where wildly different is perfectly normal
My sons are conspiring to drive me insane
My sons are conspiring to drive me insane

My sons are conspiring to drive me insane

It’s funny I caught this article this morning. Does having kids make you happy? Before reading it, I was actually thinking to myself, “I wanted to have kids why again?” I do have my moments (um, lots of them actually) when I envy dinks: Double Income No Kids. Those moments usually hit when I’m at my most overwhelmed and overstressed, so I don’t sweat it much. And reading this article today helped. At least I’m not alone in feeling this way.

I also had to be “mean mommy” this evening. I had to follow through on a consequence that I’m sure the boys didn’t think I would. There were tears, there was screaming, there was much rending of garments (not really) and then…then it just stopped. They “got it” (I hope). This is the sucky part of parenting. The fun part of parenting is the hugs and the kisses and just the joy of having little boys. It just often seems that the sucky part of parenting is non-stop and the fun part just comes and goes.

Even a trip to the park yesterday…

squeeeeeeeel…..

We interrupt this wee story with a bit of a rant. Where the hell are all the kids? We live in a very family oriented neighborhood, lots of kids. Can’t wait to meet them and their families this fall when school starts up again. But where are they? I took the boys to the park yesterday and holy heck, was it empty. You could have shot a cannon down the street and not even hit a prairie dog (and I would have cheered if it had). We were about to leave when another mom desperate for an hour of “exhaust the kids before dinner” showed up. Where were all the kids? Carted off to soccer camp? Splashing in the community pool? Abducted by aliens? My bet is either #1, #2, or sprawled out in front of the tv or computer. Sigh…

Now back to the story in progress…

Even a trip to the park yesterday was a trial. The boys were playing great in the basement, we went to the park for some outside “run around and be crazy” time, and immediately my sons’ alter egos (Bully Boy and his younger brother, Victim Child) showed up to play. Sigh…so much for a fun time at the park.

So my sons are wonderful, sweet children…who are trying to drive me just crazy enough to let them get away with murder and not care. They’re almost there.

5 Comments

  1. I took my boys and a neighbor to the park last week one day. WE WERE THE ONLY ONES THERE FOR MOST OF THE TIME. This is a park SURROUNDED by a neighborhood, not a destination park. It was tragic. However, most of the houses surrounding this park have their own playsets. I would SO NOT HAVE my own playset if my backyard was a park. That’s just me, though.

    KEEP BELIEVING

  2. Parks here are empty all day long in the summer, it’s just too darn hot. They do start filling up at about 5:30 or so though. We’re in an urban neighborhood, so our playgrounds are still major centers of neighborhood life. It’s nice. (And a lot easier on the moms when your kids have a bunch of friends to play with. Our worst trips have been when the park was empty and Itai sulked the whole time over not having anyone to play with.)

  3. I lay down and night and realize that I have no idea what my job really is – as a mom. Did I honestly bring these kiddos into my family just so that I could “outlast” them until they grew up? Am I supposed to be “training” them to be better people? I mostly did it so that I wouldn’t have to go back to work – ha! What the hell is wrong with me?

    I’m kidding, you believe me right?

  4. The kids in our neighborhood are untraceable too – even the teenagers. I can’t figure out where the heck they’ve hidden themselves, but find it very odd that the neighborhood is so quiet in the summer during the day.
    I’m thinking a lot of camps, a lot of daycare, and a lot of television and video games.

Whaddya think?

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