Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Bifurcation

One of the things about motherhood that I still don't get, even after more than a dozen years of this parenting gig, is how I can feel so many things about my children in the span of one day.

Take yesterday. Please. My morning started wonderfully. I was up, showered, and out the door with the kids by 7:45. I don't know about you, but if I'm showered and ready first thing? I've got the tiger by the tail, baby. A bad day always involves me in a shirt, no bra, sweat in places where moisture shouldn't be, and piles of things to do. A good day? Well, yesterday looked to be headed in that direction.


It started at the kids' school. This year, the older three are all at the same school. You have no idea how much this enhances my life. The name of my blog largely was born from the fact that I had three kids in three different schools. Not. Fun. So instead of doing a little at each school, PTA at one, Girl Scouts at another, and so on, I am able to focus my energies in one place. And it feels wonderful. I met with our PTA president, made the rounds in my kids' classrooms, and charted out my plan of attack for the first half of the school year. This kind of stuff really makes me happy. I've always done PTA (or PTO or PTG) and when we lived in Georgia I even sat on a Department of Defense school board (now that is another story all together).

Then I thought I'd head to the gym, where I would stash Jack in the nursery and get a workout in before lunch and picking up Jacob from kindergarten. Except Jack wasn't in the mood to let mom get her endorphin rush, and the workout was cut short because Jack doesn't understand that the only reason I'm not on some cocktail of pharmaceuticals is because I self-medicate with exercise. So I was irrationally irritated at my one year-old for not understanding that I just needed thirty more minutes on the elliptical. Which made me feel guilty, and subsequently more pissy for feeling that way in the first place. Aack.


Then I picked up Jacob. He was in a mood: surly, disheveled, and not wanting to come home. I knew he'd be fine in kindergarten. "Mom! I want to keep playing!" I explained that he got to stay with me for the afternoon and that we would be doing fun(!) things like grocery shopping and heading to the post office, and maybe even the craft store to obtain 342 miniature starfish for a PTA project. Jacob growled at me in a very scary neanderthal way he has that makes me worry he will be a thug one day (does anyone else do this? Project dire things into the future when their child acts in anti-social ways? ). He huffed his way into the car and screamed at me that I got an X! Jacob has recently taken to keeping mental files on each of the family members, and an X? Not a mark you want in your file.


Then, the girls. My precious, hormone soaked, mercurial girls. Notice I didn't say bitchy. Because that would be wrong.

As they skipped out of their classrooms after school, my heart swelled with pride. They are just so lovely, so full of life, and already more than I ever expected they could be. I paused to talk to each of their teachers, happy that so far each girl seems to be doing swimmingly. What gets me is this: in school and anywhere else, they have a smile on their faces, they are helpful, polite and articulate. They jump to help others and are kind to kids younger than them. When I see this, I feel at peace with how I've done so far as a mother.

By the time we get home, this facade has unraveled, the faces of two delightful girls in a puddle at the bottom of my car, having been replaced with those dreadful stepsisters from Cinderella. They are at each other's throats, or bickering with Jacob, or heaving heavy sighs of pain because they just learned we won't be having dessert with dinner. Sometimes the eye rolling becomes so severe I am forced to wonder if they are indeed experiencing a Grand Mal seizure. Ghetto kids have nothing on my girls. My girls have to clean their own rooms, wipe down their own bathrooms and generally be helpful around the house before riding their bikes, or climbing the tree house or being transported to one of the myriad of activities they've suckered me into signing them up for. It's a hard life, and they let me know it with door slams, stomping, and furrowed brows. Occasionally, a venom laced invective is hurled my way through a closed door and I have to remind myself that I choose to stay home with these people. It is, in fact, a privilege.

All these feelings, in the span of less than one day. It wears me out. My hope for today, as I reflect on yesterday, is that I obtain that thick outer shell I've somehow lost over the summer and not take the mood swings and normal squabblings of children so personally. And that my state legalizes the use of elephant tranquilizers on children.

23 comments:

Ms. Skywalker said...

