It’s amazing how quickly kids get bored when they are forced to stay at home. They do have a million toys to play with (especially when we’ve just had Christmas) and books to read, shows to watch and access to a pretty decent yard with swings, a trampoline and a swimming pool. But no, out come those two little words that makes parents sigh inside and out every time, “I’m bored”. How?! How can you be so bored when you have so much you can do?!
Apparently things are more fun when we leave the house. I beg to differ. Things are more “fun” if I leave the house on my own. Well, they’re definitely easier anyway. I remember the days when all I needed was my keys, wallet and phone and I headed out the door. Now, I have to make sure everyone has been to the toilet (myself included) that everyone has shoes on and to keep the peace that my girls have something for the car trip, even if it’s only 5 minutes! Not to mention making sure we at least have some water as someone always ends up thirsty! Insert eye roll here.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my girls. But…there’s always a but, isn’t there? But sometimes (here’s a shocker!), they drive me crazy. I could use stronger words, of course. No matter what, they still come back to me again and again and again, so I can’t be the “worst mother ever” like I’ve heard muttered a few times. I know I have my moments. Who doesn’t?!
Each day seems to start off so well. It’s like the universe wants to lull me into a false sense of security. My girls are so nice and sweet. I really should know by now, it won’t last. It never does. Sometimes the peace can last for an hour but some days, it’s lucky if it’s five minutes. I know if I’ve already used an f-bomb in less than five minutes of waking ups, the rest of the day isn’t looking so good.
I know one day I’ll miss the craziness, the noise, the yelling over silly stuff and generally all-round the relatively easy stage that we’re currently in. I know I should lap up every moment and enjoy it all. It’s not always that simple. I’m human too. I have ups and downs and I’m allowed to not like what’s happening in front of me. I’m allowed to not want to be mummy for five minutes. I don’t want to skip ahead and miss things but sometimes it would be nice to fast forward through all the bad stuff!
Soon, my babies won’t be so little anymore. They’re already 5 and 7 going on 21 some days! I often wonder what happened to my teeny babies with the two little (almost giant) people standing in their place. I miss some aspects of the baby/toddler years and there is plenty I don’t miss – nappies, teething and floor thumping tantrums, just to name a few. In just two short weeks, another chapter begins with my baby starting school. I’m so excited to see what she can achieve but I’m also a little sad as I no longer have my weekday lunch/shopping buddy anymore. It’s all come around very quickly, I kept thinking it was still ages away. Time really does fly and you can’t stop it or slow it down. While the days and nights feel like forever sometimes, the weeks, months and years are much shorter than we think. Take it all in but don’t forget you are allowed to have your moment of weakness, just don’t let the kids see it or all hell breaks loose!
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**On a side note and just for a bit of self-promotion, I also write for 2 other avenues. You can check out more of my writing at:
Feature Magazine
https://www.featuremagazine.com.au
My Child Magazine
https://www.mychildmagazine.com.au/category/blogger/
https://www.mychildmagazine.com.au/category/toy-reviews/