Tonight we left a very very fun Family Reunion Extravaganza in Park City. Everyone had a great time, we played, we laughed, we swam. Some babies napped. Some 5 year olds did not. Which leads me to our departure, which is still very fresh in my mind, as I have only been home for 20 minutes.
Anna wanted to play at the park one more time.
I said "No"
Anna whined and screamed and begged and tantrum-ed for 20 minutes until we drove away from the park.
We started down the canyon, Anna told me she did not have dessert.
I said, "Sorry, there was dessert at dinner, you should have had some"
Anna whined and *screamed* and begged and tantrum-ed for AN HOUR.
Until we got out of the canyon, then the baby sitting next to her started up, because, fancy this - he couldn't sleep because someone had been screaming right next to him!
And what did this 5 year old do? Did she offer him his bottle? Did she try to distract him or play with him? No, she sat straight up in her chair and covered her ears. My favorite was when she said "It would be easier to drive if he wasn't SCREAMING"
At this point I was speeding home, mostly on the chance that I would get pulled over and maybe talk the friendly police officer into taking me in to the station for the night. He probably would have when he heard the chaos I was immersed in.
At the reunion I heard my cousin Steve talking about how his wife went out of town and he had all 5 of his kids. He talked about how just relentless it is to stay home, there is ALWAYS someone that is hungry and there is ALWAYS some mess to clean up and there is ALWAYS someone with bathroom issues he was even getting up in the night with the baby. Eventually he said he wanted to just curl up in the fetal position and hope that it would all disappear. I laughed when I heard this, not because it was funny, but because it's so true, and it was nice to hear it acknowledged for once. I kind of can't believe that everyone doesn't know how very hard it is and how it just never stops.
So we finally got home and into bed an hour and half after bed time, so I definitely recognize that all this was a product of over-tiredness. My point is not that I have terrible children. My point is this: Why don't my terrible children just go to sleep when they are tired? Why must they fight it?
Anna wanted to play at the park one more time.
I said "No"
Anna whined and screamed and begged and tantrum-ed for 20 minutes until we drove away from the park.
We started down the canyon, Anna told me she did not have dessert.
I said, "Sorry, there was dessert at dinner, you should have had some"
Anna whined and *screamed* and begged and tantrum-ed for AN HOUR.
Until we got out of the canyon, then the baby sitting next to her started up, because, fancy this - he couldn't sleep because someone had been screaming right next to him!
And what did this 5 year old do? Did she offer him his bottle? Did she try to distract him or play with him? No, she sat straight up in her chair and covered her ears. My favorite was when she said "It would be easier to drive if he wasn't SCREAMING"
At this point I was speeding home, mostly on the chance that I would get pulled over and maybe talk the friendly police officer into taking me in to the station for the night. He probably would have when he heard the chaos I was immersed in.
At the reunion I heard my cousin Steve talking about how his wife went out of town and he had all 5 of his kids. He talked about how just relentless it is to stay home, there is ALWAYS someone that is hungry and there is ALWAYS some mess to clean up and there is ALWAYS someone with bathroom issues he was even getting up in the night with the baby. Eventually he said he wanted to just curl up in the fetal position and hope that it would all disappear. I laughed when I heard this, not because it was funny, but because it's so true, and it was nice to hear it acknowledged for once. I kind of can't believe that everyone doesn't know how very hard it is and how it just never stops.
So we finally got home and into bed an hour and half after bed time, so I definitely recognize that all this was a product of over-tiredness. My point is not that I have terrible children. My point is this: Why don't my terrible children just go to sleep when they are tired? Why must they fight it?
5 comments:
YES! Why does tired=tantrum instead of tired=sleep? A 5:45 AM awakening for Sadie yesterday meant multiple nonsensical tantrums, which of course, lead to a later-than-normal bedtime because of one of the tantrums.
It is relentless. And if you have a bad day, everyone immediately has one too. Which doesn't make your day improve.
Believe it or not, I actually solved this problem while on the airplane today. It's going to revolutionize parenting of young kids.
Thanks for the reminder that my life sans kids is pretty good sometimes. Except I'm the one who fights sleep at rational times.
It doesn't stop!!!!!!
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