Onward...
So, I have been really struggling with something lately, and I am going to puke it all over you. The problem is the attitude of my children. Lately, they have the most stinky little hearts. I know I am not the only mom who deals with this, but I feel that this is just getting out of control and there is no way of turning back. Let me share with you a series of events that took place yesterday. I decided to take the kids for a walk to a beautiful park to capture some photos and just to get out of the house. One child fussed the entire time that the park was lame and that he wasn't going to smile for me because taking pictures was stupid. He wanted to go to a park with slides and activities...not for a nature walk. So I stopped taking pictures and heard only about what the park didn't have. The above picture is the ONLY picture I got of the 3 of them. Like I tell my clients with kids, "At this age, one good shot is better than none".
SO, Ice cream was on the list to do next because momma had a gift card from Owens Kdg teacher. I promised that we would do this after pictures, but at that point, didn't want to give my little buttercup any kind of ice cream. We went to Cold stone Creamery (where they charge you for a cone, but not for a cup that is going to go into a landfill..duh) and used MY gift card to buy ice cream for them. I accidentally ordered the wrong thing for one of my children and you wouldn't believe the tantrum. I told him, "just eat the ice cream, it is still good, you ordered this last time". Then all hell broke loose and the crying started. The lady behind the counter got a little scared as I probably turned a million shades of red and purple and blue. She made a different ice cream for him (against my wishes...I guess to make me feel like a meaner mom than I already felt like). I really wanted to throw it in the trash after that. My little buttercup just smiled as she handed him the ice cream. grr.
Then, we went to the pet store to play with the dogs and cats. This use to be one of our weekly activities. (I usually do not do this many nice things in one day, but my niece was here and it is fun to do things like this when she is around). One of my boys had some money so he wanted to get a goldfish. Well, there were no goldfish. His request then to a bigger fish (that he didn't have enough money for) to a bird, then to a guinea pig, then to a few hamsters...all that he did not have enough money for. I made it very clear that if he wanted a pet, he has to purchase the food, bedding, cage, and the pet. Yeah, that didn't go over too well and another crying jag came on (mind you, both children played equal parts in this horrible day of unhappy hearts). Then, the "You're a mean Mom" trick came out somewhere in our conversation. We left the pet store in a horrible state. I came home and cried in my room for about 15 minutes. ~sigh~
Where am I going with this, I don't know. I guess I am searching for ways that parents deal with ungrateful hearts. Up until this last year, I really thought my kids were very appreciative of things. Now, I don't even get a thank you for a stinkin ice cream cone. Is it the age? Is it me?
Dear Abby, please help.
4 comments:
Okay, you are way ahead of me as I only have a two year old (and another one on the way), so I don't even know half of your battles yet. However, I will say that my husband and I started listening to a series called "Raising Kids God's Way". We borrowed it from a friend who has raved about it, and I've had several friends comment about how they use it with their kids. Anyway, it's been great, and we've only begun! It really addresses how to deal with the core of things at your child's heart. Don't know if this helps.
By the way, you're doing such a great job as a mom!!!
i can SO RELATE with you right now. adin seems to whine about everything if it isn't exactly what he wants...then toby usually picks at him to make it worse. (or the other way around) summer has been great as well as overly stressful some days. i am not sure if it is lack of sleep because of a whacked out schedule or their ages or what. we had always thought that 3 was the roughest year, but adin is proving that maybe there is a relapse at 5?!
I'm so with you! We went to 7-11 for free slurpeee day, they had mini slurpees to give away, and Ethan said "What- that is too small, I want the big one" how ungrateful! My saying is from Ava's preschool teacher, "you get what you get and you don't have a fit".....love it and live by it! We all have those hard days, when we feel like we are trying so hard to please, and the audience (kids) are just never happy, what's up with that? We just go on to the next; don't take it so hard. I do place some blame on the times now, kids feel entitlement to all, we as kids were happy with anything we got, kids now are more like the gigantic blueberry girl in Willy Wonka, "I want it now, Daddy" Just be happy it's not like that, and I always think about what my mentors say to me- "you will be sad and miss the times you have now, no matter how crazy they are, when they are older" I sure hope that's true, because I'm going crazy now, and hopefully I will miss these crazy days!
warn your kids that you COULD join the FLDS cult/religion that entitles the kids to nothing, not even a gift or a happy birthday or a candle. zip, nadda, nilch. lol.
i feel for ya. at least when my girls whine all i hear is mumbled/jarbled words??
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