You see, I signed up to watch two little boys, in addition to my own little boy. That makes a total of THREE little boys ranging in age from 20 months to almost 4 years old.
Moms of many, how do you do it? HOW DO YOU DO IT?
I naively assumed It Would Be Easy. Jack would have people to play with. It's only six hours a day.
Oh boy. My dream of kids playing happily together was shattered only minutes into my first day with the three boys. Phrases like 'Stop It!' 'I had it first' 'He hit me!' 'Wahhhhhh!!!!' soon filled the air. And they haven't stopped. Sure, we have our moments of giggles and tag and fun in the sun, but the whining and crying seem to have taken over.
Before I started this summer job I had all sorts of ideas to keep the kids busy; planting pumpkins, catching bugs, playing at the park, running through the sprinkler... you know, fun things like that. But guess what - each one of those activities lasts *maybe* thirty minutes. And then there are three hundred and thirty minutes left in your day. When you are counting down the minutes till mom picks them up, that is a lot of minutes.
The best days are those when the stars are in alignment or maybe the house is feng shui'd properly and two of the three boys take naps. Ahh, nap time. But those moments have been far and few between. The youngest is easy; Thomas the Train knocks him out cold within minutes. My boy has been tougher. He is a Sleep Fighter and has been since the day he was born. He only naps a few times a week these days. And the oldest is past nap time. Speaking of nap time, I am enjoying a peaceful house right now. The younger two are down and the oldest is playing quietly; happy to be able to drive trucks around without toddlers getting in the way.
This is my last day watching them. I admit defeat. Originally I was supposed to watch them till September. But I couldn't take it. I felt so guilty and lame as I called my friend and told her that I wanted to quit. The last eight weeks have been a long lesson for Nina in patience. It's hard enough to raise my own child, much less someone else's kids. I was even more aware of my parenting with the kids that weren't mine; everything I do or say is leaving impressions on their young, spongy little brains. And I just didn't want that kind of pressure. To those of you that work in child care; you are AMAZING and I have no idea how you stay sane.
I have always said that I wanted a litter of kids; probably four. And then Jack came, new mommyhood kicked me in the butt and I decided that maybe two would be a better fit.
But now, now I wonder if maybe Jack should be an only child. Because believe me, there have been a few days this last two months where I was ready to scrape my uterus out with a spoon. And Hell, I ain't gettin' any younger.
Aww, I don't really mean that. I still want Jack to have a brother or sister, if that is what The Man Upstairs has in store for us. And people say it's different if you're managing your own kids. I sure as heck hope so. Because like I said before, Mom's of Lots of Kids.... HOW DO YOU DO IT!?!!
PS, I think it's only fitting to link up this post anywhere with the title THIRSTY THURSDAY. Before I started this summer job I had all sorts of ideas to keep the kids busy; planting pumpkins, catching bugs, playing at the park, running through the sprinkler... you know, fun things like that. But guess what - each one of those activities lasts *maybe* thirty minutes. And then there are three hundred and thirty minutes left in your day. When you are counting down the minutes till mom picks them up, that is a lot of minutes.
The best days are those when the stars are in alignment or maybe the house is feng shui'd properly and two of the three boys take naps. Ahh, nap time. But those moments have been far and few between. The youngest is easy; Thomas the Train knocks him out cold within minutes. My boy has been tougher. He is a Sleep Fighter and has been since the day he was born. He only naps a few times a week these days. And the oldest is past nap time. Speaking of nap time, I am enjoying a peaceful house right now. The younger two are down and the oldest is playing quietly; happy to be able to drive trucks around without toddlers getting in the way.
This is my last day watching them. I admit defeat. Originally I was supposed to watch them till September. But I couldn't take it. I felt so guilty and lame as I called my friend and told her that I wanted to quit. The last eight weeks have been a long lesson for Nina in patience. It's hard enough to raise my own child, much less someone else's kids. I was even more aware of my parenting with the kids that weren't mine; everything I do or say is leaving impressions on their young, spongy little brains. And I just didn't want that kind of pressure. To those of you that work in child care; you are AMAZING and I have no idea how you stay sane.
I have always said that I wanted a litter of kids; probably four. And then Jack came, new mommyhood kicked me in the butt and I decided that maybe two would be a better fit.
But now, now I wonder if maybe Jack should be an only child. Because believe me, there have been a few days this last two months where I was ready to scrape my uterus out with a spoon. And Hell, I ain't gettin' any younger.
Aww, I don't really mean that. I still want Jack to have a brother or sister, if that is what The Man Upstairs has in store for us. And people say it's different if you're managing your own kids. I sure as heck hope so. Because like I said before, Mom's of Lots of Kids.... HOW DO YOU DO IT!?!!
hehehe
