These Are Trying Times

Ever have one of those days where, when all was said and done, you just were relieved everyone survived? That was me yesterday. Actually, it's been me for the last week or so. You see, I am between jobs, and the kids have been home with me during half of the week. I toyed with the idea of keeping them in daycare full time, yet financially that was not feasible. And, I missed my kids. I wanted to be with them again, like I was before I went to work outside the home. I wanted to reconnect with them and enjoy their company. I thought it was going to be like old times again!

Yeah, right. Best laid plans and all that. Turns out, this 'return to paradise' wasn't, for either me or the kids,  because paradise doesn't actually exist. When I complained about my disappointment, my husband was quick to remind me things were never truly idyllic when I was home with the kids. Back then, we had an established routine and enjoyed our time together, true. And yet, I had conveniently forgotten (or blocked!) all the frustrating times I had too. I had dismissed that, despite the effort at getting out and hanging with other adults, staying home with kids is still isolating. Add to this the fact I had just gotten used to not missing my kids so much, and to having regular adult conversations that weren't about kids. That changed up pretty quickly too. I got whiplash. I'm sure the kids did too, which all added up to painful times.

Changing a routine is difficult on all involved. Being a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) is hard and being a WM (working mom) is hard. It's all hard, yet for different reasons. I got a good taste of this as I tried slipping between the two. I forgot how much kids depend on a routine, myself included. They're flexible, yes, and yet being shipped back and forth from one daily routine to the next has its drawbacks. I forgot how challenging my son can be, pushing all my buttons, one right after the next. And since we all know the kids save up their absolute worst behavior for dear old Mom, M1 was the heat-seeking missile to my giant, Mommy bulls eye. He's lucky to be alive, I tell ya. At one point, just to demonstrate the kind of crazy I had devolved into, I removed ALL the furniture from his room, save the bed, just to see what stunt he would pull next! I found out quickly enough; he resorted to taunting his sister through the air-return vent between their shared wall. Guess THAT nap time is over, for everyone. Lesson learned. Furniture returned.

What I'm trying to say is that these ARE trying times, financially, socially, emotionally, spiritually. The proverbial *%$@ will undoubtedly hit the fan once in a while. And, if you're like me, you're going to go a little crazy and take the proverbial furniture out of your kid's room. That's OK. You'll eventually recover your senses and hopefully no permanent damage will have been done. We still love you.

Today, cut yourself some slack, acknowledge out loud that this party occasionally sucks, and move on down the road. Tomorrow you may have a good laugh about the crazy. Or perhaps not. Whatever the case, take comfort knowing you are not alone; we're all in this together.

If you have a comment about this, or anything else you've read, I'd love to hear from you! Prove to me I'm not in this alone. And, until next time,

Happy Parenting!