Road trips are only fun when everyone in the back seat is asleep. This may be an exaggeration. Most of the time things were fine, but five people in a pickup truck for hours on end can get a bit claustrophobic. (It might have been less stressful if we had been able to toss offending children in the flatbed of the truck.) While gone I managed to remember my pills every morning, spend lots of time outside (even though it was cold, damp and-- on the last day-- snowy), and have long stretches of time on the rocky shores of Lake Superior just looking for rocks and taking pictures. I got sunburned when it was cloudy and 45 degrees Farenheit. I need to get out more often. And my oldest, particularly, needs to spend more time in uninterrupted nature. We were so good about this when he was younger, but it is hard to give him the time he needs now that he is older and has two younger siblings. It is so easy to take the path of least resistance and let him read for six hours a day. This may not be an overestimation. Someone better keep writing books, because soon we will have exhausted those already in print. I am struggling with the high intensity of my children and the frustration that is so close to boiling over at any moment. I feel the weight of all the nagging nosy neighbor voices and the talk radio show advice columnists bearing down on me to say that it is always the mother's fault. That my children's weepy, yelly, aggressive, passive, withdrawn, overexuberant behavior is a direct reflection of my inability to provide them with the environment, the care, the stimulation (or lack thereof), the discipline, the counseling, the academic acceleration, the spiritual teachings or the attention they need. Ugh. What a terrible weight to put on my kids. As if their very person is only an extension of me. Speaking of high intensity and ready frustration... Nope. I see no correlation. My spouse pointed out that I need to spend more time with other people's children so I realize that
Here is what I want to know: How did I end up with such emotionally volatile children? Also, people should be forced to choose between these options in dealing with anger:
Under no circumstances should they be quick to anger and then hold on to their ridiculous fury for years and years and years. When I am supreme ruler of the universe I will decree this to be so. Grateful Crap: being back in the minivan. I can totally see why my parents got a full-sized van after a long road trip in a station wagon. It makes me feel less horrible as a parent. (I did not have horrible parents. They did not have horrible children. I should remember this.) Daily Convexions: took meds (but forgot until the afternoon-- when I swore out loud while making dinner) umm... walked up and down 4 flights of stairs I plan to get to bed on timishly I mostly go enough sleep. Let's see... 7.5 hours last night Comments are closed.
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K. BuchananQuaker, teacher, parent, |