February 2012

Grandparents: Oh, How the Rules Have Changed

Sending the kids to grandpa and grandma's for an afternoon is always a nice break, but when all is said in done, I'm nervous to pick them back up. My reluctance doesn't stem from a fear that they've been little terrors during their visits, but what my folks have allowed them to do or have while I wasn't there to arch my eyebrow at them.

Before I had my own kids, I always heard horror stories about my friends' kids coming home loaded with sugar and bouncing off the walls. And of course, those tales were just the tips of the icebergs. There's never been a shortage of “grandma gave it to me” or “grandpa let me do it” stories to keep me up at night, but honestly, I never dreamed my parents would turn out to be those grandparents.

You're Not the Boss of Me...Right?

"When my youngest dirties his diaper, the satisfaction of his smile isn't one of relief, it's one of control."

Throughout the day, every day, my kids are never shy about telling me what they need from me, how I should be doing something, or pointing out how I can better serve them. It's funny to think that when I quit my nine to five and started working from home I was actually delusional enough to think that I wouldn't have to answer to anyone ever again. Be my own boss, I thought. Ha.

Don't get me wrong, I don't blaze into action every time my little supervisors snap their tiny fingers, but it still strikes me as funny that they think they have that awesome power over me. And, to some degree, they really do. No matter what lessons I try to teach about respect and appreciation, a poopy diaper is still going trump whatever work I'm doing and hungry bellies can stop my in my tracks. And they totally know it and are quite happy to exploit it.

10 Ways to Embarrass Your Kids at School

Do you drive your kids to school? You have to get to the school half an hour early, just to get a parking spot remotely near the entrance and then the whole time you have to sit and listen to them complain about anything and everything that crosses their mind. Most of which, somehow you're absolutely responsible for, like them misplacing their library books or how they're hungry because they refused to eat the bacon and eggs you woke up early to cook.

When you go to pick them up, you still have to sit for at least half an hour, and while you're free of listening to their complaints, you know they'll resume as soon as they open your car door. It's maddening, but you still do it every day because you love them and want to save them from riding the stinky, sweat box school bus you had to ride when you were a kid.

Hate My Kid

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Grandparents: Oh, How the Rules Have Changed

You're Not the Boss of Me...Right?

10 Ways to Embarrass Your Kids at School