100"
Parenting while sick is no joke. My kids are pretty aware of how monstrous I can become at the end of a long day on my feet. Add to that my headache, congestion, and runny nose (We're on day four now!) and my patience for disobedience and dawdling at bedtime is stretched as thin as a thread.
When my three-year-old pushed away her carrot, even though that's the vegetable she requested ("Mom, can you put carrots on my plate for dinner?), I told her she needed to take a bite and then she could be done.
"Why are you not a good mom?" my five-year-old asked in response. I was stunned at her comment. "Do you even realize what you're saying?" I asked her. Clearly she didn't. She was probably trying to say something like, "Why are you being so strict?" or even, "Why are you being so mean?" Either of those wouldn't have stung so much. "I am a good mom," I replied, coming to my defense. "I feed my kids a healthy dinner and make sure they get the nutrients they need to grow." Conversation over--or so I thought.
Her comment is still ringing in my ears. Why? It just hurts when I try so hard to parent wisely and am exhausted from blowing my nose through dozens of Kleenex today and feel like my efforts aren't even appreciated. On a healthy day, I'm better at letting those comments roll off my back. Today is a different story, and tears stung my throat as I cleaned up the kitchen, replaying it all in my mind.
When my son persisted on humming and making an obnoxious honking sound so we couldn't hear Dad reading baby her bedtime book, I gave him a choice: stop or go to his bedroom. He chose to continue so I came close and loudly whispered, "That's enough." At that point he was obviously trying to push my buttons because he continued to hijack reading time. I have no tolerance--and at 7:30 p.m. especially no patience--for blatant disobedience, so I physically dragged him out of the living room. My five-year-old daughter followed, apparently concerned for my son, but also curious to see what I would do. I gave him a stern talking-to about how his disobedience was unacceptable and announced: "This day needs to be done! I'm so tired. Let's just go to bed."
"Why are you not a good mom?" she asked again.
I let Sandra Boynton's lines from The Going to Bed Book roll off my tongue so I wouldn't say anything I'd later regret. "The day is done. They say goodnight. And somebody turns off the light." As I tucked the kids in, I apologized for raising my voice and getting so worked up. "Are you tired to 100?" my five-year-old daughter asked. "Yes, yes I am. Goodnight."
When my three-year-old pushed away her carrot, even though that's the vegetable she requested ("Mom, can you put carrots on my plate for dinner?), I told her she needed to take a bite and then she could be done.
"Why are you not a good mom?" my five-year-old asked in response. I was stunned at her comment. "Do you even realize what you're saying?" I asked her. Clearly she didn't. She was probably trying to say something like, "Why are you being so strict?" or even, "Why are you being so mean?" Either of those wouldn't have stung so much. "I am a good mom," I replied, coming to my defense. "I feed my kids a healthy dinner and make sure they get the nutrients they need to grow." Conversation over--or so I thought.
Her comment is still ringing in my ears. Why? It just hurts when I try so hard to parent wisely and am exhausted from blowing my nose through dozens of Kleenex today and feel like my efforts aren't even appreciated. On a healthy day, I'm better at letting those comments roll off my back. Today is a different story, and tears stung my throat as I cleaned up the kitchen, replaying it all in my mind.
When my son persisted on humming and making an obnoxious honking sound so we couldn't hear Dad reading baby her bedtime book, I gave him a choice: stop or go to his bedroom. He chose to continue so I came close and loudly whispered, "That's enough." At that point he was obviously trying to push my buttons because he continued to hijack reading time. I have no tolerance--and at 7:30 p.m. especially no patience--for blatant disobedience, so I physically dragged him out of the living room. My five-year-old daughter followed, apparently concerned for my son, but also curious to see what I would do. I gave him a stern talking-to about how his disobedience was unacceptable and announced: "This day needs to be done! I'm so tired. Let's just go to bed."
"Why are you not a good mom?" she asked again.
I let Sandra Boynton's lines from The Going to Bed Book roll off my tongue so I wouldn't say anything I'd later regret. "The day is done. They say goodnight. And somebody turns off the light." As I tucked the kids in, I apologized for raising my voice and getting so worked up. "Are you tired to 100?" my five-year-old daughter asked. "Yes, yes I am. Goodnight."
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