Saturday, August 8, 2009

Just Walk Away Moms

If you don't stop it.... I'll.... I'll throw this truck at your own head...(child 1)
"MOM, HE'S ANNOYING ME AND WON'T STOP!" (child 3)
"Mom, he' s annoying ME and won't stop"

"That stinks!"

"No, you know what stinks - you! P.U. you stink, you
haven't taken a shower since 1988!"

"MOM" "MOM" Whhhhaaaaaa haaaaahhhh hahhhhhhh


Oh please please please help me! I am stuck in kid hell! Seriously!!! Why do siblings have to fight SO much, why do they have to grate on each others nerves SO much. I am sure I did it as a kid, after all I am the youngest. But, as a mom it is the most tiring part of my day.



As this scene was going on this morning I recalled something that transpired years ago:
My oldest and second child were fighting - they were the only two able to talk at that time (now there are 4 chiming in and adding to the noise! oh the noise!) anyway, they were fighting - right. So, in the middle of their fight I stopped them and asked - why they had to do that, and didn't they know how sad it made mommy. My oldest stopped and looked at me with his innocent 4 year old eyes and said- "....because it's kinda fun"

What? Fun? Are you kidding me?
This is a game to them?
I am about to pull my hair out, getting totally involved
in what is going on, and this is "kinda fun".

So, as all 4 of my darlings (insert sarcastic tone) are fighting and I am trying to keep them quiet so Dearest can conduct some dock business... I have to step back and remember that a couple of things are happening as they fight. 1) As I learned in all of my child development classes (way back in the day here people!) is that kids need to fight, negotiate, and work their way through relationships with their siblings. This is teaching them lessons for living in the real world and living in the business world. (2) I am more emotionally invested in the fight than they are most of the time (3) If I just stay out of it and let them work it out it ends better and usually sooner- no audience- no one to entertain (4) sometimes walking away makes you the better person - and I mean myself here!

So, I am grabbing the keys and one of the children and I am off. I am walking out in the middle of a fight about - hot wheels and kitchen floor space (which is apparently more valuable then lake shore around here) and I am going to the store to buy car snacks for our road trip out to Colorado!

*The pics in this post have nothing to do with kids, fighting, child development or anything else related to this post. They are of places I plan on taking my family in Colorado- because right now that is where my mind is while toys and voices fly behind my head in a slow motion movie like action.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

try not to kill em!

Mari Mansourian said...

hope you have enough entertainment for the road trip... you can't walk out of that one huh, walking away sometimes IS the best thing to do :)

Homer and Queen said...

Oh I remember kid hell oh so well!!

math guy, dock guy said...

Lord give me patience on this trip.

McGillicutty said...

Yep... walk away and let it happen...I must say "figure it out" a million times a day. I truly wish we were going to Colorado... how wonderfully big!!!
btw is math/dock guy hubby? he's commenting??? awesome!!!

Alex @ I'm the Mom said...

Very very smart. Thank you for sharing that with us all.

And btw, PLEASE remember that tip of walking away when your kids are older and still fighting. My mom got between a fight my brother and I were having and it blew up in her face. She almost lost me. I was ready to walk from her, for good (that's a very long story). You are a fantastic mother and I hope you NEVER experience that *hugs*.

rxBambi said...

I still tend to get involved in the kids fights, but I'm getting better. I know they need to handle it themselves but they just keep drawing me in. Grrr. One day I'll have an empty nest and I'll be totally bored. haha yeah right

bearer of three said...

let them fight..as a mom you cant take sides lol..so let them deal with it on there own..they will figure it out..while you try to tune them out..now if it get physically obviously you will have to stop it but as long as its verbal they will get over it on there own..

Deb said...

Miss Heart had parent class night and shared this gem of wisdom: Put lavender oil over your heart center. It prevents the little angels from sucking all of your heart energy right out of your body. It's very calming/soothing too. Do you know about Bach's rescue remedy? I'd seriously consider having a bottle handy for this trip.