But, my stomach churns and my head aches.
Peace is about me, but I am not a vessel of the stuff. I am a tangled mess.
WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING WHEN I SAID 'I JUST WISH IT WERE SUMMER'?????
The last day of school is creeping toward me like a great destroyer of my fragile balance beam that holds me up as a decent mother. And it's not going to snap because of my inability to maintain a household full of children. No, it's not about that. That's not the threat. I can do it. I tell myself I can, anyway. I mean, four kids over fourteen years? I've had practice.
If it's about ability to be home with my children, I am sure any homeschool mom would shoo me away as unworthy.
No, it has nothing to do with my ability to live each second with the little gems.
I love 'em. Honestly, I do. I love 'em more than myself...which might be a problem...perhaps.
But, they've peeled back the cute, joy-filled layers and handsome smiles, and shown me their uglies. And the uglies bring out my uglies. And that's just between the few hours after school.
WHAT THE HECK AM I GOING TO DO DAY IN AND DAY OUT?
I want control. I want kindness. I want order. I want a maid.
I want perfectly content, self-entertaining, cordial, happy, non-complaining children. I'll get a maid before that'll ever happen. And you know what? The only way I can come to grips with it is by reminding myself...
IT'S NORMAL.
Please tell me it's so! Please remind me that this is all part of the growing, refining, messiness of motherhood and children-becoming-decent-human-beings process. This long, drawn out science experiment of ripping away routine and school for a hot season of suntan lotion and sticky popsicle sticks is necessary, right?
Thing is, as we go about our summerly business, sometimes with teeth clenched and hair in fists, my kids just always appear to be extraordinary "somethin'" when I play the comparison game. Luckily, I haven't met the woman who has the number and ages of kids that I do, and tells me her children are perfectly content, self-entertaining, cordial, happy, and non-complaining...
Have you?
Well, good for her. While she sips her tea and eats her bonbons, smiling and daunting over her joyful pets, I'll schedule my next girls' night and leave my own rascals to fend for themselves for an hour or two. And when I get home, I'll love them just as big as I can, even though, there are times, they just don't seem to deserve it.
That's what'll keep me sane.
Loving them in the chaos...even if they don't deserve it.
Yeah, "I want" has never satisfied. So I just need to lean back, play an oldie but goodie, reminding myself, "I will survive".
Happy Summer! There will be sweet moments, but let's face it, the days are going to be long.
Make charts, give them a daily chore, give motivational speeches...HAHAHA! Whom am I kidding? I did that once. ONCE.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have 4 kids. Yes, I totally get it.
The thing is, accepting that the house will be loud and messy is the most pivotal thing. Pick one time per day, usually right around mid-evening, or in between dinner and dessert, for them to do a power clean up. Legos can stay built, but pick a safe corner for them. Otherwise, everything gets put away or no evening activities. Keep track of who does the dishwasher each day, so there's no fighting. And make them do extra chores to earn the extra fun stuff. If they're old enough to program the TV? They can program the washing machine.