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To all Parents, Hang in There
By Julie | November 7, 2007
I’m going to start off by saying the obvious, before I start feeling guilty. I love my kids. I really do. Oh, but they can make me absolutely crazy!
I was having a rough morning, because of life, not my kids. But sometimes when life is going wonky, my kids jump on board to make it a little more hectic. I was on the phone with my mom. I don’t talk on the phone a lot because my kids know when I’m sidetracked and use it as an excuse to get into everything they know I won’t allow when they have my full attention. I learned this the hard way. When my oldest was two he went through a phase where the second the phone rang, I’d go to the office to answer it. He ran to the kitchen and started breaking eggs on the floor. We had carpet at the time. One time I found him on the floor playing with an empty carton, and couldn’t find the eggs. They were lined up in a corner in the living room. I was never even out of the room a long time. He was efficient. Still is, so I limit phone time, and try to not be distracted.
But today, since I was feeling a little pouty, I listened to my mom and wasn’t paying a lot of attention when I heard my kids migrate to the kitchen. That should have been my first clue. They always do the most damage in the kitchen, because it’s the room with the most things I want them to leave alone.
I let myself get too occupied in the phone conversation, and when I turned around I saw them. I saw what they had in their hands. I saw the floor. I told my Mom “I have to go.” Then I went to work. There were Rice Krispies all over the floor, ground in. But worse, my oldest had gotten the dishwasher detergent, “But I was just trying to start the machine, Mommy.” Problem is, he got about a tablespoon in the dishwasher, and the other half a box was all over the kitchen floor. I have a 20 month old who occasionally puts things in his mouth. I avoid as many non-toxic products as I can. I make most of my own cleaning products, because I hate toxic products near my kids. I keep the dishwasher detergent behind a child proof cabinet that my sons have never been able to open. Until today. (Note to self: Find a new place for that stuff.)
Thank you, God, that I discovered the mess as it was being poured. My sons did not have time to get it to their mouths. But, by the time I rounded them up in their rooms so I could clean, they had tracked the pebbles all over the house. There’s something about detergent and Rice Krispies. I have swept this house twice now, and can still feel something gritty under my feet.
So I’m off to scrub the floor, probably twice, counting my blessings that God did not allow my kids to touch that stuff!
In honor of my day, I want to leave you with this clip. I saw Anita Renfro at Women of Faith this year. She had an entire arena of women laughing so hard they couldn’t talk. Here she sums up motherhood perfectly. For all you moms (and dads) out there, I salute you. Some days are a little rough, but we hang in there:
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