Today I came home from work to a grumpy 6 year old. I'm especially tired from work this week because I was out all last week (in training in West Virginia) and have a lot to catch up on and I have a lingering cold. So the grumpiness started right when they picked me up from the metro. Oh and did I mention that the metro was backed up and delayed my commute an extra 20 minutes? From the car to our front door the grumpy behavior moved from grumpy to plan old bad. Five minutes after taking off our coats, "the incident" occurs...Leo is crying because Aidan hit him. Aidan is yelling "Leo hit me first" and I am yelling "get up to your room." Of course, if you know Aidan he doesn't like going up to his room because he is deathly afraid of being alone but what the heck?! its punishment so I make him go anyway. Finally, I can't take it anymore and tell him he must go to bed (its about 6:05) because not only can I not take it anymore, I think he's really tired. What's the clue that he's tired? He is taking a break from yelling to yawn. Now he is yelling and crying over and over again "just one more chance." I'm ready to loose it by now so Jason takes his turn at it. Leo and I eat dinner and then I go up to take the third shift with Aidan so Jason can eat his dinner. Aidan also tells me he's hungry and I can not make him go to bed without dinner. I'm not that mean, I don't think, or maybe that will come when he's older, in any case, I bring him dinner in bed. Finally, God help me, he falls asleep. He is sleeping soundly.Parenting is one of the toughest jobs. I'm a planner, direct, organized and like sequence and order and parenting rarely is any of that. If I am going to do something, I want to do it "right" and "well" and mostly parenting is "experimental". It gives you guilt and makes you feel inadequate and unaccomplished especially during these really rough days.
But even with all that, it is the best and most rewarding job I have ever had. Every day I hate to leave in the morning and every day I can't get home fast enough.
It sounds like it was one of those days.
ReplyDeleteI have them from time to time too.
Do you know why Aidan was so grumpy or was he just that tired?
I think you are right, it was just "one of those days." Honestly, I think he was just really tired and to be even more honest some days it takes every bit of me not to behave the same way at work or at home!
ReplyDelete