If I had a dollar for every time she said this phrase (followed by an irrational meltdown, of course), I would...have a lot of dollars.
So far, things she doesn't know how to do include:
- sitting up in the morning
- finding her hairbrush
- NOT making a hideous choking sound while eating something she doesn't like
- wiping toothpaste off the counter
- finding a thing I am pointing directly at
- using a ball of playdough to pick up tiny scraps of dough
- rubbing lotion on her hands
- stopping crying (not real, sad, crying, I mean the whiny kind)
These are all just from today. I mean, a lot of those are understandable, but...rubbing lotion on her hands??? I just...I don't know. What does she want, a manual? I put the lotion directly onto her hands and started rubbing it in myself. You can't demonstrate that action any more clearly. I just mean...her talent for giving up when something gets difficult is pretty impressive so far. I'm sure some of that is age 4/5, but also some of it is genetics straight from her Mom. Yikes! In internet lingo, SMH.
What do you do when your child's most exasperating qualities are the ones you know she got from you? When you know you are supposed to be empathetic since you are basically watching a miniature version of yourself, and frequently you do feel a lot of empathy, but sometimes it's masked by a layer of irritation?
Soliciting tips from all of you saintly, patient, more-evolved-than-I-am parents out there. :)
What do you do when your child's most exasperating qualities are the ones you know she got from you? When you know you are supposed to be empathetic since you are basically watching a miniature version of yourself, and frequently you do feel a lot of empathy, but sometimes it's masked by a layer of irritation?
Soliciting tips from all of you saintly, patient, more-evolved-than-I-am parents out there. :)
3 comments:
Oh man. My blood pressure went up just reading that. Sometimes I think I have a mild form of PTSD from parenting...and it's only been five years. I have no advice. Only deep sympathy.
Also, although I am terrible at commenting I have been a constant lurker/reader of this blog from the beginning. It makes me happy you are doing Nablopomo.
Oh man. My two biggest faults as a person (okay, maybe not my biggest..but they're up there) are getting annoyed with my children when they act out on a weakness that I know came from me (its so hard to see your weaknesses in your children...and annoying...and makes me appreciate my mom). My second fault is getting annoyed with my husband when he gets annoyed with the kids when they exhibit my faults...because I know that's what I look like as a parent most of the time! Fail. Emily is so similar to me too...I can see the emotions and know exactly what's causing her to feel that way...but I still feel frustrated and annoyed. I'm working on it. Good luck to both of us! :)
Thanks ladies...you both are awesome moms so I'm glad you can sympathize!
Tiff, I'm working on it too! Sometimes I will really make an effort to be patient and rational outwardly, and I feel awesome about myself that I'm doing so well at it, and then all of a sudden she escalates the annoying behavior and something just snaps...postponing the snap! That's what I'm working on :)
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