Had to wipe the drool from my mouth when I read they were all in one school.

Be careful that your kids don't find out about Child Protective Services. Teaching responsibility before playtime? Eegads. 50 lashes with a wet noodle.

The emotional roller coaster you speak of? Yep, I'm in the car behind you.

Mimi said...

Ahhhhh ... I know about being angry at the one year old for not knowing your needs ... and then being angry at yourself for being angry at the one year old and then just feeling crappy.

If I start the day with a shower, that's a good omen, too. You mean it doesn't always work????

Anonymous said...

I have a happy place in my head for days like these. It's filled with cocktails, massages, god-like men named Sven.....Where was I?...oh yeah. ((hugs))

Alpha Dude said...

Looks to me like you are doing a fine job with all of those children.

Keep up the good work, Mom!

Blessings.

Fairly Odd Mother said...

What the heck is a Department of Defense in a school system????

And, I laughed out loud over the 'grand mal seizure' comment---God, I can so remember rolling my eyes when my mom spoke to me. My 6yo already does it too.

Blog Owner said...

My kids are in the same preschool, and on a day like today where one's home sick it's quite the pain.

OMG I am in SOOO much trouble later in life :).

kristi said...

Hee Hee...I just found your blog. I am cracking up!

Jennifer said...

You got an X?! That. is. hilarious. (That is, hilarious for me to read about, sitting here, with no X...yet?...to my name. Hee.)

I can so relate to this. All of it. And my kids are still pretty young. You're saying it doesn't get better??? (help!)

Anonymous said...

Love this post, but don't love what 4 kids does to you. And I have a 4 year old that would fit right in with your girls. @@.

She (Princess, queen of all doors slammed) will go to full day pre-k starting next week - her first time at school, and I think she'll also be so wonderful at school that her angst will be saved for the rest of us when the school bell rings.

This school thing can be good, and can be bad. I'll meet you at the bar at 4:30.

Cathy, Amy and Kristina said...

I'm sure none of this struck you funny at the time, but your retelling of the day's events is hysterical.

And the X? Aaack! How does one respond to this? With an eye roll?

Loved this post.

Anonymous said...

Go one with the tranqs. We won't tell.


Not just a priveledge to stay home with them, also to hear you retell it. Love it!

Nancy said...

I recall days like this ... it was those times I understood why some species eat their young.

The dreaded "X" ... shape up Mama!

Anonymous said...

Elephant tranquilizers? Sign me up.

headlesschickie said...

Hey girl, there ain't nothin' wrong with a pharmaceutical cocktail!

Seriously, this post was laugh out loud, great start to my morning. I think you were channeling Dooce. But not so much that it wasn't 100% you!

"Faces in a puddle at the bottom of the car." HA! (If only that were the grossest thing on my minivan floor.)

Mary Alice said...

Thanks for the phone call last night. Always good to know that you are missed when someone screams "Are you dead? Where's the blog WOMAN?" So, just to let you know, there is a fresh post today; thank you and TAG. You are it.

Audubon Ron said...

Cute.

Anonymous said...

Hormone drenched girls... that one will keep me going allll day.

I'm having a name-my-blog contest, and if you win it's a one year subscription to Real Simple Magazine.

Hang in there.

painted maypole said...

our child is grading you? oh, the things I have to look forward to!

Keeping It Real said...

I'm feeling you here. I run the gamut of emotions for my children every single day. One single day with no problems is all I ask ... one single day.

Bananas said...

You sum it up so well. Ah motherhood, if we'd known, would we have done it??

insanemommy said...

I laughed out loud! I find I can make it through each day with a little self medicating. If mamma's happy everyones happy. lol.

Sarahviz said...

Thanks for giving me a preview of my life in years to come...ack! Pass the elephant tranquilizers, please.

MommasWorld said...

Just found your blog and absolutely Love the name!

Three children in one school is fantastic! Mine have never been assigned the same school at the same time...ever.

Have fun at the PTA and yeah for 3 in school.