Skip to main content

I Take it All Back


Let me tell you a little story about what happens when you gloat or become prideful about a thing.  You get twins.  (I love them.)  They have made me reevaluate everything about my early parenting years.  I used to think I had some skills.  It turns out we just had dumb luck.  

I was the newbie mom looking down at other parents with older kids who didn't sleep through the night.  They obviously didn't sleep train.  I looked down my nose at their struggle instead of being compassionate.  Our boys were early risers, but they slept at night.  Enter the twins.  I can count on my hands the number of times we have slept through the night in the last three years.  

Question: How do you teach a three year old to pull up her own covers?!  

There was also potty training.  Obviously those parents are just pushing it on a kid who isn't ready.; or they must not be consistent.  Our boys were ridiculously easy to potty train, and it was definitely our superior parenting skills.  

Then we got our girls, and it became clear I have no parenting skills.  

This week we were working outside in the garden, and Carter screeched.  I looked up to see her standing stock still.  She was wet.  "Did you pee your pants?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Why didn't you go inside and use the toilet?  You're supposed to pee on the toilet." 

She deadpanned, "I missed."

Thanks.  I see that.  

So, we are still working on that skill at the three year mark.  

We also have the sass factor.  I'd never let a kid talk to me like that.  I don't allow it to go unpunished, but that's happening too.  Of course it is.

I walked in the girl's room today during naps.  They were out of bed playing.  I firmly told them to get back in bed.  To which Carter firmly responded, "Mom, stop talkin'!"

What?!

Who do these people think they are?  And help!  Somebody! I need all the parenting resources right now!  I don't know what happened between the boys and the girls, but I went from Rock Star to Rock Bottom.  And I sincerely apologize to all the people back when we just had boys.  I know nothing.    

Comments

  1. Oh my gosh Finn recently told me also “mom just stop talking okay? “ what?! 😆

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tough Love

 We were on our way home from a birthday party not long ago, and Fischer began complaining from the backseat that one of the kids had tripped him and laughed about it.   Ross looked at him in the rearview mirror and responded, "Life's hard, Buddy.  You're going to have to toughen up."  To which his brother responded, "Yeah.  You have no idea.  Just wait until you're eight."  At that, they both sat back in their booster seats and contemplated their life situation for the remainder of the drive home.    Evidently, life is smooth sailing in those early single digits, but once you reach the ripe old age of, "I can mostly tie my own shoes and reach the kitchen faucet," it's all hard knocks and rough living.   I know this must be true because Sawyer also told his aunt the other day, "It's time to get on it and get myself a car.  I'm going to get a Cord Tacoma."  I think what he wanted to say, but didn't have the words  was,

All I Want For Christmas...

  Christmas time is such a fun season.  I love focusing on the birth of Jesus with the kids and recognizing the true reason for celebrating.  I also relish the magical part of the season that gives so much life to our kids' imaginations and innocents.  They are always precious, but I feel it even more so this time of year.   Even our oldest hasn't completely given up on Santa, although he has a lot more questions having been around classmates and friends who coolly deny the existence of Santa or Christmas magic.  We know it can't last forever, but I'm going to milk it for at least one more season.  He is still more or less on board.  I think he wants it to be real, so he doesn't dig too deep.  Consequently, he and his siblings were all excited for a trip to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus last weekend.  I was excited too.  I love their reactions, and last year Carter was too sick to go, so this was her first opportunity to meet Santa face to face.   The trip didn't di

Christmas Miracle

 For better or worse, I don't have a lot of pride.  I used to have some, but after the third and fourth child, what little I had vanished.  I'd like to be put together.  I would like my kids to be put together.  I have come to terms with the fact that, 99% of the time, that's not going to happen.  When we leave the house, I consider it a win if everybody has on an appropriate amount of clothing and two shoes that match.   The first time we visited the orthodontist in preparation for Sawyer's braces, I showed up with four kids in dirty play clothes and one child with mismatched shoes.  It just so happens that the orthodontist's wife is the mom of some of my former students, and she was working that day.  Luckily, I also hadn't brushed anyone's hair before we left the house, so we made quite an impression.  I've been trying to raise the bar ever since, but I seem to keep failing.  The next appointment we came straight from the barn and smelled like it, but