Typical Morning in the Life of R. & W.

Oct. 2, 2009

Okay, so I’m finally doing as my mom suggested and writing down the crazy stuff going on in my home. She says I won’t remember it when I’m older (which I find hard to believe…but here goes).

Sometimes I feel so crazy at home with my kids that I am at a loss for words to describe how I feel. Here is what went on this morning…see if you can picture it….
Robby is putting away the clean silverware which is his chore. He did it reluctantly and I had to threaten a timeout to get him going. Wes is done with breakfast and because I forgot his bib, he is covered in mashed bananas, pineapple juice and sausage grease. I strip him down to his diaper and tell R. to finish up his chore while I go dress Wesley.

I come back down to find him using his scissors to hold one piece of silverware at a time, dropping them into the drawer without concern for their final destination. I think, “very clever – he is so smart that the normal way of doing things is boring.” However, I ask him to reorganize and I take the scissors. Strangely, he doesn’t mind too much and doesn’t have a tantrum.

Wes wants to pull down the silverware drawer. Robby starts to freak out (picture frantic yelling, babbling and limb shaking). I take Wes away until R. finishes his chore. He gets a sticker. I tell R. to go potty before he plays….again no tantrum?? Wow! He has a small flashlight to play with that I’d taken away yesterday for violence toward W. Robby is so happy to have it back that he goes right into the bathroom.

He wants to pee by the light of the flashlight. I again think about his creativity. The door closes Wes & Mama out. Wes cries. I comfort him while R. yells that he can’t see. I open the door and turn on the light. R. proceeds to go and flush. W. still cries to get into the bathroom. R. needs help with his pants. I put W. down and discover that R. peed on the floor and his underwear are wet too. We take off the wet underwear and R. cries & screams because I tell him to go get new underwear upstairs (meanwhile I am staying relatively calm and chipper).

R. tries to run out of the bathroom and knocks Wes into the wall. W. cries and R. cries. I tell R. to go around and say excuse me. He yells it. I tell him to take his underwear to the laundry room and I start trying to clean up the pee. Wes is trying to get the drawers and cabinet open to make a delicious snack of T.P. and toilet bowl cleaner. I stop him with one hand and clean up the pee with the other. I open the door to go out and slam it into R.’s face because he is right outside the door. He screams and lays on the floor. I try to comfort him and ask why he wasn’t putting his underwear in the laundry room like I asked. I get no where with this question so I tell him to go upstairs. He then proceeds to ram the baby gate and scream that he can’t go upstairs. I lift him over it and calmly ask him to get new underwear. He yells all the way to his room. I take a deep breath and Wes laughs at me and tries to get down from my arms. I had forgotten I was holding him all this time...no wonder I feel kind of hot and sweaty. I put him down and step over the gate. Wes cries, not wanting to be left behind.
I shout up to R, “do you need help?” R. runs to the stairway and flings underwear at me. I tell him (very calmly still) that he will have to dress himself in his room and not come out until he has them on. R. cries and screams, then grunts and yells at the underwear while yanking them. They get extremely twisted on his legs so I eventually go up to help him.
Wes is crying for me at the bottom of the stairs. We go back down and I tell R. he can watch cartoons while I put W. down for a nap. R. is happy again. W. goes down for a nap.

I collapse on my bed, cry and think, “I can’t do this, why am I such a bad mom, why are my kids like this, what am I doing wrong?”

Then God graciously gives me perspective & peace---those are two p.p.’s I can deal with! Thank you, Lord. Now I’ve gotta go put some pants on R. and get myself dressed before W. wakes up. As usual its 10:30 a.m. and I’m still in my p.j.’s….just another morning in the life of R. & W!