If counting down the days to school start makes you a bad mom, than consider me terrible…at least for the last week or so.
I like being at home with my monsters. I think the bonding that happens over good days, bad days and the in-between days is irreplaceable. However, when you work nights, sign on to watch your BF’s daughter with an early AM drop off and your Keurig breaks, motivation disappears and a mild temper emerges.
Maybe you’ve been there…where the kids or SOMEONE does something that sets you off and in the middle of the growing anger you realize that you’re being ridiculous yet you can’t put the brakes on. Yeah…that was me, yesterday.
I wasn’t even that mad, although the outside image would beg to differ.
Bash has just been on this mission to test boundaries that I am NOT ready to be tested. For instance, he’s been subtly telling me to fuck off. (You read that right…) Pulling a Ross to Rachel double fist tap, the finger flick under the chin OR most recently my dad told him that (and he demonstrated) the middle finger is the “most universal sign language there is”. If you’re thinking “WTF”, so am I.
My first-born going from 7 to 17 faster than a Bugatti.
I can’t let this happen. Not only because he’s too young to be treating me like this, I mean what the HELL are the teenage years going to look like if this is him at SEVEN(?) BUT also, because what the oldest one teaches the youngest one learns. I’m the minority in our house and feel like if I don’t stand up for myself now, then…how does that quote go?…
What you allow is what will continue. I can’t have this continuing and getting worse.
So
I
Freaked
The
F
OUT.
I ended up dishing out a couple mild spankings, which I’m not proud of but discovered, though painless are shocking enough to snap him out of the attitude and restart his listening behavior. (How did I realize they were painless, you might wonder? I checked for evidence.)
Afterward, the two of us had a lengthy heart to heart. His tears had stopped but mine continued on. I told him that it hurts my feelings when talks to me like that. It was a good thirty minutes of working things out but in the end we walked out of his room hand-in-hand.
As I reflected, yesterday, I realized both of my kids need a digital detox. This YouTube and video game age is too mature for them and it’s definitely where they are learning the disrespect from. I’m pretty strict about screen time but my husband is a little more relaxed about it, when the mom’s away the mice will play. After a lengthy conversation with the hubs he’s on board too.
Hopefully next week, the detox will do everyone good.
Much love,
Jes xoxo