We're all just tired...
My grandmother told me to write, even on the bad days. There's really nothing particularly 'bad' about today. It's just not a super-amazing-wonderful-fireworks sort of day. I'm not inspired to write because my children did some fantastic and adorable thing that I just have to share with the world. I'm just tired.
The exhaustion that comes with parenting small children is something you don't really get until you're in the middle of it. You might even feel guilty about it. You might think you're the only one who experiences it and you wonder what you're doing wrong. Stop it. You're not the only one. All of us experience this. And, just when you think you're on a normal schedule and everybody is sleeping through the night, something else will change.
Right now, the change we're dealing with (along with all other parents with school-age children) is our new schedule. It doesn't sound like much to get two children and myself fed, bathed, dressed and ready to leave the house in the morning. BUT IT IS! We're used to a much more flexible morning. We usually weren't even dressed until after the baby's morning nap, around 10:00 AM. So, this is an adjustment and it has caused me a lot more stress and anxiety than I thought it would. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what snacks I should bring to Soren's preschool when it's my turn to be the snack parent. I wonder if the baby will take a decent morning nap so I can get the laundry finished before it's time to go pick Soren up at noon. I know these aren't 'problems' and I know we'll get into a new rhythm soon, but I'm feeling very out of sorts lately.
It's the exhaustion. It robs you of your sanity, confidence, intelligence and coordination. Perfect example: I hit a parked car last week. A PARKED CAR. It was broad daylight, there weren't any adverse conditions and my baby wasn't screaming in the back. I just hit a giant Cadillac Escalade in front of my son's school. I spaced out and just hit it.
I tell you these embarrassing things so that you don't judge yourselves too harshly. We're all doing the best we can. We all make mistakes. Hang in there, moms and dads. And, if you're having one of those great days where you feel like you're on top of everything, your kids are behaving beautifully, your laundry is done, your house is clean and dinner is on the table... Good for you! Savor it. Write it down! It will get you through tomorrow when it all falls apart again.
The exhaustion that comes with parenting small children is something you don't really get until you're in the middle of it. You might even feel guilty about it. You might think you're the only one who experiences it and you wonder what you're doing wrong. Stop it. You're not the only one. All of us experience this. And, just when you think you're on a normal schedule and everybody is sleeping through the night, something else will change.
Right now, the change we're dealing with (along with all other parents with school-age children) is our new schedule. It doesn't sound like much to get two children and myself fed, bathed, dressed and ready to leave the house in the morning. BUT IT IS! We're used to a much more flexible morning. We usually weren't even dressed until after the baby's morning nap, around 10:00 AM. So, this is an adjustment and it has caused me a lot more stress and anxiety than I thought it would. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what snacks I should bring to Soren's preschool when it's my turn to be the snack parent. I wonder if the baby will take a decent morning nap so I can get the laundry finished before it's time to go pick Soren up at noon. I know these aren't 'problems' and I know we'll get into a new rhythm soon, but I'm feeling very out of sorts lately.
It's the exhaustion. It robs you of your sanity, confidence, intelligence and coordination. Perfect example: I hit a parked car last week. A PARKED CAR. It was broad daylight, there weren't any adverse conditions and my baby wasn't screaming in the back. I just hit a giant Cadillac Escalade in front of my son's school. I spaced out and just hit it.
I tell you these embarrassing things so that you don't judge yourselves too harshly. We're all doing the best we can. We all make mistakes. Hang in there, moms and dads. And, if you're having one of those great days where you feel like you're on top of everything, your kids are behaving beautifully, your laundry is done, your house is clean and dinner is on the table... Good for you! Savor it. Write it down! It will get you through tomorrow when it all falls apart again.
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