I overparent.
I know I have a tendency to be a helicopter mom. One of those moms who hovers over their kids making sure everyone is doing everything to help them have their best life. (Hey, I’m sorry, I watch too much Oprah.)
But today, I hit my limit.
Cuz all I do is tell my kids what to do. And all they do is ignore me. So I talk some more. And get ignored some more. Then I get pissed that they aren’t listening to me. Instead of just shutting up.
So this morning I got the message loud and clear:
We aren’t going to listen to you.
We aren’t going to find our library books.
We aren’t going to remember our lunch.
We aren’t going to turn in the library books that we did find, cuz we don’t really give a shit about the fines, even if you make us pay them. (Hey, it’s not like we sacrifice food and shelter to pay that fine.)
We are going to put our clean clothes in the hamper, cuz it is easier than opening two drawers and putting them away.
Okay Kids – Thanks for speaking so loud with your actions. I’ve got it.
Let me be clear:
I am not hosting that pool party that we’d talked about with that lovely family with the three kids, so you both have playmates for the night.
Which is great, cuz now I don’t have to pick up the house or make pigs in a blanket.
Oh, and Goodie – I don’t have to swiffer up the spilled juice off the floor the next morning.
I am not calling the hair salon to get you an appointment to get a haircut before school starts.
I am not meeting with the principal about how to make your transition to Middle School better. Work it out on your own.
And you know what? I just might forget to pick you up this afternoon. Why don’t you ask me 100 times? And I’ll ignore you 100 times. Cuz that seems to be the way the dynamic works in this family.
Okay, I will pick you up. But not at 3:00. Why don’t you just sit there in the 100 degree heat and wait a bit. See what it is like to come out of that double gate and not have Mommy standing right there, ready to give you a big hug and see how your day at went.
Cuz I hear you. This is NOT a two way street. We are NOT a team. It is all Mommy, all the time.
So God and Twitter help me! This week, you are on your own. Mommy is on strike.
Big Picture Parenting. I need a drink.
Momma Hawk Down! Good luck with the strike.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on that one.
ReplyDeleteMy Mom used to say "I changed my name!" when we got that way.
The definition of "mom" at my house is cook, maid, ATM, tutor, paper editor and chauffeur. I think that sometimes the only words worse than "mom" are "what's for dinner". I just keep telling myself this too shall pass. In the meantime, I have a refrigerator magnet - MY REAL NAME IS NOT MOMMY.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of ranting in our house: Where do you think all this comes from? Do you think it just magically appears? Do you think there is a fairy that comes in and picks up your socks? Oh wait, there's another Blog in this!!! xxx Dee Dee
ReplyDelete