Stressed out kids

This week has been very stressful. I got nothing done as far as housework, and we are practically living in filth. But Monday through Wednesday we we in the car almost all day. The first day was supposed to be a day of fun, it just turned out to be two very long car drives with a  lot of waiting in the car while my husband bought some stuff for work. He didn't have fun either. The sales people just took forever to wait on him.

The next day we had a valentines party in the morning, then shopping immediately afterward. My number 2 pulled a shopping cart down on top of herself and bruised her arm pretty well. We followed that horrific trip with a trip to the grocery store. A few hours later we went to my grandpa's wake and got stuck in traffic. We were in the car for 3 hours, just on the way to the wake, making us two hours late.

Then on Wednesday was my grandpa's funeral. We had a beautiful mass and burial. At the luncheon following, my children had so much fun playing with their cousins. Too much fun, they ran around and around laughing and having fun until number 1 and number 2 threw up. The people at the banquet hall were really nice about it, and at least it happened on the dance floor and not on the carpet.

Then we went home. We decided that now was the time to relax for the first time in days, when we were welcomed by a call that my husband's grandmother had passed out, and was now fine, in the hospital having tests done. As far as we know she is ok. They are still unsure as to why she fainted.

I was expecting the get the week on track today. When I woke up I was so tired. So I didn't start my morning routine and my number 2 was complaining about feeling cold and achy. She didn't have a fever. She ate breakfast. After a little while it occurred to me that my kids might be just as spent as I was. Sometimes I forget that children have a breaking point too. They are very resilient and usually a good night's sleep fixes all the woes of yesterday, but I think this time they needed another day to release. So I decided, maybe for my own benefit as well, that today was going to be minimal. I made play dough, which was a stressful activity in an of itself, and then set the kids to play with it. They have been quietly playing for an hour and a half.

Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to get back on track. But today was a minimal day and I think it's better that way.

One of Those Days

Last week I took my kids to the store. We had a wonderful time. We got treats, and when we got home, my five year old put away the groceries. It was a lovely day that fueled the pride I have in my children.

The next day we needed to go back to the store. When I say needed, it means we didn't have a choice. While we were at this other store, my lovely children were not lovely at all. There was running and lolly gagging and back talking and disobeying. It was horrible. I'm sure LZ Granderson would have a had a few words for me.

I did throw a little tantrum on facebook about his article. The tantrum devolved into a pitty feast, and it was just not good...


That aside, my point is my children, and most other people's, don't behave their best all the time. They don't because they have very little self control. It is my job as a parent to teach them self control, I accept that task and embrace it. I don't need some nosy jerk, who spends .01% of his time around children telling me how to properly restrain my children.

Vocations require sacrifice. And what's more if you didn't sacrifice for your vocation, you wouldn't value it. Occasionally, I worry that I scare people away from motherhood by showing them the unpleasant side of it. I don't mean to scare them. I mean to prepare them. The unpleasantness is was makes the little joys so joyful!

There is a story called a The Week of Sundays . A long time ago people didn't do any work on Sundays and it was a day of feasting, rest and family time. This man wished for a week of Sundays. As there was no work being done, there was no food, and resting gets boring after a couple days. At the end of the story the man exclaims, "The only days of rest I want are the ones I've worked six days to earn."

The harder the work the greater the benefits, with your children, with your soul. Suffering is redemptive. So I say, having children is hard. The more you have the harder it gets, but the suffering and the hard work that goes into them, reaps so many wonderful rewards: love, companionship, pride, joy, and laughter to name a few. They are well worth the suffering.