Dissecting a meltdown.
It's not even 7 a.m. and Elizabeth and I have already had a raging fight. Her father just texted me to say that now she is having a meltdown in the car. How did this happen? The morning started out innocently enough. We slept well; woke up on time. But 15 minutes later... ka-blowie!
I blame Dane. He went to bed last night without a pull-up and when I woke him up this morning, he and his sheets were soaked through. Argh.
Then I walked into the bathroom and stepped on a car and about a dozen Nerf bullets. Argh.
And then Elizabeth spilled milk on the table. Argh!
And then I realize there are no chairs around the table because they were used to build a tent last night and no one has started their breakfast and it's already 6:30 and we're going to be late for school... again. Arrrrgggghhhh!
So when Elizabeth refused to eat breakfast because a bug bite was bothering her, I gave her the countdown. "Take a bite of your breakfast. Now! 1.... 2...."
"Fine!" She grabs a segment of her orange and tears off a bite and throws down the orange.
"Thank you," I say and leave the table to load lunches into backpacks.
When I returned five minutes later, Elizabeth still had not eaten.
Commence nagging mother: "We do not have time for this, Elizabeth. This attitude is not acceptable. Go brush your teeth!" Blah, blah, blah. Nag, nag, nag...
Before I know it, I'm at the door sending a dour, grumpy Elizabeth off to school.
"I love you guys," I say as they pile into the elevator with their dad.
No response.
"Ahem, I love you!"
"Love you, mom," the boys chorus.
"Elizabeth?"
"Love you," she shoots back as the elevator doors close.
Exit nagging mother; enter guilty mother: I am the worst mother. I should be the grown up in this relationship. All she wanted was a little mothering. Why didn't I just put medicine on the bug bite?
So that's it. That's how it happened. What have we learned from this? Nothing. Maybe I've learned that I should start my day with wine instead of coffee. But really, I've learned nothing. I'm just like every other mom through the history of time. And like every other mom, I can only hope that when my children are grown, they have more good to remember than bad.
I blame Dane. He went to bed last night without a pull-up and when I woke him up this morning, he and his sheets were soaked through. Argh.
Then I walked into the bathroom and stepped on a car and about a dozen Nerf bullets. Argh.
And then Elizabeth spilled milk on the table. Argh!
And then I realize there are no chairs around the table because they were used to build a tent last night and no one has started their breakfast and it's already 6:30 and we're going to be late for school... again. Arrrrgggghhhh!
So when Elizabeth refused to eat breakfast because a bug bite was bothering her, I gave her the countdown. "Take a bite of your breakfast. Now! 1.... 2...."
"Fine!" She grabs a segment of her orange and tears off a bite and throws down the orange.
"Thank you," I say and leave the table to load lunches into backpacks.
When I returned five minutes later, Elizabeth still had not eaten.
Commence nagging mother: "We do not have time for this, Elizabeth. This attitude is not acceptable. Go brush your teeth!" Blah, blah, blah. Nag, nag, nag...
Before I know it, I'm at the door sending a dour, grumpy Elizabeth off to school.
"I love you guys," I say as they pile into the elevator with their dad.
No response.
"Ahem, I love you!"
"Love you, mom," the boys chorus.
"Elizabeth?"
"Love you," she shoots back as the elevator doors close.
Exit nagging mother; enter guilty mother: I am the worst mother. I should be the grown up in this relationship. All she wanted was a little mothering. Why didn't I just put medicine on the bug bite?
So that's it. That's how it happened. What have we learned from this? Nothing. Maybe I've learned that I should start my day with wine instead of coffee. But really, I've learned nothing. I'm just like every other mom through the history of time. And like every other mom, I can only hope that when my children are grown, they have more good to remember than bad.
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