As a mommy, I do tons of things that my pre-mommy self would never have imagined doing. I also assumed that as my children grew older, life would slowly get a little bit easier. Boy was I wrong! AND why don’t veteran mommies share that info?! Life with my 3-year-old and 19-month-old twins is insane. I’m always on the verge of yelling, crying, and most recently laughing…at all the wrong things!
Example #1:
Me: I thought I told you NOT to eat that cookie!!!
Big Boy: I didn’t eat it; Brynn did.
Me: Then how did that chocolate get all over your face. You better not be telling me a story.
Big Boy: I’m NOT Mommy! I’m telling a lie.
How do you not laugh at that? I really tried my best to keep a straight face, but I couldn’t hold back the giggles. I knew I should take this moment as a teachable one and explain the importance of telling the truth, but all I could do was attempt to hide my face and hold my breath to stop the laughter from erupting. In my mind, I guess laughing is a lot better than losing my cool and screaming and yelling…especially since there was a path of chocolate fingerprints along the hallway wall.
Example #2
My oldest son also likes to drop a bad word here and there to get a rise out of whoever may be in his presence. Most recently, we were in the car driving back from a family trip to the grocery store (something I don’t really recommend doing) and my son talking to no one in particular exclaims, “Some people say butt, and some people say a$$.” Before I could even make eye contact with my husband, we were both smirking. Why is it that when little kids swear, it sounds so cute? Again, with my best attempt to keep a straight face, I turned around and responded, “Yes, you are right, but both of those words are not very nice.” I couldn’t get too mad because he was indeed correct…some people do use those terms. At the moment, I was definitely at a loss for anything else.
Example #3
A few nights ago, I had put the twins in their highchairs, and my oldest was sitting at the kitchen table. He wanted to color, and of course, the other two wanted to do the same. I gave each a piece of paper and a few crayons. Miraculously there was silence for about 10 minutes as I was rushing to throw together a quick dinner. I even left the kitchen for a moment to get my phone to take a picture of the three of them working quietly. When I got back (literally 3 seconds), all three were laughing, and Shane was yelling, “Bad Blake!” And sure enough, Blake had bit off half of a purple crayon. My initial reaction was one of panic, and I immediately grabbed a little piece from his mouth. However, tiny bits of chewed up crayon was stuck (like I need dental floss stuck) in his teeth, and he was smiling with pride. Of course, I tried to give a stern “NO,” but all that came out were chuckles and an even bigger smile from Blake.
I know that most of my children’s behaviors are directly related to the type of reaction they will get from me. Being one out of three (more so for the twins- they are rarely apart from one another), there is a constant battle for my attention, whether it is positive or negative. However, my kids know they can be funny and use it to their full advantage. I’m finding myself in these situations daily. I keep reminding myself that laughter is the best medicine, but there’s got to be a better cure for dealing with my kiddo’s bad behavior. Help!!!
So funny & so true!! Out of the mouth of babes….
They think I’m pretty funny too!