RazNoggle

That’s what I am today. Actually I have been a lot more lately than I care to admit. I know that I can’t expect perfect behavior from my little monkeys all of the time. They are still just learning how to deal with their own emotions. Flexing that sinful will of theirs and learning, by degrees, how to submit to parental authority. Still, I have been feeling SO frustrated lately because it seems like all I do is nag, and scold, and discipline, and repeat myself a million times over. It’s probably an exaggeration, because i know that they do mind me some of the times. I always try to praise them to the skies whenever they “obey right away” and that sort of thing. But those small steps seem to get overlooked in the pile of not so obedient moments that every day seems to contain.

I dream about the day when I can take care of things without them in my direct line of vision and not wonder what in the world they are destroying or making a mess of, or getting into that is off limits. This morning, I reluctantly pulled myself out of bed to make breakfast for THEM, because, of course, they were starving to death. I didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m sure my outlook wasn’t the sunniest to beggin with. While trying to at least get dressed and be able to see straight, I had one child banging on the bathroom door demanding his oatmeal while the other, I found out, had pulled my pack of gum off the counter and was quickly devouring as much of it as he could before I could get out there. Then he threw the biggest fit when I did catch him and take it away. That was NOT a good start to our day. Later, I had to punish this same angelic child for going into an open cabin door that does not belong to us. He has been told REPEATEDLY not to go over to that cabin.

Do they really not understand?? Do they really think that when you tell them no to something, it only applies to that one time? Is that the trouble? Are all toddlers this way?

I have read books, oh yes, I’m a mommy book reader. I don’t swallow or even half agree with everything I read, but I try to eat the meat and spit out the bones. Different things work for different families. Still some of them would recommend swift discipline for every infraction. I’ve thought about that, and though I try to be quick and consistent to discipline when they need it, if I did it for every “uh-uh” and whine or “I don’t want to” and out right “No!” then it’s all I would be doing ALL day! Ugh! I don’t know about that, but I do know that we need to come to a happier place.

I’m trying not to be overly down about it all, because I know that right now our family unit is a little out of whack. We are between home and camp, things are different, and it could very well be hard for them to remember what they can and cant do. I’m not sure how much I believe that, but we’ll go with it for now. I know that once we get home and put into practice that new ‘structure’ that I told y’all about, things will get better. But it is difficult for me to wait for that. Honestly I have not been enjoying my lads very much recently. Sounds horrible, I know, but it’s the truth. I love them just as much as ever, but no, I’m not enjoying them. I have to be so severe to get an appropriate response out of them, and I have to constantly have them in my sight because they just will not behave otherwise. Add to that the stress of having them around a BUNCH of other people as well. I don’t believe you should raise your kids or discipline your kids because of what other people think of them or you, but I do know that you still need to think of others and teach your kids to think of others as well. We don’t just let our boys be hoodlums when we’re in public and think, “oh everyone else will just have to get over it.” At the same time, we realize that they ARE children and will act childish, and no, that’s not something they deserve to be disciplined for simply because someone eles may not like it. BUT when your kids aren’t responding to your words, or outright ignoring you, it adds a level of stress in public that just gets very very old! Yep!

So today’s nap time couldn’t have come sooner. This grumpy mommy needs some time to just “chill out” as I like to tell Qade. I need to make sure that I am disciplining them because I want to train their characters, and not because I’m ticked off. But I will say, I’ll be happy to be back home and out of our little cabin, and into a routine. And we may indeed have several days where Mommy has to just be the “police” and correct every little thing, but once we’re past that, I think that life will be a little smoother, and this grumpy mom can go back to being a happy mom and have a good time with my boys!

Hope so…