Little One and I have a game we play every night before bed. I say 'I love you more than ... peanut butter and jelly!' and he responds 'I love you more than ... ICE CREAM!' and we go back and forth, back and forth. Today, however, was a terrible no good very bad day and I did not feel like playing that game before bed! Little One pushed every boundary and button possible ... and he knew it. I contemplated hiding in the corner and just surrendering to these crazy little ones until their Dad got home. It's amazing how they know exactly what will drive us crazy!
You would think, 'It's just a baby and a three years old, how difficult can that be? Just play with cars and trucks and let them jump on you, right?' WRONG! First they just get silly. That I can handle, but that is how they wear you down. They push the limits with the silliness and soon I am saying 'Don't take that from your brother! Stop taking your clothes off! No you cannot jump on the furniture!' This is where the frustration begins to build. Then the next thing I know laundry piles are towers being knocked over, toys are flying in the air, Little One is catapulting himself from one couch to the other, and Little Two is sitting in the midst of the chaos laughing so hard I am sure he is mocking me. At this point I am no longer laughing at the silliness ... I am wanting to glue Little One's bum on a chair so he can't move and I can recover some sort of authority in this Lord of the Flies moment!
But what actually happens bothers me. My little ones have succeeded in pushing my buttons to the point where I get angry. I am tired of saying no. I am tired of pulling Little Two off the bookshelf or away from the TV. I am tired of putting the couch back together and tripping over toys, but more importantly, I hate that in losing my patience I want out of my home today, and to skip my precious game with Little One at bedtime. In my frustration (and lack of patience) I valued neat and orderly over my little ones. I lost sight of the humor that is a three year old running around in nothing but their CARS underwear with a pink penguin in their mouth, a 9 month old's mischievous smile, and the brotherly bonding taking place during the chaos. While I did not thoroughly enjoy this day my two little ones most definitely did, and because of my little getaway this afternoon (thank you husband!) I can tell Little One that I love him more than peanut butter and jelly in the morning ...
How sweet and honest Laurie, I'm sure you're not alone and this and the fact you even recognize it speaks volumes. What kind of jelly? ;)
ReplyDeletewhatever kind i make, either a berry blend or raspberry :)
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ReplyDeleteLaurie, I absolutely loved hearing about the game that you play with your darlings. And every mom needs a break sometimes (whether that break is just 5 minutes or 5 days of vacation) - Little One will not remember the times he and Little Two drove you to the point of exasperation, but he WILL remember that you love him more than peanut butter and jelly, no matter what :)
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